Imperial Valley press., 1937-01-24
News Behind the News
What John L. LelUis Wants -. Co..
ernment and Organized Labor
RooseueH Put On The Spot

WASHINGTON K General Motors strike de-
velopments show clearly what the Lewis group
and other labor leaders were aiming . ,or WIZ VIZ
they threw their full welsnt ineo tue i"'s e->
ton.
Tactics of Gov Frank Murphy of Michigan
the general belief among observers that Roose-
vet will eventually have to step IN TO acnleVe
a settlement the great care taken py Geneiai ie
Motors to maintain pleasant public relations
and the breezy confidence of members OF tne
Committee for Industrial Organization may an
be taken into account in determining wneuiei
this is the same country it used TO De INSOFAR as
concerns dealings among government industry,
and labor.
That doesn't imply that anyone can tell
what the result of the automobile strike VIII
be or that there's any strong pehel IN Was,nis-
ton that the strikers will win their demands
pnt the fact that neither the governor of
Michigan nor the president of the United states
desires to crush the strike by giving organiAeu
labor less than an even break Is factor polh
historic and important
writ was issued in Flint on the basis OF
which authorities were planning to eject Slt-
down strikers with gas-and clubs and guns II
need be- AT the first outbreak OF violence
Murphy ordered in state troops WIN assurance
that there would be no riots ana no lrouo.e.
John L. Lewis announced that he was author
lied by representatives of Murphy to say tnat
troops would not be used to evict strikers, Win
an implication that the troops would keep any
one else from chasing them out
Murphy then won 15-day truce for negotla-
tions The union would take its stdoWnerS OUT
of G. M plants and G. NJ would promise not
try to produce automobiles in the plants or TO
move equipment away
This was a remarkable concession from sucn
corporation Everyone who knows labor MS
tory realizes what an innovation it was COM
pared to the old-fashioned practice OF arrest
ing and beating strikers, using local cops, nlreo
thugs and militia if necessary.
The point of all this, as seen by many IN
siders is that Murphy is young and ambitious
politician who is by no means through running
for office in Michigan, that he was on the spot,
and practically had to 60 down the line for
labor If he expected to be elected to anything
again.
Murphy is also pleasant gentleman OF no
small talent, liberal, and presumably fair
minded and friendly to labor, anyway. Pos
sibly he would have acted in the same way
regardless of his future hopes.
But the realistic warriors for industrial union
ism ae not counting on that. They feel Muir
ply knows he couldn't have been elected last
November without heavy labor support and that,
what's far more important, he can't be Reelected
or sent to the u s. Senate without labor support.
What they feel applies to Murphy applies TO
other governors also. Among other executives
of large industrial states more or less heavily
indebted to organized labor are Earle OF Penn
sylvania, Davey Of Ohio, Horner of Illinois,
and Lehman of New York
None of these men will be quick to use troops
against strikers; all are compelled to recognize
labor as a strong political force.