Toledo Union Journal

President,
Local 12, UAW-CIO

The people of Ohio will soon be faced with the question of choosing a new senator to conduct their senatorial business in Washington.

In all probability former Governor Bricker will be one of the candidates and is likely to be opposed by Marvin C. Harrison.

It does not seem to me to be too early to start evaluating the potential candidates. I am not too well acquainted with M. Harrison or his past history to go to any length in proclaiming his virtues as far as Labor is concerned.

However, the other candidate is well-known in a political sense to all of the people, or at least should be.

It is a sad state of affairs to find Mr. Bricker apparently is in favor of eliminating price control. He, also, is apparently in favor of eliminating strikes. In fact it seems that he could give Senator Taft a very good run for his money in becoming the favorite of the reactionaries and labor-baiting big boys.

I don't know what his theories on eliminating strikes may be, but we should never forget that there were no strikes in Germany. There were no strikes in Italy, Japan nor in Russia.

If we are to accept the way of life as it existed in these countries for the sake of eliminating strikes then I think we would be very foolish people.

The one thing which everyone should remember is that strikes are not the desire of people, but are the results of unfairness in bargaining.

There are times in everyone's life when he must do something which he does not like to do, but nevertheless does it out of necessity.

Strikes on the part of labor, like the present refusal on the part of big business to sell merchandise, are a part of the price of democracy, but in spite of this price, I believe an overwhelming majority of the people in our country still want to retain democracy. I do not feel that people whose ideas run in conformity to those which I have expressed are the type of people whom we should elect to public office. I am therefore writing this time in an attempt to wake up the voters who normally are not interested in who represents them until after the elections when some piece of legislation is passed detrimental to their interest.

It seems to me that one of the uppermost activities that every worker should have for his own benefit is to join and participate in the political functions which are designed for his benefit. Our lives, as our country, becomes more highly mechanized, will become to a greater degree regulated by social laws. We should make sure that these laws are for our protection.