The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-07-04
Facing the Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

WNaC is DonlIU all Cne pOllClCal
shennanigans between John L. Lewis
and the Republican Party? Is the c.
I. 0. leader riding in the G. o. P. ele.
phant train again, as he did before
1896? Why did he 60 out Of his way
to give Herbert Hoover the kiss Of
death? What was the purpose of his
vicious attack on President Roosevelt
whose mind, he said, was in "full in
tellecutal retreat?
These questions are far from faith.
omless. They have common answer
strategy. And the strategy is OBJ
vious to anyone who wants to go to
the trouble of subjecting it to analy-
sis.
We took the trouble, not because it
makes much difference where Lewis
lands politically, but because it may
interest puzzled c. I. o. and A. F. L.
members to learn the cheap, disloyal
treacherous political game the leade,
of the C. l. o. is playing.
Lewis didn't sell out to the Repub.
lican Party, nor was he seduced. He
didn't because he had nothing to sell
and he wasn't because he has no at
fractions to offer. He himself admit
ted during his appearance before the
Republican Resolutions COMMITTEES
that he doesn't control a single vote
Never was truer word spoken. Lewis
cannot deliver a single vote to the
Republicans this year. They know il
just as we'll as he.
His Best Friends Are Telling Him
No, Lewis did not hold out an olive
branch to the Republicans. He hello
out a whip and he lashed them with
it. He asserted the Republicans hac
forfeited the confidence Of labor. Lest
the Republicans feel so badly about
this, he attacked Roosevelt and the
New Deal even more savagely.
But the key to his strategy was
contained in two sentences. "Some
day." he said, "the people will tire Of
being deceived and neglected by the
major political parties" A little later
after listing his platform demands, hi
interjected:
eff neither of the political partie!
can live up to these requirements, botf
Of them will lose the confidence of the
people to degree that they will mo-
be able to function"
There is the story. Lewis hopes ant
expects that both major political par
ties will collapse under pressure Of in
creasing national problems. He hope:
and expects that the entire American
system will collapse. He is impatient
ly awaiting that day just as Hitler die
in Germany. When and if "der tag
comes, he will be ready to leap in ant
seize political control.
That is why Lewis has sold himself
into bondage to the Communist Party
That is why he has tried to- lure tn
American Youth Congress, the Natl
onal Negro Congress, the Townsend
ties and other groups into his camp
And that is why Lewis has lost tn
confidence of the American people, in
cluding his own closest assistants an,
every C. |. o. union that has a sparl
of patriotism.
| The WOuld-Be Dictator
When Lewis said President Roose
velt's mind was in "full intellectual re
treat" the Republicans cheered be
cause they got the impression h
meant Mr.. Roosevelt was getting fee
minded. Lewis meant nothing o
the sort. His real meaning was tina
Roosevelt is retreating from the left
That is what irks the C. l. O. dictator
| For today Lewis is the leader of tn
left in this country. He slavishly fol
lows the Communist Party line. H
forces every C. l. o. union that is de
pendent on him for bread and butte
to follow the Communist Party line
This would-be dictator of Americ
has never uttered harsh word in con
demnation of the dictators Of Europe
He has never condemned Stain o
Hitler by name. He has never com
out unequivocally for Americanism a
against totalitarianism.
Lewis knows it isn't healthy to sa
it publicly yet but he believes in tc
talitarianism. TIE practices it in hi
own union. He has utter contempt fo
democracy. He shows that contemr
by the way he runs the G. l. o.
These statements on our part ma
have a convincing answer for tn
scoffers. Eli Oliver has been execu
, tive director of Labor's Non-Partisa
League ever since that organizatio
became the political front for the {
l. o. three years ago. The other da
5 Oliver resigned. And this is the reaso
he gave-that the political policy c
the League is now controlled by onl
; an "infinitesimal minority, predomir
: antly composed of individuals affil
ated with or following the leadershi
5 Of organizations controlled from ou
side the United States, whose policie
), are fixed without reference to tn
paadS of Amarican labor