Evening star., 1936-07-11
A. f. of l.. and C.. |. o.

AS the contest between the American
Federation of Labor and the Committee
for Industrial Organizat ton develops,
more and more evidence presents itself
to prove it is battle between two groups
of leaders to control organized labor. 1t
is a considerable prize. William Green
president of the American Federation of
Labor, declares that his organization is
not averse to the vertical union where
1t car be used effectively And he
further points out that the industrial
union supporters are unwilling to go the
route of putting printers, miners, etc,
under a vertical steel workers union,
even though they may be employed by
the steel company.
The contest, therefore, goes beyond
mere question of the adviSability of
adopting industrial organization in place
OF craft organization. 1t becomes a
battle between John L. Lewis head and
forefront of the C. I. o. and president
of the United Mine Workers of America,
and those labor leaders who support him,
and William Green, president of the
parent labor organization and those
leaders who still stick by the A. F. of L.
The contest has unlimited possibilities.
Mr.. Lewis has tied himself and his
United Mine Workers in with President
Roosevelt's administration. The appear
ance has almost been given that Lewis
and the c. I. o. have received the
blessing of the Government in power in
Washington. Such a situation might
work to force the A. F. of L to knuckle
under and permit the rival organization
to go as far as it likes. This ultimately
may mean the disintegration of the
parent organization, and complete domi-
nance by the organization headed by
John L. Lewis
Having dominated organized labor the
next step might conceivably be to domi-
nate the Government. Mr.. Lewis ac-
cording to reports, has obtained a good
deal from President Roosevelt, including
the passage of the original Guffey coal
act and labor provisions in the national
platform. On the other hand, Lewis
not only pledged his own support of
Roosevelt in the presidential campaign
now on. but he persuaded the United
Mine Workers of America to go the
whole route and declare officially for
Roosevelt's reelection long before the
conventions of the two parties were held.
Lewis and his mine workers are ex-
pected to be an important factor in the
election in Pennsylvania, the State with
the second largest electoral vote in the
Union. The Roosevelt Democrats are
making strenuous drive to capture
PENNSYLVANIA, which has never cast its
vote for Democratic presidential can
didate since 1856, when it supported a
native son, James Buchanan. Lewis,
having lined up the mine workers, is
now intent upon lining up the steel
workers in Pennsylvania. He has thrown
down the gauntlet to the steel operators,
and is intent upon forcing a strike or
at least an industrial battle in the great
steel plants of Pennsylvania. Such a
strike or battle, it is figured, might well
arouse the sympathies of organized labor
all over the country.
Lewis, who is certainly as shrewd and
forceful a leader as has come forward
in labor in many years, seemingly has
two ends in view. One is to win for him
self control of organized labor. The
other is to re-elect President Roosevelt.
1t is a clever tie-up. The Roosevelt
administration SO far has given no
sign that it is not willing to go along
with the Lewis program. A danger, how
ever, lies in clash between the Lewis
and the Green forces, dividing organ
lied labor The administration is trying
to avoid that 1t almost looks as though
1t might try to convince or to force
Green and his group to agree to go
peacefully along with. Lewis and his
c. I. o.