Evening star., 1937-01-25
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY C. GOULD LINCOLN.

man OF tnc COmInlCCcc 1Or 1IlQuSCElal
Organization, that President Roosevelt
take up the cudgels for the striking
automobile workers is filled with polit-
ical possibilities. He coupled with the
demand the assertion that organized
labor turned the trick for the President
in the recent national election. Putting
pressure on the President of the United
States, openly and boldly, is something
new. The President made 1t clear at
his last press conference, without directly
referring to Lewis, that he resented 1t.
BY vcicing his demand on a quid pro
quo basis the labor leader has made it
rather difficult for the President to take
the side Of the strikers-if he wishes to
do so-in the contest with the General
Motors Corp. without the charge being
made that he has yielded to the pressure
sought to be applied. Just what i'm
PEELED Mr.. Lewis to make the demand at
the time he did, and as he did, is not
quite clear. The President has shown
himself particularly friendly to organ
lied labor In the past. It was to be pre-
sumed that he would continue to be
friendly.
A settlement Of the automobile strike,
which has thrown thousands of men out
of work-many more thousands than the
strikers themselves-necessarily must be
earnestly desired by both the workers
and the corporation. The great stum-
bling blocks in the way apparently have
been the insistence of the automobile
workers union that it be the agency to
represent all employees in collective bar
gaining with the employers, and the
refusal Of its leaderS-and Mr.. Lewis
to withdraw the "sit down" strikers from
the corporations plants. The corpora
tion has taken the stand that it has other
employees outside the union with whom 1t
should deal, and that 1t will not deal
with the union at all until the strikers
have been withdrawn from the plants.
II reports from Michigan and New York
are correct, the corporation is preparing
to go ahead in legal way to get the
strikers out Of its plants.
This question of permitting men who
quit work to take over the property of
the company for which they work
through the "sit down" strike has raised
serious question. Whether the Govern
ment is going to condone this kind of
practice, by labor or any one else,
is looming as big issue. The union
leaders are quoted as saying that to
withdraw from the plants is to disarm
themselves in the controversy now
under way. Nevertheless, taking anoth-
er'S property by strong-arm methods is
something that has not been permitted
by the Government in the past.
*
If the President does not go along with
Mr.. Lewis in this automobile strike, are
Mr.. Lewis and his followers going along
with the President in the next political
campaign? OF course, this question may
not arise at all. The strike may be
settled in way which Is satisfactory to
the workers and to the leader of the
c. I. o. This whole matter-as between
the President and Mr.. Lewis-may blow
over. If it does not, then impetus may
be given to the formation of a new
party-a labor party which may seek to
include the farmers-which has been
agitated for some months. With third
political party of that character in the
field, the next national election may take
any kind of twist. It is much too far
in advance to make any prediction about
1t. Labor and the farmers, by and large,
gave the great majority of their votes to
President Roosevelt. the Democratic
candidate, in the November election.
Subtract large proportion of this vote
from the Democrats four years hence,
and different picture would be pre-
sented. How many of the November
followers Of President Roosevelt would
desert his leadership and follow that of
Lewis in November, 1910, is decidedly a
question. For, despite the fact that
organized labor did give its support to
the President last year, it is equally true
that vast number of voters outside of
organized labor, and outside of the ranks
Of labor, organized or not, voted Tor the
Presidents reelection. Furthermore, it
has been the traditional policy of the
American Federation Of Labor, with
which Lewis and the c. I. o. are now
at outs, to stay away from any labor
political party as such.
President Roosevelt sent to the Senate
on Friday the nomination of James A.
Farley of New York to be Postmaster
General, q reappointment. This was ex-
pected. Under the law, Postmaster
Generals term of Office is co-extensive
with the term of the President appoint
ing him. The law does not apply to other
members of the cabinet, but only to the
Postmaster General. Mr.. Farley is cast
ing about for an opening to go into
private business, feeling the need to
build up competence for himself and
his family. He has made it clear, how
ever, that he will not make move
until the right kind of opportunity has
presented itself. That being the case his
tenure of his present office is uncertain.
It may run for a month or for many
months.
Postmaster General Farley is also
chairman of the Democratic National
Committee and chairman of the Demo-
cratic State Committee of New York.
It has been rumored many times that
he might like the Democratic nomination
for Governor of the Empire State, and
even that he has ambitions that way.
If, however, he lands in private busi-
ness such as he desires, he may give over
an ambition to be Governor-if he has
such an ambition. The same reason that
is impelling him to leave the cabinet
would keep him from taking other public
Office, presumably.
x ~
The present salary of cabinet officers
$4,000 year-can scarcely be considered
exorbitant. In fact, it is a modest
salary, and q cabinet officer living in
Washington must have private means
If he is to break even. The President in
his recent recommendations to Congress
,,rood fbof colo rioc If Goyorppoopt off,