Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Jan. 19, 1950, edition 1 / Page 2
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Editorial , THE CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL AND DIXIE FARM NEWS * Published at Charlotte, North Carolina OLDEST LABOR PUBLICATION IN THE TWO CAROLINAS H. A. Stalls, Editor and Publisher W. M. Witter, Associate Editor Entered as second-class mail matter September 11, 1931, at the •Post Office at Charlotte, N. C., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. Endorsed by Charlotte Typographical Union, Number 338, An Af filiate of Charlotte Central Labor Union and the North Carolina Fed eration of Labor. News Services: American Federation of Labor, U. S. and North Carolina Departments of Labor, and Southern Labor Press Associa tion. MEMBER SOUTHERN LAB'tR PRESS ASSOCIATION The Labor Journal will not be responsible for the opinions of cor respondents, but any erroneous reflection upon the character, stand ing or reputation of any person, firm or corporation which may ap pear in the columns of The Labor Journal will be corrected when called to the attention of the publisher. Correspondence and Open Forum opinions solicited, but The Journal reserves the right to reject objectionable reading matter and advertising at all times. DENHAM CLAIMS T-H REPUDIATED WAGNER Robert N. Denham, general counsel for the National Labor Relations Board, has laid low for all time to come the fiction that the Taft-Hartley law “preserves the best of the Wagner Act.” Apologists for the one-sided Taft-Hartley law claim they kept all the best things of the Wagner Act but “have added some responsibilities for labor unions.’ Mr. Denham, whose advocacy of Taft-Hartley has seemed to embarrass even Senator Robert A. Taft on occasion, says flatly that passage of the Taft-Hartley Act^ “repudiated the Wagner Act and its administration.” He said so in an angry speech attacking the National Labor Relations Board’s administration of the present law. “There have been many decisions by the board in recent months to which 1 have been unable to subscribe as being consonat with the broad purposes and intent of the law,” Mr.' Denham said. In bitter vein, he assailed the board; ’When you stop to realize that, beginning with the mem bership of the National Labor Relations Board itself, and going down through the entire structure of the personnel of the agency, by far the majority of the membership, both of the board and of almost every division of the agency, was made up, in August of 1947, and still consists, of persons who were raised in the climate of the philosophy and, I think I may say, in the religion of the Wagner Act, it is small wonder that there has been difficulty in obtaining a divorcement of thinking ahumg these people from their old Wagner Act formulae. “When you have spent 10 years or so, saturated with the statutory and administrative theory that one segment of our economic society must be protected, no matter what, and that the offsetting segment of that society must be saddled with the blame for everything that happens, even though the actual offender may frequently be found in the protected group, that scheme of thinking and reacting is hard to eradicate. Such eradication can pnly be accomplished by a firm determination to abandon it when the principle of the theory has been repudiated, as the Wagner Act and its administration was repudiated by the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act." STAR SAYS GOMPERS INFLUENCE LIVES ON The Conservative Washington Evening Star said in an editorial that Samuel Gompers’ “influence still is felt throughout the nation.” The opinion was expressed in an editorial published on the occasion of the AFL’s Gompers Centennial Dinner held Jan. 5 opening a year-long celebration of the 100th birthday of the founder of the American Federation of Labor. Mr. Gompers was born Jan. 27, 1850. The Star said: “Mr. Gompers himself appreciated his place in the history of his times. Washingtonians remember him not simply as the head of the AFL, but also as a publicist, a social philoso pher, with ideas and opinions on everything under the sun. "The little Dutch Jewish immigrant boy of 1863 grew to maturity in a world rapidly developing new issues, new conflicts, which claimed his attention and which he rarely if ever, attempted to avoid. Throughout his career, he kept his mind and his heart open to what was going on about him. He was exceptionally sensitive Xo economic, social and political developments but he likewise was receptive to happenings in such distant fields as music and literature, drama and painting. “The major enthusiasm of his life, however, was the cause of solidarity among working people. A cobbler and then a cigar maker, he realized that the individual laborers or craftsman was handicapped by his individuality. In order to bargain successfully at all it was necessary to bargain collectively. “So Mr. Gompers applied himself to the task of discover ing competent union leadership wherever it could be found, and he set a personal example for the young lieutenants he discovered. Thus the