Evening star., 1937-10-23
Member of the Associated Press
Politics of Labor.

Leaders in the American Federation
OF Labor and the Committee for Indus
trial Organization are expressing hope
for labor peace. Considering that or
esniSed labor in both groups has much
the same obiectives, the end of warfare
would seem to be the wise thing. The
period of strife between the two groups
has been productive of great drive for
increased memberships drive that has
been largely successful.
Under the leadership of John L. Lewis,
the c. l. o. has developed one objective.
however, which is foreign to the past
history and traditions of the A. F. of
L. That objective is partisan politics.
The c. I. o. as an organization threw
Itself heartily into the last presidential
campaign on the side of President Roose-
velt and the New Deal Democrats. Will
liam Green, president of the federation
ard Democrat, readily gave his sup
port to the President. There was no
attempt, however, to place the fedora
ton, as an organization, in either of
the political camps.
the two great organized labor groups,
will the political policies of the c. /. o.
prevail, or will the federation continue
to maintain its non-partisan tradition?
Lewis during the 1896 campaign, while
giving allegiance to the Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis, frankly said that in 1910 labor
might determine to have party of its
own. In New York the American Labor
party was organized. In measure 1t
was a trial balloon, nucleus for ma
tional labor party in the future. Indeed,
the American Labor party is already
participating in another election CAM
psign-that for mayor of New York.
There it is backing Mayor La Guardia
against the candidate of the Democratic
party, jeremiah T. Mahoney.
Organized labor, it appears, must
decide in the future, perhaps the near
future, whether it will again support the
President for re-election-if he is pre-
vailed upon to seek third term. If the
President is not to run again, then or
ganized labor will have to determine
whether it will put a presidential candi-
date in the field, or back the nominee
of the Democratic or Republican parties,
or return TO a non-partisan basis of
operation.
A labor party admittedly would have
It's troubles, standing alone. For that
reason the leaders of such movement
doubtless would seek to form an alliance
with the farmers-and bring forth a
fsrmer-labor party. This would be
q more difficult task than many of the
labor leaders are willing TO admit. There
are several obstacles. In the first place,
the interests of industrial labor and of
the agriculturalists are really opposed
The farmer wishes to sell his products
at high prices and labor wishes to buy
its food at low prices. High prices of
manufactured goods may be advanta-
geous for the factory worker. but they
make no hit with the consuming farmer.
Beyond that, the American farmer
thinks Of himself as an employer a
producer, in fact a capitalist. The
factory worker, on the other hand. is an
employe and a consumer. Farmers are
unorganized, or at least unorganized TO
any such degree as are the industrial
workers. They have little sympathy
with strikes. They are not anxious TO
ace farm labor take the same course as
that pursued by industrial labor.
Undoubtedly united front of all or
esnIzed labor in politics would produce
formidable bloc. That it could be a
dominating bloc, with candidates of its
ran. is another question. 1t may come
there may be an American labor party
on a national scale. There are labor
leaders, however, who believe that the
interests Of labor can best be served
through throwing the support of labor
10 candidates of other political parties
winch have shown themselves favorable
b organized labor.