Evening star., 1937-09-05
The G. L. O., Right or Wrong

John L. Lewis has issued another de-
mand on the President of the United
States, demand that as head of the
Government he back the c. 1. o. in all
its doings. Months ago the head of the
c. I. o. asserted that, having received
the support of the c. I. o. unions in the
last election, the labor unions expected
the President to deliver. These unions
contributed several hundred thousand
dollars to the Roosevelt campaign funds.
The Democratic National Committee was
still in debt for loan from them of
$50,000 The inference was that the
unions had bought and paid for the
Roosevelt victory, as well as lined up the
workers of the country for the Presi-
dent The President at that time was
reported to have been indignant. His
only public comment, however, was a re-
mark about those seeing headlines-a
very mild slap on the wrist, If slap
at all
During the progress of the steel strike,
when the c. I. o. was locked with inde-
pendent steel companies, there was vio-
lence, injury to life and to property. The
President, when questioned as to his atti-
tude toward the warning factions, turned
to Shakespeare. "A plague on both your
houses he said, which, in the opinion of
Mr.. Lewis, was rank heresy. He said as
much in his radio speech Friday night.
1T Ill behooves one who has supped at
labors table and who has been sheltered
in labor's house." he said, ito curse with
equal fervor and fine impartiality both
labor and its adversaries when they be-
come locked in deadly embrace"
No middle of the road attitude no at
tempt at impartiality as head of the
American Government, is to be permitted
the President of the United States by
Mr.. Lewis and his C. I. o. Mr.. Roose-
welt is to take the C. I. O., right or wrong,
and take it straight.
In view of the kindly attitude of the
Roosevelt administration toward the c.
I. o. in the past, in view of the evident
favoritism of the c. l. o. by the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board, the pres
ent criticism OF the President by Mr..
Lewis is, at least. out of place. In the
early days Of the sit-doWn strike. en-
ployed by the c. I. o. in automobile fac
tories, the President kept silent His
Secretary of Labor, Miss Perkins, infer
entially at least, gave aid and comfort
to the sit-down strikers who had illegally
seized property that did not belong to
them. Had the President spoken o.C
forthrightly in those days against .he
illegal acts of the strikers, public opinion
would have rallied more quickly against
the C. I. O. than it did in this matter
of the sit-down strike. Only the other
day a resolution was adopted in conven-
ton of the c. l. o. affiliated automobile
union formally accepting the sit-down
strike as a proper weapon to be used
against employers.
If it becomes necessary in the opinion
Oh MT. LEWIS ana MS lOlIONeTS, 10 employ
the sit-down strike in the future, Mr..
Lewis has served notice on the Presi-
dent now that he expects the backing
of the Government in this illegal pro-
cedure.
Mr.. Lewis is no easy task master His
demands upon the Chief Executive of
the Nation he expects to enforce, if neces-
sary, by political action at the polls. He
does not intend to temporize with the
President. 1t remains to be seen If the
President intends to temporize longer
with Mr.. Lewis.