American Federation of Labor became a reflection of his conceptions, his methods, his objectives.” GREEN ASKS SUPPORT FOR MARCH OF DIMES AFL President William Green called upon the AFL mem bership to support the annual March of Dimes drive of the National foundation for Infantile Paralysis beginning Jan. 16. In a letter sent to all AFL affiliates, Mr. Green urged members “to voluntarily contribute as generously as possible to the financial appeal of the National Foundation for In fantile Paralysis.” He pointed out that polio had afflicted “many of the children of working people.” Noting that the number of polio victims had skyrocketed during the past year, the AFL chief called for “increasing financial help.” He said the “need is very great” to help the victims of this disease and pointed out that in many instances polio victims had been saved by expert medical care supplied by the National Foundation. • Mr. Green’s appeal came on the heels of an announcement by Basil O’Connor which revealed that some 661,000,000 had been expended by the National Foundation for medical care alone in 1949 which saw a record* polio epidemic sweep the nation. This unprecedented outbreak virtually depleted the National Foundation’s resources. In order to carry on its relentless war against infantil paralysis, the National Foundation, whose burden has be come more acute because of the rising tide of polio, has asked everyone to double his contribution to the forthcoming March of Dimes drive. f James J. Herkenham, Jr., Director of Labor Services for the National Foundation, has requested labor unions and onion members to make their contributions directly to the local National Foundation chapter in their yidnity. ON RAPIO STATION WAYS, 10 P. M. Urges Congress Enact Housing, Security And Labor Measures Washington.—President Harry S. Truman asked Con gress for $42,439,000,000 to carry out social security, hous ing, national defense, foreign aid, and other government commitments for the fiscal year beginning next July 1. The request followed by a few days his report on the nation’s economic health in which he favored higher average family incomes to meet living costs and government taxes. Mr. Truman and his council of economic advisers foresaw an out put of $300.000,000 annually. 64. 000,000 jobs, and an increase in annual income of $1,000 per fam ily by the end of 1954. AFL officials said the report was “too rosy” in the face of pres ent conditions ajid short term pros pects. They pointed out there are now 1,600,000 more unemployed persons this year than last and that 530,000 unemployed persons exhausted all of their unemploy ment benefits during the third quarter of 1949. A significant fact of Mr. Tru man’s report, AFL officials said; was the declaration that “the soundest general formula (for in creasing porehasing power) is for money wages to increase with pro ductivity trends in the whole economy.” This is an endorsement of the AFL point of view that productivi ty increases should be distributed in the form of higher wages rather than lower prices. Economically, Mr. Truman rec ommended these projects which have AFL support: Revisions in the tax structure; housing for middle-income fami lies; Columbia River Valley Au thority; federal aid to education; extend and liberalise social securi ty and unemployment insurance; extend rent control one year; con tinue foreign recovery programs; authorise program for technical assistance to underdeveloped coun tries. In his budget message, Mr. Tru man proposed among other things: - General taxon—Moderate but un specified increases, excise taxes likely to be cut. Education—$900,000,000 for fed eral aid to local schools. Labor—Create fair employment Stress 8 Million Edwards Sponsors Washington. — “Eight million Americana present Frank Ed wards and the news.” Have you heard that greeting every night at 10 o’clock? If not, listen! Those words open the American Federation pf Labor nightly news and commentary by Frank Ed wards, nationally-known liberal commentator, broadcasting from Washington. Mr. Edwards' terse summary of the major news events of the day, his refreshing commentary, and his exclusive reports follow the introduction unbroken by any com mercial announcement. Mr. Edwards' style la friendly and interesting and his voice pleas ant. The program is carried on 147 stations of the Mutual Broadcast ing System and 8 stations owned by labor-liberal organisations. Labor editors are urged to pub lish the station and time of the Edwards’ broadcast in their news papers as a membership service. DISCU8S FUTURE. Washington.—AFL education di rectors discussed the functions and services which the projected AFL Department of Education might be expected to perform when it is es tablished. Establishment of the de partment was authorised at the St. Paul convention with the Workers Education Bureau, under Director John Connors, as the nucleus. practices commission, encourage industrial safety, increase unem ployment compensation and extend coverage. Payroll taxes—Asks $3,000,000, 000 boost to finance expanded so cial security and start of health insurance program. Truman Program. At Glance Washington.