The Washington times., 1922-11-11

ROAD trade XzXzA ~
un IONS were l9GlN01oEM
down and out.
The Railroad WILLIAM HARD
Labor Board had hit the striking
shopmen q body blow. The Presi.
dent had taken them UP to the top
Of a high mountain and had shown
them q moment Of victory and had
pushed them off into the dark out.
side. Railroad management had
thereupon accommodated them
on q large percentage OF the mile
age of all railroads in America.
They wero lying on their backs
waiting for Congress to tie them
down firmly to their bed OF pain by
means of an anti.strike law. Then
they had q bright idea.
Quietly they crept out from the
area of strikes into the area or
politics. Unnoticed by most people.
they made their way into the h al
quarters of candidates. While the
Administration "a. In Washington
pondering the labor problem. the
railroad trade unions were out In
the tall grass pondering the politi.
cal problem. They pondered 1t 50
well that now they are back in
Washington bringing with Them
enough political sheaves to make
the biggest political harvest ever
gathered by organized labor IN
America.
II was they that gave Brookhart
enough votes to win his necessary
s5 per cent of all votes in the
Republican primary in Iowa. 1t
was they that then went eastward
with their band Of travelling mis-
sionsries and broke the power of
Townsend in Michigan by running
Herbert Baker against him In the
Republican primary there. 1t was
they that then travelled into Min
nesota and provided DR.. Henrik
Shipstead with a campaign man.
ager and put him on his successful
way toward destroying the Presi~
dents friend. Senator Kellogg.
II was they and not any internal
Republican party treason that
wrecked Beveridge in Indiana. Bev-
eridge was not content to fight the
Democrats. He insisted also on
fighting the railroad trade unions.
They sent their political experts
into Indiana and made an attack
on him that cost him enough votes
to send him down while Brookhart
was being sent up. The difference
between Brookhart m the Iowa pri-
mary and Beveridge In the Indiana
election was just one difference
the railroad trade unions.
They proceeded into Nebraska and
| gave Howell the Republican nomina.
ton over Jsfferis, and 30 finally the
regular election over Hitchcock.
They proceeded into Wisconsin and
were Of the utmost influence in
bringing Il about that the Wisconsin
delegation In the next House of
Representatives will be the first State
delegation ever soldly and unani
mously progressive" They did
| enough for Frazier In North Dakota
to push him ahead OF O'Connor BY
the tip Of his nose. They ultimately
decided to prefer Fess to Pomerene IN
Ohio, and they made that preference
felt. They got behind Wheeler In
Montana and were a large part of
| the wave that lifted Wheeler over
Riddick into the seat now occupied
by the reactionary Myers.
Il II idle to believe that those
victors-and others like them-wili
forget the sources Of their victories
! or will forget that those sources
still exist and are now permanently
Organised. For the first time in it's
life the American labor movement
now has a genuine political organi.
zation with q certain number OF
skilled political managers and with
a true political power. It 10 to be
noted that this organization. along
with this power. Is dominantly In
the hands Of the unions that work
on railroads.
The chairman of the COMMITTED
on progressive political action.
which has been central head.
quarters for the information sent
out for use In the campaigns men
toned, is William II. Johnston,
president OF tho 'machiniste union,
which 10 one Of the striking rail-
road shopcraft unions. The weekly
newspaper called Labor which
has been distributed In literally
millions OF copies In the oampaigns
mentioned, is q Newspaper owned
not by labor in general, but by
railroad labor. The power OF labor
IN the Uext Scnsftrs w" w
dominantiy railroad labor power,
and II is perfectly confident OF being
able TO Kin all anu.strike leEisla
tion; and Il h also perfectly
equipped with n full intention OF
remaining IN politics actively and
continuously from this time for
ward.
Thus We see that II may have beer
a great mis- AXE 20 threaten TO cor
troll labor by political means. The
/ result is that labor has gone into
\ politics and has gained a political
power that IL now n big element In
our national legislative life. The re-
suit OF the enti.strike idea ls IN,
labor bloc no. longer theory ou'
% fact.