The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-10-20
Paul MallOn---
NeUS Behind
The NeUS

naI reasons why Cne 4. L. -.
and A. F. of L. cannot easily get
together. The one is John Lewis,
and the rest of it is William
Green. The distrust which
these two men have for each
other is the single point upon
which coming peace negotiations
are likely to stall.
That is the way labor men
look at it. They are the init
mates of both factions. and no
one knows better than they.
Lewis plays an excellent solo
on his big bass VOL, but no one
can imagine him as a second
fiddle in the A. F. Of L. band.
Green naturally suspects that
peace will bring Lewis back to
the top of the A. F. Of L., and
he might reasonably interpret it
to mean that he will be crowded
out.
This personal element is such
a live danger that there has
been some inside talk about the
Administration making Green
an ambassador to some place or
another. Green would hardly
accept anything that could be
offered.
MANY months ago when the
WA break started. there was
general high impression here
that the craft and industrial
theories of unionizing were in
compatible. The old A. F. of L.
craft theory was thought to be
antiquated. The new C. I. o.
industrial grouping method was
the coming thing. Gwen the
highest in Government held to
that viewO
Opinion has changed. Mil
lions of words now are being
strung out along the line to in
dictate that this view still holds,
that this will prevent labor
peace, but the old-timers do not
think so.
For many years Lewis and his
industrial unions lived in the
A. F. of L. craft house, in peace.
Now that his organization drive
has passed it's peak, there is no
fundamental reason why ne
could not do it again. Also the
A. F. of L. has its trade councils
in which craft unions Of a sin
gle industry are represented (the
Building Trades Council, for
one). In the recent negotiations
with the railroads. 81 unions
were involved, but the negotia-
lions were conducted by an ex-
ecutive council of five members.
The A. F.. of L. and C. I. o.
could work out these formerly
incompatible" differences in a
few weeks, it were not for the
Lewis Green situation. AS it is,
the negotiations will probably
take months, or a year.
***
HIDDEN force behind the
IA Lewis-Green peace negotia-
ton was the rank and file In
both outfits. The workers were
tanning up backfire Of COM
plants which forced the leaders
to move. This may be denied. Of
course, but not very seriously.
The White House had a hand
in it somewhere, but apparently
only an indirect hand. Convinc-
ing denials have been made on
all sides here that any particular
White House negotiator helped
to get the two together.
Inside sharpshooting within
Republican ranks reached an all
time high before ALI Landon
took the radio to straighten
things out.
Get-together meetings which
have been held in the East lately
have developed strong differ
ences. The anti.Ham11ton group
has been passing the word
around that Chairman Hamilton
has gone Park Avenue" They
have been talking up former
Comptroller McCarl for Hami1-
tons job. The proclamation
group has been shooting at the
retiring Hilles crowd.
Just to make the melee gen
eral, some Of the friends Of both
Hoover and Landon hereabouts
have been trying to upset their
peace meeting at the Lowden
farm. Despite their efforts
there is reason for believing
nothing was discussed in the
peace meeting except the
a