Evening star., 1929-06-04
u. S. LABOR PARTY
| SECUTED BY CHIEFS
Discount Socialist Leaders
Views in Comment on
British Election.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


With the Labor partys victory in the
British parliamentary elections indis-
putably established, American labor
leaders of all hues and Washington poll
ticians of various parties are seriously
pondering the possible effect on United
States politics. Socialist Labor leaders
like Morris HillQuit Of New York are
about the only ones who believe thai
Ramsay MacDonald's triumph points
the way to the formation OF an Amerl-
can labor party. Norman ThomaS OF
New York, Socialist candidate for
President in 1928, asserts that Socialist
parties and organized labor in other
countries will take great encouragement
from the British elections and beneflt
from them to a very considerable ex-
tent" Sidney Hillman president Of the
Amalgamated Clothing Workers OF
America. believes 1.-The victory OF British
labor will help stimulate independent
political action by the workers OF Amer
lea. They will see for themselves what
1t means to have party OF their oWp
instead of depending upon the aims
and charities of other parties"
Apart from these radical Spokesmen.
organized American labor's voice Is
virtually a unanimous chorus OF be-
lief that the working classes in this
country will not be induced to aban-
don their traditional non-partisan po-
litical policy. They tried it in 1924,
when practically as unit they rallied
around the La Toilette and Wheeler
third-party presidential ticket. Despite
the impressive showing then made
a popular vote of 1922 2856-no one
during the intervening five years has
ever seriously suggested that the ex
pertinent was worth repeating.
RuIe Practiced Regularly.
The responsible leaders of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor. the Railroad
Brotherhoods, the big machinists' unions
and others are now welded to the
idea that labors best bet is to stay
within the existing two big parties
and work out the workers salvation
there. Their program, put in nut
shell. is to reward their friends and
punish their enemies, whether they be
Republicans or Democrats. That rule
is regularly practiced in congressional
elections. It applies to much lesser
extent in the case of presidential can
didates Neither Hoover nor Smith
| last year had labor's official backing.
| Trades unionists voted as, and for
whom, they pleased.
The thoughts inspired by current
events in British politics are indicated
, by the following excerpts from state
HlCIlNo py IGCOSlllLC0 REPRESENTATIVES, u
organized labor:
| Matthew Woll. vice president Of the
American Federation of Labor: Amer
| ican labor cannot help but feel greatly
interested in the victory won by Brit
! ish labor. The results of the election
show again how strongly the masses
everywhere demand a progressive ap-
proach to and solution of the economic
and social problems of humanity and
| how increasingly opposed they are to
! standpatism. Our interest in the VIC
! tory of British labor rests particularly
on what it Is likely to mean to the
promotion of friendly relations between
the United States and England notably
| the Solutionn of the naval problem.
| British labor, like labor in this country,
! is great force for peace"
Scouts Labor Party.
! John Sullivan, president of the New
! York State Federation of Labor: ''I do
not believe labor party is possible in
| the United States at the present time,
but the election triumph of British la
Dor will have the effect Of increasing
the morale Of the labor interests in this
State and throughout this country and
| will help New York labor elect an
| Assembly favorable to the legislative
program Of the State Federation Of La
Dor. 1t will also have the same effect
! with regard to representation in Con-
| greSs favorable to labor"
Senator Wheeler, Democrat Of Mon
tana: THE victory of the British Labor
party should be most heartening to all
liberal-minded persons in this country,
particularly when big business interests
and their sycophantic camp followers
and agents are completely dominating
our business. social and political life
The people of Great Britain have struck
blow not only at ignorant reactionism
in their own country, but the blow will
be felt in all parts of the world"
| Senator Norris. Republican progress
| sive, of Nebraska, thinks that the
British Labor victory lis a reputation
| OF the Versailles treaty, of millionaire
! coal kings who refuse to give coal
, miners living wage, of unjust and In
defensible treatment of Russia and of
the militarists, who are trying to use
all the energies of the people to build
! up a huge army and navy"
Senator Borah, Republican. of Idaho.
sees the chief Importance of the British
| election result in the impulse 1t will give
! to the cause of disarmament.
(Copyrisht, 1921