Evening star., 1936-10-02
RELIEF, UN|ON|SM
t KEYSTONE ISSUES
Open Attempt to Create
Class Division Seen in
Pennsylvania.
BY Jay G. HAYDEN.

American politics.
The Democrats, under leadership of
Gov. Earle, Senator Guffey and John
L. Lewis, are frankly appealing to the
wage earners and small farmers and
attempting to organize these as against
the employers and property owners.
To this end, they are promising a
continuance of Government doles and
Government protection of the indus
trial union movement which Lewis
particularly is sponsoring.
Nowhere else in the country Is there
30 frank a use of Federal and State
unemployment relief funds to line
up the votes.
Figuring this campaign, also, to a
greater degree than in any other State
with the possible exception Of West
Virginia is the suggestion of Farm
er-Labor party as an outgrowth of
the New Deal. Lewis is preaching
the idea that labor must band to-
gether politically, through mass rather
than craft organization, if it is to
exert its full power for its own bene-
at. Thomas Kennedy, Lieutenant Gov
an official Of the Bituminous Coal
Miners Union, has assured the indus
trial unionists protection by the po-
lice and other branches of the State
government. '
Reported Angling for 1910 Bid.
Gov. Earle is currently reported to
be angling for the presidential non1i-
nation OF the Democratic party in
1910, II this can be captured by the
Farmer Labor group, or Of third
party movement.
Senator Guffey, previous to 1884,
was rated a Democrat of the old
school. AS a candidate for Senator,
however, he was drawn by Gov. Earle
into close alliance with the Lewis
labor group, and this was cemented
when Guftey became sponsor of the
bill to create little N. r. A. in the
bituminous coal industry. Because OF
his long experience in the field of ma
chine politics he is perhaps the most
important single personality in the
combination of interests that is the
present Democratic party in Penn
sylvania.
An attempt on the part Of labor
to turn government to its own uses
has degree of Justification here be-
cause business in Pennsylvania in
times past attempted to use it in a
similar fashion. The Republican party,
under the leadership of Matthew
Quay, Boise Penrose and Joseph r.
Grundy, was frankly allied with the
industrial interests of the State.
Nowhere else in the country was the
combination of business and politics,
against which Theodore Roosevelt and
William Jennings Bryan rallied gen.
Grafton ago, so completely dominant.
"Bystanders" Held Alarmed.
But in Pennsylvania, also, there is
q huge population of farmers and
small townspeople whose attitude
bourgeoise or proletarian, as the case
may be-will decide this election.
There are evidences that these by
ISLANDERS are alarmed by the growing
power of the elements which are allied
behind Earle, Lewis and Guffey, and
that they are turning against them,
just as they turned, under leadership
OF Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 and
Clifford Pinchot in the 1920's, against
the Republican Old Guard machine.
The two issues that loom largest
In Pennsylvania today are l1nemploy-
ment relief and industrial ur11onism.
The first of these was accentuated
in the legislative battle at Harrisburg
last Spring over Gov. Earle's request
for appropriation of ST., 100000 to
care for the unemployed during the
remainder OF this year. As in New
Jersey, a majority Of legislators,
drawn principally from the rural Sec
tions of the State, rebelled against
this additional tax burden. As in
New Jersey, also, an army Of unem-
ployed marched on the capital and
camped in the legislative halls for
several weeks.
Here, the issue was settled by a
compromise. Fifty million dollars |
was appropriated and Gov Earle, al
thought he bitterly protested that this |
amount was inadequate, was COM
PEELED to accept it.
Strengthened in Cities.
The incident probably strengthened |
the Earle administration in the cities,
but there are evidences that it turned
many people In the rural sections
against him.
Republican candidates for the Leg
aslature in country districts are max
ing their campaigns almost exclu-
sively on the relief ISSUE In addition
to emphasizing that the taxpayers |
must bear the burden, they are as
sailing the relief administration, Fed |
eral and State, as grossly wasteful
and honeycombed with politics.
A great majority of the relief re-
cipients reside in the large cities, and
approximately so per cent of them
are colored. Tens of thousands of |
these are taken daily in special trains
into the rural sections to work on
roads and other like projects. The
complaint is made that they are paid
for the time consumed in transporta-
ton and that they actually work only
three or four hours for a full days
pay. This practice Is being much
talked about by Republican speakers
In the rural districts where the work
projects are located.
It Is said also that the Earle ma
chine is lining up the relief workers
to vote and much documentary evil |