—President Truman asked major legislation to achieve many goals favored by the AFL in his annual state of the anion message. Following are highlights: REPEAL THE TAFTHARTLEY LAW—Replace it with a fair law. Establish a labor extension service. SOCIAL SECURITY—Expand the program to provide higher benefits and greater coverage. HEALTH—Establish a system of medical insurance which will enable all Americans to afford good medical care. EDUCATION—Provide federal asfistance to states for educa tional purposes. HOUSING—Extend rent controls another year. Assist coopera tives and other nonprofit groups to build dwellings which middle income families can afford # RESOURCES—Approve St Lawrence seaway and power project and the Columbia Valley Administration. MILITARY—Cpntinoe selective service in this country. Support Atlantic defense plans. ECONOMIC—Keep the European Recovery Program going with out “crippling” cuts in funds. Pass pending masures to put into effect the Point Four program of American technical and financial aid to underdeveloped nation*. Approve United States membership in international trade organization. TAXES—“Make some changes in opr tax system which will reduce present inequities, stimulate busines sactivity and yield a moderate amount of additional revenue." Specific suggestions will be made shortly. BUSINESS—“Close the loopholes” in the antitrust laws so as to bar “monopolistic mergers/’ Promised proposals to assist small business and encourage new enterprise. . FARM—Pass the Brannan plan with its system of production payments; provids mandatory price supports for products which are major sources of farm income and are not adequately covered. Samuel Gompers His History: To Samuel Gompers, as to few men, fell the opportunity at a his toric time to lead an army of men with a bright torch down a broad highway. The torch he raised is now held high by 8,000,000 workers and blazes its light around the world. In brief, this is his story: Samuel. Gompers was born in^ East Side, London, January 27, 1850. He was the son of Solomon and Sarah (Rood) Gompers, both born in Holland, liis parents and forebears were wage earners. After but 4 years of schooling, it was necessnry for Samuel, then 10 years old, to help bear the bur dens of his family. He was ap prenticed to learn the shoemakers' trade but found that distastefu’ and turned to the trade of his fa;h er, cigar making. When he was but1 13 years of age the Gompers fam ily moved to America. After learning the eigarmakers’ trade under his father’s tutelage, the youth became a journeyman worker and joined thd English speaking eigarmakers* union in New York City, old Local Union No. 15. /it first strongly attracted by the humanitarian work of fraternal organizations, young Gompers give his spare time to lodge work? but as he came to realize the construc tive possibilities of the union, he concentrated all of his attention and ability on the' promotion of the trade union movement. He first became a leader in his local union and then became prominent in labor affairs of New York City. Rising to prominence in his in ternational trade organization, the Cigarmakers International Union, he earned a standing and recogni tion that enabled him to take part in the effort to fotm a national federation of trade unions in 1881. He was active in the old federa tion, serving 3 years as president and 2 years as a member of its legislative committee, and after the merging of the older federation with new unions under the name, American Federation of Labor, served continuously with the ex ception of 1895, as presidents Samuel Gompers continued to work as a cigarmaker until 37 years of age, giving all his spare time to organization work, sacri ficing even the little home life that was accorded to the workers of those days. He held card No. 1 in this international union fer many : years. Although given numerous opportunities to hold political po sitions and participate in under takings that would have made him a rich man, Samuel Gompers held fast to his ideal to make better the lives of the workers. He became the only full-time representative of the American Federation of Labor in 1886. From then on he gave his full time to the work of developing the eco nomic movement of wage earners for the establishing of higher standards ojf work and life. Under bis purposeful, constructive lead ership, gains were made. It was a cardinal principle of his leadership that the economic organization could serve all the needs of the trade union and hence he advocated the mobilization ofi •he economic power of wage earn ers along non-partisan political lines. Heading an aggressive, non partisan political movement by labor in 19C6, on. behalf of labor i he submitted a bill of grievances to responsible political represen- i tatives. This policy was followed1 with increasing success and sub stantial labor legislation enacted by Congress. To Samuel Gompers chiefly is due the enactment into law of that fundamental economic principle: the labor of a human being is not a commodity. . By sympathy and training Sam uel Gompers was a pacifist. But