Freedom from Suit?

Declaiming last week before a Senate hearing on mine safety, John L. Lewis dealt with the killing and maiming of his United Mine Workers in such disasters as the recent underground explosion at West Frankfort (Ill.), where 119 men lost their lives,/- The shaggy eyebrows quivered with scorn, the spellbinding voice rolled out pedantic invective (a certain mine operator, he rumbled, was "retromingent"), as the U.M.W.'s president got to his main point: "the abominable and barbaric Taft-Hartley Law." Until Congress repealed it, said Lewis, the U.M.W. would be hampered in its efforts to make the mines safe. He complained that operators, under "Bob Taft's slave statute," could sue the union if union members struck against dangerous mine conditions while a contract was in force.

Taft, though a member of the committee conducting the hearing, was not around as his old U.M.W. foe let loose. (Lewis once said of him: "Taft was born encased in velvet pants, and has lived to rivet an iron collar around the necks of millions of Americans.") But the Senator popped up next day, just back from electioneering in Florida, to tangle with the waiting Lewis. Taft said that he was all for a federal mine safety law, but mine safety had nothing to do with the Taft-Hartley Act: "Mr. Lewis' statement is entirely irrelevant . . . entirely untrue ... a complete red herring . . ."

The U.M.W.'s aging Thespian promptly rushed into debate with the Senator. Excerpts:

Lewis: I regret that Mr. Taft saw fit to challenge my veracity . . .

Taft: I did not challenge his veracity; I challenged his law ... I went to Harvard Law School. One of the remarks that I remember [the professor] making . . . was that you could sue the Bishop of Boston for bastardy but you could not recover. The mere fact that a man brings a suit does not mean anything for my money.

Lewis: I suppose it would be quite immaterial the amount of time, money and damage that occurred during the pendency of [an operator's] suit . . .

Taft: No citizen of this country is entitled to be free from suit for any cause. No person has that privilege, and no person should have that privilege . . .

Lewis: Since suits are in conformity with the principal motive behind the Taft-Hartley Act, which is a statute intended to permit persistent harassment of labor unions by these constant suits . . .

Taft: No . . . Your argument is, labor unions should never be subject to suit for any breach of contract, no matter how bad or unreasonable . . .

Lewies: I don't accept the soft impeachment at all... Labor unions should have an equality before the law with the artificial corporations which Congress has ofttimes been prone to protect too much . . .

Taft: If you have any place where you want equality, I have offered to sponsor amendments . . .

Lewis: If you are ever elected President and Joe Stalin asks you about the Taft-Hartley slave act, I don't know how you are going to explain it to him.

Taft (referring to his last re-election): My honest answer is the workmen in Ohio. That will handle Joe Stalin.

The exchange over, the Senator walked around for a handshake with the Mine Workers' great ham. Lewis chatted with Taft as if nothing had happened--and nothing had, except that John L. had given his Schimpflexikon an airing.

/-Last week, near Greensburg (Pa.), another blast, 300 feet down, killed six miners, injured four.

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