Evening star., 1937-09-07

il. ernment as it relates to labor Mr..
: Roosevelt has not objected to the use
T. of the name of his office on literature
to help membership campaigns for the
c. I. Q. Mr.. Roosevelt has put through
coal legislation enabling John Lewis to
get the "check-off' on labor dues
which meant an increase in millions
of dollars for the Lewis war chest.
Much of the c. I. o. strength Of today
is directly traceable to White House
announcement or the lack of q re-
straining hand by New Deal officials
in permitting c. I. o. organizers to
defy the laws of the land, both In
membership drives and in strikes.
Almost any complaint the c. /. o.
makes is formally listed nowadays by
the National Labor Relations Board
and hearings are dominated by the
c. I. o. Recently the board went so
far as to issue an order favoring the
c. I. o. and disregarding Federal
court decision which had upheld an
A. F. of l.. contract. The c. /. O.
influence with Secretary Perkins in
the auto strike negotiations was con-
siderable and for several months the
Secretary expressed doubts about the
illegality of the Shutdown" strike,
which certainly lent moral weight TO
the use of that weapon. Even Presi-
dent Roosevelt, although importuned
on every side to say something. never
has uttered a single word in condem-
nation Of the "sit-down" strike. Last
week the United Automobile Workers,
an integra part of the c. I. o., for
mally adopted a resolution at its con-
vention approving the use Of the sit
down" strike hereafter as weapon
of labor war.
Lewis Held Ungrateful.
Mr.. Lewis is really ungrateful to the
New Deal, which has helped him, but,
like all extremists, he wants 100 per
cent partisanship. He doesn't like the
fact that the President said some
thing recently about "a plague on both
your houses" indicating desire to be
regarded as neutral To this Mr.. Lewis
now objects as he utters the following
challenge: "It i'll behooves one who
has supped at labor's table, and who
has been sheltered in labor's house, to
curse with equal fervor and fine i'm
partiality both labor and its adver-
saries when they become locked in
deadly embrace"
No labor leader in recent years has
ever ventured to reprimand Presl-
dent of the United States so boldly
and so directly Mr.. Roosevelt, OF
course. to a certain extent invited just
such an embarrassing situation when
he allowed his campaign managers
last year to accept contributions OF
upward of $500, 900. and some reports
declare much larger, from a single
group in the electorate, to say nothing
of the fact that when the Democratic
National Committee ran short of
money it borrowed $50 900 from the
c. /. o. and still has that loan unpaid.
Mr.. Lewis intends to hold Mr.. Roose-
welt and his party TO a strict account
ability. His speech Of last week had
in it the following significant para
graph:
Labor next year cannot avoid the
necessity of a political assay Of the
work and deeds of its so-called friends
and its political benehciaries. 1t must
determine who are its friends in the
arena of politics as elsewhere. 1t feels
that its cause is just and that its
friends should not view its struggle
with neutral detachment or intone
constant criticism of its activities.
Those who chant their praises Of de-
r hag+ xYIe "a to
drive their knives into labors defense
less back must feel the weight of la
bor's woe even as its open adversaries
must ever feel the thrust of labor's
power"
Reference TO Roosevelt.
Who else but Mr. Roosevelt, in his
speech in North Carolina. chanted
the praises of democracy? Mr..
Lewis has a definite technique. He
has had Mr.. Roosevelts support but
he detected in the plague on both
your houses a wavering note 1t
meant that Mr.. Roosevelt might any
day cease to be partisan for the
c. I. o. and become neutral. So Mr..
Lewis, believing that Mr.. Roosevelt
can US Du44ltu lllIO maintaining posi-
ton of favoritism for the c. 1. O.,
starts an open attack and in it uses
his best weapon-a reminder Of po-
litical obligation and political benefits
received by Mr.. Roosevelt from the
c. l. o.
Nor is Mr.. Lewis satisfied with the
technical contention that the Fed
eral Government has no Jurisdiction
over some Of the violence that occurs
- IL