The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1938-02-17

s &AN41AAAAAoSA 0S1O11 new xSGOVGIy pEO-
gram, the Housing Act, was passed
over the opposition of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. That is
regarded here as signifying that the
split between William Green's A. F.
of L. and John L. Lewis's Commit
tee on Industrial Organization has
resulted in breaking the power
which the Labor Lobby" has for
so long exercised over Congress.
This is such a revolutionary con-
dition that its full significance has
not yet drawn upon Senators and
Representatives who have long been
accustomed to jumping whenever
Organized Labor cracks the whip.
Labor Lobby Split
Labor" used to mean the A. F.
of L. and nothing else. Therefore,
when Senator Lodge of Massachu-
sets introduced an amendment pro-
viding that all workers on buildings
constructed under the new Hous-
ings Act must be paid at the ''pre-
vailing rate of wages" and Presi-
dent William Green of the Fedora
ton demanded that provision be
put into the bill, it seemed fore
gone conclusion that the Lodge
amendment would stick. And so it
would have except for the fact that
Mr.. Lewis of the c. /. o. declined
to give it his benedictiOn.
There was no open statement in
opposition by Mr. Lewis, but the
word was quietly passed around
that his feelings would not be hurt
if the Lodge amendment were over
looked. For the first time in years
the ranks of Organized Labor are
split. Instead of one Labor Lobby
there are two And the net result,
so far as Congress is concerned, is
to weaken the power of Labor to
influence legislation.
High Wages Would Stop Boom
The Importance of the elimina
ton of the Lodge amendment which
called for payment of prevailing
rate of wages" on housing construc-
ton eligible for the mortgage guar
antee provisions of the Act, lie in
the fact that prevailing rate of
wages" has been interpreted by
many courts to mean highest union
scale" Since the high A. F. of L.
wages scales in the building trades
are regarded as one of the chief
obstacles to revival of the build
ing industry, the belief in Congress
amounted to conviction that to in
sist upon them in the new law
would make it impossible for the
pr rese of the law to be achieved.
That purpose is to build new homes,
PIT more craftsmen to work in the
b. iiding industries.
But while the Labor Lobby met
defc>t for the first time in an i'm
portm engagement, the most
powerful of all the Congressional
L,ohkies-Lahor having ranked as
second-won its first skirmish in its
newest attack upon the Treasury.
This is the Veterans Lobby. The
combination of war veterans has
been more than matched for sever
al Presidents. It dtfeated Mr.,
Roosevelt on the bonus when he
was at the height Of his political
power and personal prestige. The
Veterans Lobby is behind power
full drive to provide pensions for
widows and orphans of World War
veterans, whether they saw serv-
ice in the field or not Washington
observers of pension history are
unanimous in the belief that the
Veterans Lobby will win this cam
,paign, as it and its predecessors
have won every previous pension
drive.
Pension Parade Marches On
At the beginning Of the World
War, the statesmen in Washington,
having in mind the scandals Of the
old pension system under the lob
bying tactics Of the Grand Army
Of the Republic, which had grown
to such strength that it was for
nearly half century the most pow
erful political force in the nation,
established the War Risk Insurance
System, the purpose of which was
to provide adequate for disabled
service men and the dependents of
those dying in the war. Like the
''war to end war" dream, this Gin
surance to end pensions" did not
work as planned.
At the first organizing convention
of the American Legion, Col. Theo-
dore Roosevelt led the movtment to
put the Legion on record as unalter<
ably opposed to pensions The de-
termination not to make the Legion
another G. A. r. was short lived,
however. History is repeating it
self in the new pension drive, and
the first skirmish was won when
I the House Pensions Committee ac-
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