Toledo Union Journal

It's News To Me

By O. J. Pecord

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

A lot of the workers think of themselves as horny handed sons of toil, as greasy, dirty, grimy members of the CIO. They mope over the sad fate which condemned them to be workers instead of bank presidents or heads of industrial empires.

Some of the workers suffer from a sense of frustration. They have hoped and prayed and worked hard for success which never came. Their hopes have been dashed on the rocks of a thousand disappointments.

No matter what your secret sorrow may be regardless of your sense of inferiority, cast everything to one side. Hold up your heads, thrust out your chins, stick out those chests which may be sunken from leaning over lathes or work benches, for you are important people.

ON AUTHORITY

Now I am not given over to excessive flattery and have criticized the workers enough for them to know that I am not closing my eyes to their faults and shortcomings. After all, the workers are still folks and as such, full of human frailties. Of course, I still am prejudiced in favor of the workers; but never mind that part of it.

My original task was to show the workers just how important they are and I shall proceed to do so.

My authority for telling the workers they are important is not Philip Murray, R. J. Thomas or some other labor leaders, but some who do not belong to a labor union, never have belonged, and I think, and hope, never will belong to a union.

Here they are: Governor John Bricker of Ohio, Representative Howard Smith of Virginia, Representative Martin L. Dies of Texas, Pappy O'Daniel, editorial writers on countless newspapers, columnists, the National Association of Manufacturers, the United States Chamber of Commerce, big business men, bankers, economists, financiers and many other important people too numerous to mention.

SOVEREIGN

And the reason why these important people, the people who really are somebody, think that the workers, particularly the CIO workers, are so very important is because this is 1944, the year when the working stiff is not just a working stiff, but the sovereign voter whose decision at the polls is going to spell success or defeat for hopeful politicians, scheming economic forces and powerful interests who recognize labor's power better than labor itself recognizes it.

Those who have shown their concern over the power of the poor working stiffs are not worried because labor is united. They are worried lest it does unite. Hence, they make every effort to keep it divided by making charges and drumming up all sorts of hooie to mislead the workers and send them barking up the wrong trees.

Take the case of the CIO Political Action Committee. Even before the committee makes a significant move it is being attacked by Governor John Bricker who says he has been reliably informed that the CIO is going to spend $5,000,000 to re-elect President Roosevelt.

Of course the workers are supposed to ask each other where the CIO Political Action Committee gets that kind of money, but does it ever occur to the workers to ask how much the NAM, U. S. Chamber of Commerce, business men, bankers, financiers and other big shots are going to spend to defeat Roosevelt?

THE BOGEY

And the bogey of state socialism how they drag that out.

"The CIO Political Action Committee," says Mr. Bricker and the other boys in his boat, "is going to lead us straight down the trail that leads to state socialism." Well, just where will Mr. Bricker, Mr. Dewey and those who are backing them lead us?

If the CIO is going to lead us to state socialism, it's only fair to suppose that Mr. Bricker, Mr. Dewey, the bankers, industrialists, financiers and big shots might presumably lead us down the trail that leads to fascism. We certainly have as much right to suspect their motives as they have ours.

The real fact is that the struggle between the large economic interests and the workers is becoming clearer cut. Or, to put it another way, labor wants to preserve and extend its gains, whereas the big economic interests wish to preserve and extend their benefits.

CONFLICT

One would need to be blind not to see the clash of conflicting interests in the political contest in which two political parties in reality do not represent the workers, but are divided into economic groups without respect for their political labels.

Nor is the conflict only in the economic field but in the political field as well, for the Democrats are hopelessly divided upon principles. And this is the party which represents the workers' interest to a greater extent than the Republican party.

Oh well, forget it, only remember one thing, fellow workers-you are important people. Unite and elect those who will represent your interests and you will really be important.