The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-12-03

when JOnu PROMISED 10 quit as
c. /. o. head, If Franklin d Roose-
welt were reelected, some of his
pretty faithful followers figured
that he'd climbed overly far out on
a limb. Todays indications are
that he'd calculated very thought
fu.iy. If Wendell Willkie had won,
his iimr would ha., been oil right
II it cracked under him, he'd be in
a position to land in his third party
hanging basket. It isn't altogether
certain that he isn't glad II did
crack, he's fixed to proceed with
the scheme he had in mind all
along.
Presumably Lewis policy will be
10 build his prospective new party
around the framework of Labor's
Non Partisan League. His surren-
der of his c. l. o. nominal leader
ship didn't amount TO much. II
didn't pay any salary And Philip
Murray. who succeeded him, Is sup
posed TO be only his rubber stamp.
Phil, to be sure, didn't adhere TO
John, as to the latter's anti-Roose-
Welt attitude, and maybe he'll balk
OF staying by Johns anti Roose-
veltianism henceforward. Still. it's
10 be remembered that Pills a
sub-official OF the United Mine
Workers. OF which John continues
as president at $4,000 annually
He's Formidable
John L. Lewis, be it understood,
Is a formidable character.
He's been journalistically men,
toned as frowsy headed. beetle
browed and ovarbearing.
John Lewis is a neighbor Of mine
in cur '. c-h.rgton an suburb OF
Alexandria (Val, and I've even
ridden into town with him on the
bus, when his expensive auto was
temporarily out Of commiss on.
He's frowsy-headed and beetle
browed, but l never found him
overbearing. On the contrary, l
thirs he's a middling good mixer.
About five years ago. when John
was initiating his split-off from the
A. F. Of L., I had a lot of SYM
patty with him.
The a. +. of l.. is a federation
of craft unions. In my particular
business the Typographical Union
was one Of them. l was on the edi-
toral end OF the newspaper bust
ness. I thought that my bunch
ought 10 be unionized, too. Heaven
knows, l was aware that my crew
needed to be organized also. But
the Typographical Union or the
stereotypers or any Of the rest of
the mechanical outfits didn't care
boot for us Their dope was that
they were crafts-to heck with us.
John Lewis started of. though,
on the theory that everybody in an
industry belongs to it.
For instance, he was a mine
worker.
Now, mine workers? They're
diggers in mines. They likewise
are electricians in mines. They're
teansters in mines. They're ex-
plosive experts. They're black
smiths. They're everybody con-
nected with the mining Industry.
John wanted EN- amalgamated.
He called an industry total in
dustry-not a group Of separate
craft industries.
Total COLONIZATION
The merger becomes more and
more necessary, says John l.
Lewis, as we condense into mass
Industry. like the automobile bust
ness. What John wants is total,
not merely group unionizatIon.
That's where the c. l. o. and
the A. F Of L. differ.
Furthermore, the A. F. Of l.. still
wants to keep clear Of partisan
politics tn pick candidates. indi-
vidually. but not partisanly.
The c l. o proposes to have
candidates Of its own under a
new party label
mean, under John l. Lewis
label
It's a mistake TO think that, be-
cause John L. has done some re-
signing. he's retiring from his
place in the limelght.