Evening star., 1937-06-22
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

| apparently has cast in his political lot
with John L. Lewis and the C. I. O. At
least 1T may be presumed that his order
closing the big Cambria steel mill at
JohnStown-Which Lewis and his union
had sought in vain to close by strike
will register favorably with the po-
litically- minded Mr.. Lewis, who has
| taken occasion to remind President
Roosevelt, since the 1886 election, that
| 1t was the labor organizations which
Lewis is heading that put Mr.. Roosevelt
across"
Governor Earle has obviously been a
candidate for the Democratic presi-
dental nomination for many months.
Indeed, he stepped out in that direction
during the last Democratic National
Convention, which was held almost
| year ago in Philadelphia. At the time
| of the dinner given here last Winter
| IN honor OF the chairman of the Demo-
| cratic National Committee, Jim" Farley,
| 1t was Governor Earle who caused
| stir by announcing that the Legislature
| OF his State had adopted a resolution
declaring for the Presidents bill for an
increase in the membership of the Su-
| preme Court. And Governor Earle has
| peen flirting with the Democratic solid
South although that section of the
| country may turn out to be trouble
spot for the Pennsylvania. The South
| does not like the manner in which Earle
has played up to the Negro in Phila-
| delphia and Pittsburgh, according to
| some of the Democratic Senators from
| the South.
The South in the past has maintained
| veto power, in Democratic national
| conventions. on presidential candidates
| OBNOXIOUS to that section of the country.
| 1t maintained this veto power through
| the operation of the old tWo-thirdS rule
| Tor the nomination of presidential and
vice presidential candidate. This rule
| came down from the days of Andrew
Jackson. 1t was abrogated by the Demo-
Gratis in national convention in Phila-
| delphla last year. At the national con-
Ventlon in 1910 the Democrats will nomi-
| nate by majority vote. The South,
| which has somewhere near third
| OF all the delegates in the convention,
| Will be only a minority. If the North
and West center on Governor Earle,
| the South may voice protest-and
| vote it-but that is all
Governor EarleS action in the Johns
town strike, however, has come as a
| shock to Democrats from the North and
| West as we'll as to those from the South.
| II was said on Capitol Hill 1t is ex-
| pected that a showdown will come in
| TINS country in the controversy between
| Lewis and his c. I. 0. on the one side
| ana the rest OF the people. including
| the American Federation of Labor, long
| before the next Democratic National
| convention rolls around. So the Earle
| candidacy may loom as a real thing or
| may be all washed up by the time 1910
| rolls around.
The Pennsylvania Governor has taken
| cue from the Roosevelt administra-
| ton in this matter of playing along with
| Lewis and the G. I. O. All of his moves.
| to date, have been in support of strikers
| and the union. If he is to have the
| Democratic nomination for President,
| he must have the support, in all prob
| ability. OF President Roosevelt Unless
| Roosevelt loses in popularity tremen-
| dously in the next three years. he will
! nave great deal to say about the
| Democratic presidential nomination.
Earle was elected Governor in 1884 to
| serve for four-year term. Under the
PENNSYLVANIA law he may not be
candidate to succeed himself If he is to
remain in the public eye in 1899, po-
| Itically speaking, he must get himself
| another job, either through appoint
| ment by the President or through cleo
| ton to the Senate. The term of Senator
James j. Davis, one of the few Repub-
| llcans left in the Upper House, ends in
January, 1899, and his successor must be
| nominated and elected next year. There
| is a possibility that Governor Earle
would like to step into the Senate. Davis
is an old labor man himself and was
Secretary of Labor under Presidents
Harding, Coolidge and Hoover. 1t is
natural that Earle should wish to make
| himself solid with labor, too, if he is to
run against Davis.
| The manner in which the C. 7. O. Is
| spreading itself out. gaining it's OBJ
| lectlves through the sympathy or aid of
the Roosevelt administration and some
OF the State administrations including
| PENNSYLVANIA and Michigan, is giving the
| politicians good deal to think about
these days. 1t is now engaging in
campaign to organize all the employees
OF the Federal Government and place
| them, too, in the G. I. O. II it should be
| successful, President Roosevelt, as head
| OF the Governments business, may yet
| lind himself face to face with sit-down
strike or some other kind of demon
stration by the Federal employees, al
though the c. I. o. has declared against
strikes in the Government service. Lewis
is said to be threatening a general
strike in this country If the steel strike
| is not soon success. If he tries that
out it may prove his downfall Probably
he is too wise to try it out-at this
time, anyway.
| With the exception of a few Demo-
Gratis who have definitely broken with
the Roosevelt administration-like Rep
resentative Sweeney of Cleveland, Ohio
| the Democratic Senators and members
Of the House will start three-day pill
| grimage to Jefferson Island next Friday.
Even those Democrats who are leading
the fight against the Presidents court
bill will be among those present, like
Burke of Nebraska, Wheeler of Mon
tana and O'Mahoney of Wyoming This
Jefferson Island affair has been widely
advertised as move for entire harmony
among the Democrats. 1t is obvious that
the dove of peace has left, if only tenn
porarily, the Capitol and the White
House How much can be accomplished
at Jefferson Island is decidedly a ques-
ton. In some Democratic quarters it
has been suggested that, after all, this
| is merely stunt" to get more members