This set of hearings was one in a series (pts. 16 et seq.) dealing with employer and industrial associations, citizens' committees, and similar societies. This series shows the relationship of these organizations to each other, their attitudes toward labor, their financial dependence on employers, and their activities in various localities in time of labor disputes. VIOLATIONS OF FREE SPEECH AND RIGHTS OF LABOR FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 1938 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to adjournment, at 10 a. m. in room 318, Senate Office Building, Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr., presiding. Present: Senators Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (chairman), and Elbert D. Thomas, of Utah; David D. Lloyd, of counsel; and Robert Wohlforth, secretary to the committee. Senator LA FOLLETTE. The committee will be in order, please. Mr. Weisenburger and Mr. Sargent.1 TESTIMONY OF WALTER B. WEISENBURGER AND NOEL SARGENT-Resumed Senator LA FOLLETTE. I offer for the record a Labor Relations Bulletin of the N. A. M., dated March 21, 1937. (The document was marked "Exhibit 3851" and appears in the appendix on pp. 7883–7895.) Senator LA FOLLETTE. Are you the editor of this bulletin, Mr. Sargent? Do you get it out? Mr. SARGENT. Yes, sir; I generally supervise the material in it. I do not prepare all of the material in it. Senator LA FOLLETTE. No, I understand that; but I mean in the sense that you pass on what goes in it in a general way; that is true, is it not? Mr. SARGENT. Yes, sir. USE OF ADVERTISING TO OPPOSE UNIONS AND STRIKES Senator LA FOLLETTE. The bulletin may be given an exhibit number. I would like to call your attention to an article appearing on page 7 of this bulletin entitled, "Weakness of Strike Copy. Study of Recent Advertising Shows How Companies With Labor Trouble Could Do Better. (Digested from an article by Don Gridley in Printer's Ink of March 11, 1937.)" The entire article referred to may be printed in the record. 1 Testimony of Walter B. Weisenburger and Noel Sargent, on Wednesday and Thursday, March 2 and 3, 1938, appears in pt. 17 beginning on p. 7369. Mr. SARGENT. Excuse me, Senator. May I have the number of that bulletin? You give the date but I would like to have the nur ber. It is on the front page. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Yes, I know. It is number 18. Mr. SARGENT. Thank you, sir. Yes, sir; I have one here. Mr. SARGENT. Yes, sir. Senator LA FOLLETTE (reading): COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING WITH USE OF SPIES AN MUNITIONS During the last two or three years advertising was used to meet such vari ing conditions as the chain strike in Cleveland, the building employee in N York, the garment worker troubles in Cleveland, the Los Angeles railw strike, the Akron tire trouble, the typewriter strike in several States, the ra workers' strike in Camden, the shipping dispute on both coasts, and m recently, the General Motors labor trouble. Further on: Industries now faced with strikes should take the lesson of previous stra advertising to heart. They will have to realize that they can be successful. "laying their case before the public in advertising first, only if their case one that will bear public expression and, second, if when the time arrives * take their case before the public, the advertisements are the culmination of a long, carefully considered strategic plan. If manufacturers would invest oze tenth of the money in advertising preparation that they are apparently qu willing to invest in labor spies, tear gas, and other methods which have prove worse than useless, they will stand a far better chance of winning pab support than is possible under present circumstances. Now, is it fair to assume, Mr. Sargent, that in printing this artic you more or less agreed with the conclusions of Mr. Gridley? Mr. SARGENT. We thought that Mr. Gridley's article would be of interest to people, the same as we print articles from a number sources that we think would be of interest. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Do you not usually agree, in general, wit the point of view of the articles which you put into your publication Mr. SARGENT. That is difficult to say. We put in statements fro Mr. Martin, you see, in the following column there of the Unite. Automobile Workers, we put in statements of Mr. Green, Mr. Lewis and many others in our bulletin, Senator. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Yes; but when you come to put out bulletins of this kind do you not generally print material with which you ar in substantial agreement? Mr. SARGENT. I would say we are in general agreement, but ra necessarily with the details of the articles, Senator. Senator LA FOLLETTE. I am not asking you that. Mr. SARGENT. Yes. Senator LA FOLLETTE. But if you thought an article considered for publication was entirely out of harmony with what you thought wa sound policy you would not print it in this publication going out as information on labor relations, would you? Mr. SARGENT. Well, I think that is generally true, with the exception, as I state, that we sometimes put in articles by Mr. Gree and Mr. Lewis, and others, simply because they would be of interes Senator, without indicating approval or disapproval. Senator LA FOLLETTE. May I ask you specifically whether you agreed with Mr. Gridley's conclusion concerning the use of labor spies and tear gas? Mr. SARGENT. We have never advocated either one of them, and put this article in primarily because of its emphasis of the advertising feature. We had no particular thought with reference to that particular subject, Senator, in putting this article in. