Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-20
Lewis Feud
With Hi|Iman
Hits Defense
Labor Chiefs Moneuver
10 Outwif the Other
BY PAUL MALLON

and Sidney Hillman which has
been a long dark battle.
The conflict between the mine
boss and Mr.. Roosevelt's labor
counselor has deferred numerous
phases of the nations defense
program, although they have
managed 10 keep their differ
ences out of print.
Mr.. ffiffman, for instance. sent
his assistant. Eli Oliver, out to
Montana few weeks back to
convince the copper boys they
should work as hours week.
That metal is vitality important
TO national safety.
Mr.. Oliver not only found the
atmosphere unusually cold for
that time OF year hut was frozen
stiff by Reid Robinson head of
the Mine. Mill and SIN ter
Workers. a Lewis man. Robin
son induced his convention to
pass resolution imposing fine
of $40 an any one who worked
over 40 hours.
DuT the featured rabbit-punch
- of the bouf so far was de-
liVered when Mr.. Hillmanis own
assistant. John Owens, retired
on the eve of the Go conven-
ton. AT the same time, while
Lewis leaders We're Withdrawing
from the defense m ed at ion
board TO talk over the closed
shop issue, Hillman assured one
and all that Emil Rieve. head of
Pthe Go Textile Workers. would
not leave. His subsequent de-
parture has & iven the Lewis
people great glee.
To hear them tell il. -Hillman-
is building a personal organiza-
ton TO control labor through
the defense regime. They sheer
at Mr.. divers $500 salary and
the fact that Hillman con-
sultant, Herbert Harris. is get
ting $4,000 of government funds
year in salary for functioning
as publicity man for Hill
man.
Mr.. Lewis thinks that Mr..
Roosevelt is bad enough. hut
what he thinks of Hillman,
even OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
cannot express.
Politest and latest thing Lewis
has called Oliver is political
renegade. - This was after the
copper episode.
Lewis has told several friends
'he could have fights with
Roosevelt and get over them,
but that fellow Hillman -
tleaving IN the air an implica-
ton that either he or Hillman
would not survive the fight.
THE subtle tuSsle started in
l. April. 1899 At this time
this column related the two
Go "buddieS' had nearly come
TO blows in an AFL-CIO peace
meeting. Mr.. Lewis wrote me
a denial with his usual gusto,
denouncing the account as in
. accurate. He may want to re-
tract the denial now that the
time for secrecy about the feud
has nearly passed.
Mr.. Roosevelt tn reafter
named Hillman as labor repre-
sentative on the original defense
council. Mr. Lewis interpreted
the choice of hiss eX-friend 10
be a dirty dig By the White
House, This led as much as
anything else to the election
break of 1910 when Lewis went
to Willkie.
Later, when Mr.. Roosevelt
named Hillman co-equal with
Mr.. knudsen in charge of the
whole defense regime last JAM
uary Z, the split was complete
as far as Mr.. Lewis was con-
cerned
/ EVILS has been working since
IL then on the assumption
/ hat Hillman is the official
White House Ratchet man, with
weapon Sharpened for one neck
only, that. of Mr.. Lewis. This
suppoSition was confirmed in the
Lewis mind when Hillman slipped
out to Detroit last week before
the convention bearing some
outstanding good news TO the
l. tie d Automobile Workers
! leaders.
a few new army truck con-
tracts had just been arranged
/ for them al a time when they
were worried about work ceSsa-
tion due 10 curtailment of auto
mobile production. With this
stroke and others, Hlllman
gained tho support of right-wing
automobile workers for Go con-
vention purposes.
Mr.. Lewis countercd this move
/ by having his brother, A. d.
Lewis. head Of the Go conStruc-
ton workers rake up the embar-
RAISING Currier case against
Hillman tthe lnexcuSablc case in
which llillman recommended
that a contract be taken from a
low Go bidder on a works prof.
cct and he given TO an AFL
higher bidder.
Thus two maStodonS Of labor
have struggled. far from the
convention platform and away
I from the convention picture,
each to work his DEVIOUS ways
in feud which has become a
national defense calamity.