Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-11
Way Cleared
For Labor
Peace
White House Held
Ready to Bring
Pressure on 6. !. O.
BY JAY FRANKLIN.


President Roosevelt indicated at
Hyde Park that the first step to-
ward national unity would be TO
establish peace in the ranks of labor.
This means that the White House
is prepared to bring pressure on the
leaders of the c. 1. o. TO accept the
promise of John l.. Lewis to resign
the Craftsmanship of that organiza-
ton if Roosevelt was elected ior a
| third term.
The Lewis speech attacking F. D.
R.. indorSing Mr. Willkie and pro-
claiming the ''unholy alliance" be-
tween big labor and heavy industry
was politically objectionable in the
eyes of the New Dealers. The speech
itself was so eloquent a piece Of
demagogy that the administration
cannot afford to leave the chairman
of the c. I. O. in a position for an
other stab in the back.
This is for Mr.. Lewis personal
| tragedy and harsh setback for or
ganized labor, but his removal seems
essential to national reconciliation.
The relations between President
Roosevelt and John L. Lewis have
been so obscured by partisanship
and so tinged by recent bitterness
that it seems necessary to clear the
record.
Refused to Submit.
During the period when Lewis
was organizing industrial unions UNI
der the Wagner Act and even when
the sit downs" of 1887 were shak-
ing our industrial fabric, Roosevelt
held the ring for the c. l. o. But
he never felt that Lewis campaign
contributions of 1886 had given the
c. L o. leader majority control
of the United States Government
and he refused TO submit to the
Lewis demands for complete admin
istrative subservience.
AS early as the Munich crisis Of
1888 John L. Lewis was beginning
TO talk UP war scare against
| Roosevelt and was openly refusing
| to accept peace with the A F. of L.
At about this time the Com
munists and fellow travellers in the
c. I. o. moved in and got Lewis ear.
Particularly powerful was the influ-
| ence of Lee Pressman, general coun-
/ sci Of the organization, whose advice
was constantly persuasive in con-
| trolling the weird combination of
/ eyebrows and ego which went into
/ the personality of the fuehrer of in
/ dustrial organizations.
Men like Sydney Hillman, Phil
Murray and other moderates. who
regarded union organization as part
of democracy and not part of mys-
teal movement toward syndicated
state, we're increasingly exluded from
formation of policy and were in
creasingly thrown into the Roosevelt
camp.
Lewis Bided Time.
In the silent struggle which de-
veloped. the question was whether
Roosevelt or Lewis was the real
leader of C. I. o. labor. Lewis bided
his time and waited until 10 DAYS
before the election to plunge his
stiletto into the back of the Pres
ident. Having failed to dictate the
nominations at the Chicago con-
vention of the Democratic party.
and having previously announced
that Roosevelt, If renominated,
would be ANONYMOUSLY defeated
his action should have caused no
surprise.
What shocked the New Dealers
was the clear implication of what
Lewis seemed to expect from his
support of Willkie. This was the
"unholy alliance" of radicalsm and
reaction.
The rest is recent history. The
c. I. o. lines held firm for F. D. r.
Only the Communists, fellow travel
ers and payrollists of the Lewis out
fl followed their leader. Roosevelt
won in a landslide which was vote
of no-confidence in Lewis. The way
is now clear for labor peace which
will end the cankering disunitv at
the roots of the New Deal From
now on. the American labor move
ment can be united under democ-
racy, not coerced by dictatorship
and the people can breathe easily
/