The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-11-21
The Cherry Tree.
Where We Hotchet Out
The Truth
CONGRESS OF LABOR
LEWIS REBUKED
. CHAMPION OF DEFENSE
NEW PRESTIGE FOR AFL

| NEW PRESl llGE FOR AfL
And now we have the AFofL con-
vention-THE great Congress of La
Dor.
The election has made it doubly i'm
portant as news.
Read your reports of the convention
in THIS newspaper.
1t is no partisan statement to say
that the AFofL goes into convention
this year with a vastly increased
prestige because of the national elec-
tion and it's result.
1t could not be otherwise.
John L. Lewis rode out into the
night and lost his power to command.
The policies he stood for have been
given about the biggest rebuke any
labor leaders policies ever got.
That is a mild and moderate state
ment.
Not even Hugh Johnson can save
Lewis from the verdict at the polls.
X X X
Lewis was critical of national de-
fense policies. That was one Of his
issues in his jump to Willkie.
Roosevelt's refusal to grant his de-
mands were regarded by Lewis as
justifying a jump over the fence,
which he did in his most grandiloquent
manner, with regular gadzooks
flourish Of accent and verbiage.
To see one important phase of the
,o& ~, {1o 10 ,,,@
district of Pennsylvania.
And thus, by sheer virtue of facts,
the AFofL convention looms up in
new Importance, which it has deserved
all the time.
But, inevitably, the Federation
now stands as THE champion of
defense-not maudlin and self
effacing champion, but thinking,
reasoning, performing champion.
The Federation gets new import
ance, new power, new prestige.
x x x
Many years ago John l.. Lewis said
be heard a call to run for presidency
of the AFofL. After the voting was
over he arose and said he must have
misunderstood that call.
On the day after this election he
didn't go to his office.
There is no point to riding John
Lewis now. There is more important
work at hand
There is the job of unity of every
kind, which includes labor unity, for
the biggest task this nation ever faced.
Facing this task it is important to
know who's who and what's what. 49,
Don't look for the CIO to collapse;
that isn't in the picture. But the pass
ing of the power Of John l.. Lewis
is in the news as we run. His power
to shut down all sundry is finished.
Perhaps it served a purpose; often
things serve a purpose and then pass
away.
The prospect of labor peace is en-
hanced. That is important. If it comes
| it will be because men are about to
come into power who will talk with
reason in their speech, with care for
labor in their minds, and without the
burden of an overwhelming personal
Importance to blind and block them.
So, all in all, for labor, it seems as
if another great marking point has
been passed. The hand of the people
has turned a mighty page in the book
of history.
The new page remains to be written
upon, but the indications are that it
can be written upon in a spirit of fra
ternity, patriotism, labor unionism
and common reason; not with the ink
of hatred and vanity, spread by
sweeping hand driven by lust for pow
er and domination.
For final proof we must wait yet
little whle-but it is cheering to be
able "at long last" to say, "it looks
that way"
Wouldn't the beginnings of the new
page, so written, make a nice job just
around Thanksgiving ?"-CMW.