MARCH,1946 77 me".Thatwasonthedayof thesentence.Tenminutes laterthesamejudgecondemnedthatmantothirtyyearsat hardlabor.Now,logicaly,heknewwhathewasgoingto dotothisman,andalthoughthirtyyearsathardlaborare asarulemorepainfulthanwhensomeonestepsonyour foot,thejudgewasnotahypocrite,andheremaineda judgeevenifhesaidpardonme.Becausehewasajudge andnotTheLaw.Hedidnotneedthismantobeajudge. Butyou need yourdefendants,forwithoutthemyou're nothing.Youmustclingtothemasoneclingsinashipwrecktoanythingthatfloats. It'sTHEYwhokeepyou afloat,andyoumustbegthem:"Stayalive,forGod'ssake, stayalive,orwearenolongeryourjudges,weareYOU". Indeed,whynotrewardthemfordistinguishedserviceto yourself-respect?Becausethelawinthenameofwhich youthunder,whilestayingsafelyoutsideitsstrikingrange, DOESNOTEXIST.Your lawhasbutonearticleandit reads: It is a crime toloseawar.Whoevercommitsit, willbeshot. Andthat,damnit,wasalreadyknown. Tel usaboutNurnberg.Howdidyoufindthebuilding? Wasn'tit luckythattheairforcehadsparedit?Was it all plannedthatway,sothatJustice,andespecialythatold whorecaledHistoryN+,ouldnotcatchcold,orwasit just goodluck?Andhow'stheplumbing?Doyoucarryyour soapwithyou?AndareallthosefilesoftheWilhelm- strasseveryfilthy?Doyouwashyourhandsbeforeor after?Oh,after.Theymustbefilthythen. I thinkthisis quiteanimprovementonPilate.Herefusedtohaveanythingtodowithit. Andfromthewindows,whatdoyousee?Wreckage? Andpeople?What?STILLindiferent? I guessthey areincorrigible.All yourfineefortswillbeinvain.They willturntheirbackonyou,bendingoveralldaytofind, eitherabonethatbelongstothefamily,orsomethingthey maysell forfood.Poor,poorjudges. . . . But,astheysayinAmerica,let'snotgetcontroversial. NICCOLOMCC! Exit,PursuedbyaBear (1) Toappeasethesmalstatestheyhadslighted ThePowerssaid:"Let'sbeunited!" Sotheyjoinedforaday Andthenvetoedaway TilltheBalanceofPowerwasrighted. (2) "Poland'sgone,"Bevinsaid,"youcanhava. ButtheLifelineofEmpire?Nava!" "IfyoubringupIran, "We'l throwGreeceinyourpan," SaidVishin.sky,"andHongKongandJava." (3) "IfyouletuskeepIwoandMalta," SaidByrnestotheReds,"wewillalter "Thecolonialfolly "OftheKuriles. . .""Sosoly," SaidStalin,"WeboughtthematYalta." Rebellion? a-orReconversion.? THEmostsignificantnews-itemsproducedbythegreat strikemovementthatbeganlast fallseemtometobe: (1)theenrolmentintheCitizens'CommiteetoAidFam- iliesofGeneralMotorsStrikersofsixbishops,plusHenry Luce,ofTime,Inc.(slogan:AllThisandHenryToo!) ;* (2)thebreaking-upofapicketlineofstrikingtelephone girlsinNewark,N. J.,by arumorthatnylonstockingswere onsaledownthestreet. •Thismayseemafrivolouswaytobeginadiscussionof aperiodwhichincludedthesteelstrike(biggest,innumbersinvolved,inourhistory)andthestill-continuingGM strike(biggestinwagesandman-hourslost);whichmade ghostcities,foratime,ofPitsburghandNewYork;which spreadintotherubber,oil,meat-packing,andelectricalgoodsindustries;not tomentionthecoalandrailroad strikeswhicharestillpossibilities.Thestatisticsareimpressive,andtheleft-of-centerpresshasreactedtothem withitscustomaryreflexes;atthevery,veryleast,one gathers,theCIOisfightingforsurvival,while it issug- gestedthattheAmericanworkingclassis"on the march" towardsclass-consciousnessand,ultimately,socialism.Some readersmayhavewonderedwhynocommenthasyetappearedin POLITICS aboutthesestrikes.Onereasonisthat theydidnot,fromthebeginning,appeartometobeof basicimportance.Thewaytheyhaveturnedoutconfirms thisview.Neithersidehaswonor lostverymuch;the strikershaveusuallygainedabout19centsanhour,or roughlyhalfofwhattheydemanded,buteventhismodest economicadvancewillprobablybecanceledoutbythe risingpriceswhichTrumanispermitting;theemployers havenotbrokenorevenweakenedanymajorunions.This stalemateisnotthetensedeadlockofbitter-endantagonists, butthereasonablecompromiseof"practical"menoneach sid I et . wasonlythearchaictypesinCongress,andtheir similarsontheLeft in short,theOldBelieversin the simpleclassstruggledoctrine--thatgotexcitedaboutthe strikes. A "prominentindustrialist" isreportedtohave said,afteravisit toCapitolHill: "Iwasshockedbythe jittersinCongressoverthestrikesituation.Actually,there ismuchin thepicturewhichseemstomeencouraging. Neverinmymemoryhavesomanymenbeenonstrikewith solittleviolenceorsocialdisorder. Of courseindustrial unrestwascertaintofolowtheendofhostilities.Asbusi- nesshasgrownbigger,sohavetheunions,withtheresult thatthenumbersafectedbystrikesareverylarge.Butthe realynotablefactisthatthestrikesareorderly,thelabor disciplineisexcelentandtheissuesare,onthewhole, focusedwithlogicandinteligenceratherthanpassion." (HumanEvents, Jan.16.)Or,asayoungFrenchradical, overherefor avisit,remarkedtome:"Thesestrikesof yoursseemtobepartofthereconversionprogram."For alltheirgigantism,ourpostwarstrikeshavelackedquality; neithersidehasbeentoomuchinearnest;theunionsand theemployershavemetonthe"do-business"planerather thanthe"make-or-break"plane.SowefindHenryLuce *ThesameweekthatLucejoinedtheStrikers'Commitee,his Congresswomanwife,Clare,wasreceivedintotheCatholicChurch. Thecoincidencewaslessbizarrethan it mightappear: bothwere ridingthetide. BibliotecaGinoBianco SeldenRodman
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