when this country was confronted with the possibility of war in 1916, he was among the first to pledge whole-hearted support to his coun try for both himself and the or ganization he headed. It was largely due to his influ ence and determination that the forces of labor were held intact despite subtle and alluring propa ganda that might have t%used dis aster for the cause, of the Allies. Labor stood behind the government of the United States and gave its all to the cause of democracy under the leadership of Samuel Gompers. At a possible sacrifice of even life itself, he made several trips across the water during wartime to help cement the loyalty of the workers of allied countries at a critical hour. He was appointed by President Wilson fcs a member of the Com mission on International Labor Legislation of the Peace Confer ence at Versailles. At the first meeting of the commission he was unanimously elected president. The commission drafted the Labor Charter of the Peace Treaty guar anteeing to workers of all countries an equal opportunity for better conditions of life and work. In the year after World War 1, he was a dominant figure in help | ing to tide over a period of unem ployment and restlessness which, without hit help, might have be come influenced by the germs of revolt prevalent the world over. He was successful in maintain ing the morale of his organisation and resisting the efforts nude to ward the disintegration of the forces of labor during the period ? of readjustment. He was keenly interested in all attempts made to stabilise production and thus guar antee a higher standard of life for wage earners the world over. The last weeks of his life wit nessed a most extraordinary round ing out of plans and activity ex tending over years, in the thrill ing international demonstrations at El Paso, Juarez and Mexico City. He helped to make possible a Mexican Federation of Labor and participated in the celebra tion of the first constitutional suc cession to office of a president, and that president was elected by laborers of Mexico. He had just been unanimously re-elected president of the Ameri can Federation of Labor and of the Pan-American Federation of Labor, of which he was founder, and was engaged in most important service when the end came Dec. 13, 1924. His last words were for the republic he loved so dearly: “God bless our American insti tutions. May they grow better day by day." M Woll to Report On German Tour Washington.—AFL Vice Presi dent Matthew Woll will report on his recent tour of western Ger many and visit with trades union ists there at the next meeting of the AFL executive council in Miami. Mr. Woll said after his visit to Germany that the trade unions had succeeded in rebuilding their or ganizations in an extremely short period. “The strength^of this great dem ocratic movement (third only to the United States and Great Britain) is reassuring for the fu ture of Germany,” Mr. Woll said. “I am convinced that this is the greatest organized force within Germany which is willing to work together with the rest of the world to assure a permanent peace.” Mr. Woll said he is glad dis mantling of German plants will come to an early end. He urged the overhaul of the German civil service system to weed out former 'Nazis and men who will not serve the new democratic republic with honest and sincere loyalty. He said he favored elimination of trade barriers between European coun tries to put the continent on “a sound economic basis.” The AFL vice president praised “the work that is being done by former U. S. labor officials attach ed to the U. S. High Commission er in Germany.” Harvey W. Brown, former president of the Interna tional Association of Machinists and former AFL executive council member, is director of the commis sioner’s office of labor affairs at Frankfurt. Edwards Broadcast Wins Wida Acclaim Washington. —Frank Edwards, liberal news commentator sponsor ed by the American Federation of Labor, is winning wida acclaim among radio listeners. He has already received hun dreds of letters of praise for his Monday-through-Friday broadcast over Mutual Broadcasting stations •t 10 p. m. .—^ Are you listening ? Here are three comments pluck ed from Mr. Edwards* big stack of fan mail; New York City—“I find your news comments of an honesty that makes it easier to bear Fulton l<ewis and his too numerous stripe.” Huston, La. —“We are of the opinion that your commentary of the news is the most objective and unbiased report we have had the pleasure of listening to in a long time.” Morgantown, W. Va^-“I feel celled upon to congratulate you on the informative and interesting ““J®® >» which you present the news. I sat amazed to hear a news commentator giving the suggestive remedy for the evils he criticised. It is wonderful to find at least *** person who sounds off about the things thst are awry in this confused world of ours, has given •»o«gh consideration to whet he •■ys that he has devised, or at l«*st some idea of, a better thing to replace the object ei hit eriti
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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