Letter from Jim Osgood to President Harry S. Truman

I214 North Tenth Street Fargo, North Dakota May 25, I946 President Harry S. Truman White House Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. President: I heard your speech to Congress several hours ago, and was shocked at the things that you said. You stated that you made every effort to avert the strike and that the rail road workers had been betrayed by their leaders. If you were so concerned about the rail strike why didn't you call the union and company men into the White House for conferences during the 60 day period between the time the strike notice was fi- led and the time that the strike was to begin? The railroad workers are behind Mr. Whitney and Mr.Johnston, and have been sharply criticizing you both here and in the Minneapo- lis-St.Paul area. So that debunks your statement that the union heads have betrayed their men. The reason that the Brotherhoods refused your offer isthat it was too conservative and did not offer them enough pay. The rail workers went many months without vacations during the war. They did an excellent job and this is how you repay them. The government should not be allowed to seize any strike- bound industries. Too long the government has used this power as a means of breaking strikes. Now you want the power to draft any workers that continue to strike after the government takes over. Hitler did a similar thing. If you do get the power to draft the strikers, this country willhave a dictatorship. Suppose Lewis calls a strike against the government; what will you do? You can't draft him because he is over sixty, and if you drafted the 500,000 coal miners who would mine our coal? You trapped yourself there. You asked for temporary labor laws. They will not be tem- porary, but will be made permanent because of men like Scott Lucas, Robert Taft, Harry Byrd, Francis Case, Joseph Ball, Hendrik Shipstead, and Tom Conally. You may deny it all you want but it appears that you are out to kill organized labor. You have killed all chances of your being re-elected in 1948, and have turned 10,000,000 or more labor votes against the Democratic Party. Democracy is staggering under the blows you have dealt it. If the Republicans win in I948 it will be your fault.