The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-06-06
Fdcing the Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

This week we are celebrating ar
anniversary-our first. This column
was started just q year ago. For fifty.
two consecutive weeks it has been pub
|lished in the American Federation Of
Labor Weekly News Service and in a
large number Of labor papers through.
out the country.
During this period, we have derived
great deal of encouragement from
the friendly response which the ex-
preston of our personal opinions on
events in the labor movement evoked
There have also been a few squawks
One of these-and very construc-
tive one-came from labor paper
editor. He said we were not paying
enough attention to the constructive
side of labor questions, that we were
devoting too much space to the con-
troversy with the CIO.
We wish to say in self-defense that
/ it has been our constructive purpose
and intent throughout to promote
labor peace and unity by presenting
the facts and the truth.
1t was the very fact that the truth
could not always be found in the
daily newspaper stories about A. F. Of
L.-CIO differences that prompted us
to inaugurate this column in the first
place.
We have tried to hammer home the
truth that the CIO was responsible
originally for the split in the labor
movement and that it's leader, John L.
Lewis, is responsible for the failure to
reach settlement.
This fact has now been publicly con-
frmed by Mr.. Lewis right-hand man,
Sidney Hillman, vice president of the
CIO and head of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers.
The Triumph of Truth
When Mr. Hillman declared that Mr..
Lewis made mistake" in breaking
off peace conferences with the A. F. of
l.. year ago and in refusing to meet
with the A. F. of L. Committee since
then, he said a mouthful.
We doubt that Mr.. Hillman was
overjoyed to make this admission. 1t
was dragged out of him by the pres
sure Of opinion among the members OF
his union who staged twenty minute
demonstration for peace and unity at
A. G. w. convention.
Mr.. Hillman didn't like to say it
publicly because the truth hurts. But
the members of his union know it to be
the truth and the members of other
CIO unions are beginning to under
stand the truth.
This growth Of understanding of the
facts among the CIO members and
among the public generally is an
achievement for the Information Serv-
ice of the American Federation of La
Dor and for the, loyal A. F. of L.
papers which have printed the truth
consistently. 1t Is IAN achievement at
tanned against teriffice odds. For two
years after the J CIO was born it
flooded the nation with propaganda
which was echoed throughout the daily
press, blaming the "A. F. of L. for the
labor split 1t was long, bitter and
uphill fight to counteract this propa-
ganda and expose Mr.. Lewis false
hoods to the light of reason, but the
job has been done thoroughly and sue
cessfully and this column is proud of
it's contribution to the triumph of
truth. ft
Peace Prospects Brighten
AS long as Mrn Lewis was able to
get away with his phony philosophy of
disunion, there was no possibility OF
restoring peace and unity in the
American labor movement.
Now that his power policies have
been challenged by his own people and
his own official family, Mr.. Lewis will
either have to give up or get out. He
cannot maintain his die-hard attitude
of refusing to consider peace much
longer in the face of sweeping in
ternal revolt against such policies
within the CIO itself. s....
Other factors are contributing to
force Mr.. Lewis hand, especially the
national defense program and the at
tempts of selfish business interests to
capitalize on the present emergency
with campaign to break down labor
standards. If ever the nation and Or
ganized labor and the cause Of liberal
ism needed a united labor movement
it is now.
The American Federation of Labor
stands ready to meet with representa-
tives Of the CIO any time and any
place to work out a settlement.
Will Mr.. Lewis finally agree?
Only time will tell, but his recent
policies and statements do. not offer
much encouragement. There is every
indication that Mr.. Lewis has thrown
in his lot with the Communist element
in the CIO for keeps. The Commun'
lists do not want united labor move
ment. They know there is no place fol
them in the American Federation OF
Labor. They are anxious to keep the
labor movement divided, to weaken il
and to prevent this country from pre-
senting the strongest possible front
against the enemies of democracy.