Evening star., 1940-05-06

ity or political incapacity on the
part of the A. F. of L. when it
comes to handling legislation.
A few weeks ago the A. F. of L.
was sponsoring the work of the
Smith committee investigating the
labor board and the wagner Act.
Without the A. F.. of LIS help the
committee could not have been Gre
ated in the first instance. When the
time came for the Smith commit
tee to make its report it was as
sumed on Capitol Hill that the
A. F. of L. would support the COM
mittee's recommendations. Instead
It was announced in behalf of Will
liam Green, president of the A. F.
Of L., that his organization liked
the work of the committee, but
would not support its legislative
proposals.
This action stunned many men,
bers of the House who have hitherto
been friendly to the A. F. of L. No
explanation was forthcoming until
a week or so later, when the regular
House committee voted to bring
out a bill which would write into
the Wagner law a clause protecting
A. F. of L. craft unions.
Recedes on Personnel
Most observers assumed then that
the A. F.. of L. had thrown over
board its friends because it was
about to receive administration sup
port for the craft amendment The
A. F. of L. likewise receded on its
position, which had been one of
insistence on a new labor board,
and agreed with the administration
that two additional members should
be added.
The general impression in Con-
gress was that the A. F. of L. had
been so anxious to get administra-
ton support for the craft amend
ment that it was willing to trade
away its previous hostility to the
labor board itself.
Now comes what the vernacular
of the day would call the "pay-off ,"
The A. F.. of L. has believed that
Chairman Norton of the House
committee was sincere in her sup
port of the craft amendment de-
sired by the A. F. of L. 1t turns
out that Mrs. Norton doesn't care
a bit about any amendments, in
cluding her own.
Copies of letter written by Mrs
Norton announcing her agreement
with the c. I. o. position that there
shall be no amendments of any
kind to the Wagner Labor Act have
been circulated on Capitol Hill. Here
Is what Mrs. Norton writes to a C.
I. o. official of a Washington labor
union:
This will acknowledge receipt
Of your letter of April 20 with at
tached copy of resolution adopted
by your organization opposing H. r.
9l95, the Norton bill, and H. R. 1913.
the Smith bill, to amend the Ma
tional Labor Relations Act.
"As chairman of the committee,
all committee bills bear my name.
This is the usual procedure in all
committees. However, I am entirely
IN accord with you that no amend
ments should be passed this year to
the National Labor Relations Act.
I shall take this position on the floor
when the rule comes before us. The
only way all amendments can be
defeated is to vote down the rule
when it comes up for adoption"
Many Republicans Now Lukewarm.
Conservative Democrats and Re
publicans who have been fabber-
gasted by the tactics of the A. F. of L.
are wondering whether President
Green is now satisfied that he can
not depend on the administration
supporters to keep agreements with
him and whether he proposes now
to let the C, 1. o. forces ride rough
shod over him at the Capitol. Many
Republicans who had intended to
60 along with a portion of the
Norton hill which the A F. of T.,