Evening star., 1938-08-19
PRESS VIEWS ON
SPLIT in THE C.. /. 0.
Expulsion of Officers of
Motor Workers Union
Brings Charges.

An internal quarrel of the United
Automobile Workers, af1iliate of the
C. I. O., in which three vice presidents
were expelled and fourth was sus-
pended is viewed by the press as serious
split. The men driven out were accused
OF Communist activity.
"The purpose of labor unionism,"
states the Columbus (Ohio) Citizen, lis
to improve the wages and hours and
working conditions of employees. And
when the leaders of labor unions get all
lathered up over charges, and call each
other 'Stalinites' and Trotzkyites' and
; >Lovestoneites'-we when those things
are happening, the leaders of labor don't
have much time or energy left to do
much in the way of improving the wages,
hours and working conditions Of the men
who pay dues"
\ ~
"Such situation" argues the Baton
Rouge Ha) State Times, "is not sur
prising. Many Of the more thoughtful
workers saw the handwriting on the wall
long ago. The tinge Of communistic in
fluence within and about the C. I. o.
was too obvious to be ignored. Now, re-
gardless of the basis of charges and
SooAAtSA -NAiaA &c., bl1C fCly 4dNt cAos
c. I. O. leaders are falling into dissen-
sion among themselves is indication that
something Is wrong somewhere"
"The dispute between President Homer
Martin and. his former associates" says
the Cleveland Plain Dealer, may bring
a split in the union. which has been one
Of the most successful and rapidly grow
ing labor organizations in America. It
" c{r oth No ti,,Je loo ho
Martin wing asserts that the disciplined
officers were striving to disrupt the
union and deliver 1t to Communists. In
this controversy. as in many others, the
term Communist has probably been
carelessly used. 1t is always easy to call
ones opponent Red. But it Is we'll
attested fact that the U. A. w. has hurt
its own cause and the prestige Of organ,
lied labor generally by lack OF effective
control of its membership"
apparently Lewis" suggests the Los
Angeles Times, having accepted Com
munist help in building up his c. I. o..
has come to the point where he finds he
must get rid of the Communists to pre-
vent their taking the c. I. o. away from
him. Or 1t may be that an internal re-
volt in the organization, = rank and file
anti Communist movement. has forced
Lewis hand. Or there may be mixture
Of both. Presumably the purge now
going on has Lewis full approval; If not,
it means that Lewis himself is on the
way out. The latter, though not impos-
sible, is unlikely, since the c. I. o. has
been in large part supported from the
treasury of the United Mine Workers"
Insofar as the U. A. w. split Is caused
by Communists thinks the Akron
Beacon Journal, there is special peril.
Whether the Red infiltration is great or
small-even if it is microscopic minor
ity-let the Communist idea get firmly
established in the popular mind and
public support diminishes correspond
ingly. Justly or not. condemnation will
replace approval. And there never has
been a group movement in the United
States, unionist. political or whatnot,
that could survive an antagonistic pub
lie opinion
what will amaze many Americans"
according to the Chicago Tribune, will
be to find such a battlefield in the union
which seeks to be the collective bargain
ing agency under the National Labor
Act in one of the greatest American in
dustries. If the inside facts are as
stated, Communist is battling Commu-
mist in a purge which is as violent in
intent as anything that has been con-
Quoted in Soviet Russia"
MANY of the c. I. o. leaders," COM
nients the Jersey City Journal, ARE con-
scious of the danger that threatens their
organization. News from the Pacific
Coast, long a hot-bed of labor trouble,
Is to the effect that the heads of four
c. I. o. units there have voted to with
draw from Harry Bridges Industrial
Union Council, asserting that he had
brought the council under Communist
control