Evening star., 1937-06-30
The Money Link.

anu lIS nedQ, JOnn l.. Lewis, are re-
ported to be irking members of the
Democratic party. These Democrats do
not like the suggestion that Mr.. Lewis
has bought and paid for the Democratic
administration in Washington, or that
he and the organizations with which
he is connected are continuing to finance
the operations of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee. Nor do they like the
suggestion that because of these flnan-
cial transactions the C. l. O. and its
head can call upon the Democratic ad-
ministration to back up their activities
in the field of labor organization and
strikes.
Had an industrial institution-say the
Ford Motor Company-contributed $780,
900 to the presidential campaign of 1885,
in behalf of either of the major candi-
dates, there would have been tre-
mendous howl AS a matter of fact,
such a contribution would have been
illegal, for corporations are barred from
1AaNAAiS QUILL AOlllI lOutAOllo LQI 1ldO
Henry Ford made such a contribution,
the uproar would have been loud and
long. A labor union, or group of unions,
it appears, occupies a different status
under the law when it comes to making
political contributions. Why it should
be so is not entirely clear. A corpora
tl0n which NJ ado ri +o
campaign, or a great industrialist,
would Immediately be suspected of try
ing to buy the favor of the candidate
and his party, should the candidate
win. There is just as much reason to
suspect that labor union. or its leader
who makes half million dollar con-
tribution to the cause of a party candi-
date is also trying to buy favors at the
hands of the candidate and his admins
tration.
The head of the C. I. O. and his vari-
GUS labor unions did contribute $780,
900 to the Roosevelt campaign last year.
1t has loaned the Democratic National
Committee another $4,000, which is to
be paid back. To the rank and file
Democrat it will doubtless occur that
the sooner the $4,000 loan is repaid the
better. He might even feel that it
lion dollars which was contributed to
the presidential campaign, particularly
in the light of the very evident demand
made by Mr. Lewis that the Roosevelt
administration now come through for
the c. I. o. and its strike methods,
whether sit-down or otherwise.
The way in which the funds of labor
unions are being used interchangeably
with those of the Democratic National
Committee was brought forcibly to light
yesterday by Representative Deem Of
a statement in which he revealed that
last April he was asked by the Speakers
Bureau of the Democratic National Com
mittee to make speech in Alabama and
that he agreed to do so and was told he
would receive a check for his travelling
expenses-$4205. When the check
turned up it was not check from the
treasurer of the Democratic National
Committee. 1t was check from the
controller of Labor's Non-Partisan
League, of which John L. Lewis is chair
man of the board, Sidney Hillman is
treasurer and Major George L. Berry,
now Senator from Tennessee by appoint
ment, is president.
Believing that the sit-down strike
technique of the c. I. O. was a close
approach to Anarchy and being unwill-
ing to have traffic with any labor organi-
cation of which John l.. Lewis was chair
man Of the board, Mr.. Deem promptly
returned the check and notified the
Democratic National Committee that he
would not make the speech in Birming-
ham.
What is the Roosevelt administration,
the President himself, going to do about
linking of the finances of the Demo-
cratic National Committee and Mr.
Lewis and his organizations? It is
waiter that is giving some of the Demo-
Gratis in Congress-and out-much con-
cern, particularly in the light OF the
present activities of the c. l. o. and
the drift of public opinion against that
i7of Nj