Evening star., 1935-11-24
LEWIS, RES|GN|NG,
W|DENS RIFT
Quits as Vice President, but
Fight for Industry Unions
Continues.
BY TIE Associated Press,

BY ire Associated Press.
After a year Of self-styled looking
out the window" in the American
Federation of Labor's Executive Coun-
Gil, John L. Lewis has decided to
wage his industrial unionism battle
from the outside. He resigned yester-
day as a federation vice president.
The heavy-set chief Of the United
Mine Workers addressed a one
sentence letter of resignation to Presi-
dent william Green and left the Cap
ital without further statement Of
his motives.
There was no doubt in labor circles,
however, that the resignation was
another step in Lewis long fight to
force the federation to organize mass
production workers by industry rather
than by craft. That is, he would hI.Je
workers in the steel industry in a
single union, rather than the M
chinists and other groups in separate
organizations.
Feeling Led to Fist Fight.
That fight has become increasingly
intense since the federation's Gill;
cinnati convention of 1892. Feeling
ran so high at the Atlantic City y
vention last month that Lewis A
William Hutcheson, president of tifS
leaders, engaged in a fist fight on
the convention floor.
The Executive Council Is made up
Of Green, Frank Morrison, secretary
treasurer Of the federation, and the
Is vice presidents. 1t decides most
matters Of federation policy. subN
to approval or reversal by the annual
convention.
Lewis, David Dubinsky, president
Of the Ladies' Garment Workers, and
George L. Berry, president Of the
printing preSsmen, were the only three
members voting for industrial union.
ism in the many disputes on that
issue that the council faced last
Winter and Spring. Berry resigned
last month after President Roosevelt
made him industrial recovery CO.
ordinator, and now Lewis resignation
leaves only Dubinsky to present the
industrial unionists' case in disputes
to come.
Lewis Continued Efforts.
Since the convention and the over.
whelming defeat Of Lewis proposal
that the federation indorse industrial
unionism without qualification for
mass production industries, there have
been two principal developments in
the running fight:
Cd Lewis, Dubinsky, Charles p.
Howard. president of the International
Typographical Union; Sidney Hillman,
president of the Amalgamated Cloth.
ing Workers, and Max ZaritSky, presi.
dent Of the Millinery Workers, organ
lied committee to promote the organ
ization Of mass production workers
along industrial lines and their afili-
alton with the American Federation Of
Labor.
(2) The Executive Council took .
crack at Lewis by placing in the con-
vention proceedings answers to
Lewis SO charges of inefficiency and
failure to obey convention mandates
on the part of the federation's officers
here. Lewis dropped the charges on
the stenographer's table at Atlantic
City without reading them during one
Of his speeches.
Split in Ranks Unlikely Now.
Labor men here generally were Of
the opinion that Lewis move did not
signify that the United Mine Workers
or any Of their industrial union allies
intended to leave the federation-for
the present at least.
There have been repeated rumorS
that Lewis had secession in the back
Of his mind for many months, but he
has declined to discuss them. 1t is
known that the garment unions are
emphatically opposed to leaving the
A. F. Of L.
Some interpreted the resignation to
mean Lewis felt he could wage a more
vigorous fight against the craft union
advocates if he we're outside the coun-
Gil they control. He often has de-
scribed his position in the council as
looking out the window"
1t also became known yesterday that
some of the craft unionists recently
had dug out Of old convention proceed.
ings resolution stating that feder.
alton officials not in sympathy with
federation policies should resign.
Whether Lewis learned of this could
not be ascertained last night.