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Could you tell me whether you agree, in a general way, with his statement that labor spies, tear gas, and other methods have proved worse than useless? Mr. SARGENT. The association has taken no position either advocating that or condemning their use in general, and my personal opinions would not be worth anything to the committee, Senator. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Did you agree with the conclusion of Mr. Gridley that advertising would be more effective-let us put it that way-than the use of tear gas, spies, and other methods? Mr. SARGENT. Well, I think that would depend on the circumstances; on the character of the case. I do not mean the character of the case to the extent of the merits of it, but the particular stage of development of a situation. Mr. Gridley pointed out that adverising could only be used at the times when it would seem appropriate. THE "HARMONY ADS" Senator LA FOLLETTE. Did the association take any steps in the field of advertising? Mr. WEISENBURGER. Yes; we did, Senator. Senator LA FOLLETTE. What were they? Mr. WEISENBURGER. We had a series of ads in 1936, and another series at present, or in 1937, that we call the "harmony ads." Senator LA FOLLETTE. Who prepared the 1936 copy, or what gency did you employ? Mr. WEISENBURGER. Lord & Thomas.2 Senator LA FOLLETTE. And the so-called harmony ads were prepared by whom? Mr. WEISENBURGER. May I look this up just a minute, please, Senator? Senator LA FOLLETTE. Certainly. Mr. WEISENBURGER. They were prepared by MacDonald-Cook. Senator LA FOLLETTE. And they were located where? In South Bend? Mr. WEISENBURGER. Yes, sir. Senator LA FOLLETTE. I will ask Mr. MacDonald, C. A. MacDonald, o come forward. TESTIMONY OF CHARLES ALBERT MacDONALD (The witness was sworn by Senator La Follette.) Senator LA FOLLETTE. What is your full name, Mr. MacDonald? 1 See pt. 17, pp. 7388 ff. 2 See exhibit 5501 in a subsequent volume. Mr. SARGENT. Excuse me, Senator. May I have the number of that bulletin? You give the date but I would like to have the number. It is on the front page. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Yes, I know. It is number 18. Mr. SARGENT. Thank you, sir. Yes, sir; I have one here. Mr. SARGENT. Yes, sir. Senator LA FOLLETTE (reading): COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING WITH USE OF SPIES AND MUNITIONS During the last two or three years advertising was used to meet such varying conditions as the chain strike in Cleveland, the building employee in New York, the garment worker troubles in Cleveland, the Los Angeles railway strike, the Akron tire trouble, the typewriter strike in several States, the radio workers' strike in Camden, the shipping dispute on both coasts, and, most recently, the General Motors labor trouble. Further on: Industries now faced with strikes should take the lesson of previous strike advertising to heart. They will have to realize that they can be successful in laying their case before the public in advertising first, only if their case is one that will bear public expression and, second, if when the time arrives to take their case before the public, the advertisements are the culmination of a long, carefully considered strategic plan. If manufacturers would invest onetenth of the money in advertising preparation that they are apparently quite willing to invest in labor spies, tear gas, and other methods which have proved worse than useless, they will stand a far better chance of winning public support than is possible under present circumstances. Now, is it fair to assume, Mr. Sargent, that in printing this article you more or less agreed with the conclusions of Mr. Gridley? Mr. SARGENT. We thought that Mr. Gridley's article would be of interest to people, the same as we print articles from a number of sources that we think would be of interest. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Do you not usually agree, in general, with the point of view of the articles which you put into your publication? Mr. SARGENT. That is difficult to say. We put in statements from Mr. Martin, you see, in the following column there of the United Automobile Workers, we put in statements of Mr. Green, Mr. Lewis, and many others in our bulletin, Senator. Senator LA FOLLETTE. Yes; but when you come to put out bulletins of this kind do you not generally print material with which you are in substantial agreement? Mr. SARGENT. I would say we are in general agreement, but not necessarily with the details of the articles, Senator. Senator LA FOLLETTE. I am not asking you that. Mr. SARGENT. Yes. Senator LA FOLLETTE. But if you thought an article considered for publication was entirely out of harmony with what you thought was sound policy you would not print it in this publication going out as information on labor relations, would you? Mr. SARGENT. Well, I think that is generally true, with the exception, as I state, that we sometimes put in articles by Mr. Green and Mr. Lewis, and others, simply because they would be of interest, Senator, without indicating approval or disapproval. |