The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-06-02
News (6,I
BEHIND.
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Released by Western Newspaper ynioI
Gro POLITICAL
COMMITTEE GETS ACTIVE


WASHINGTON. behind
most major domestic news develop
ments lately, you will find the Go
and its political action committee.
Behind the senate poll tax con-
sideration, the defeat Of Congress
man Starnes in Alabama, the pres
entation Of two new labor cases to
the Supreme court, actions Of the
War Labor board, as well as the
celebrated Montgomery Ward case,
Is this aggressive labor movement
working on the one hand with its
regular business, and, the other
underhand with q political business
to get Mr.. Roosevelt elected for a
fourth term, and itself in the politi-
cal saddle.
While the nation was once shocked
at John L. Lewis lending-spending
100000 to reflect Mr.. Roosevelt the
second time, it seems likely the Go
will spend far greater sum II it
keeps its present unprecedented
scale Of political pressuring-all Of
which must come only from the
workers whom 1t taxes with dues.
The man who defeated Demo
cratic Representative Starnes in
Alabama, for instance, was CLIO
attorney, and thus on their payroll.
In two cases now presented to
Mill-workers- Utah-Kennecott Cop
per and Redwood Clothespin), the
CLIO is trying through the National
Labor Relations board to get a re-
versal of union elections which it
lost.
In the Montgomery Ward case, 1t
won the election, but when it loses,
apparently, it brings the election
into question before the labor board
and courts in such a way as to
raise doubt as to whether II can
ever lose.
MORE ACTIVE THAN PARTY
Hand In hand with this wartime
organizing agitation through the
government labor boards to the
Supreme court, its Sidney Hillman
is far more active in political CAM
paigning than the Democratic ma
tional committee, taking the radi-
cal and communist line, issuing q
weekly paper with pictures showing
Mr.. Hillman directing negro or
ganizers, not for the union but for
politics and, indeed, pressuring
even Mr.. Roosevelt himself directly
through Phil Murray to upset the
governments Little SteeP for
mula.
Never in all the history Of this
democracy has there appeared such
dual business and political move
ment openly seeking, spending and
pressuring to dominate the politics,
the decisions and even war eco
nomics Of the country. The wolves
of Wall street, when they had a
bite in years past, were cubs by
comparison.
BY contrast also there has been
little unusual political activity and
no apparent agitation from the
ALL.
Democratic party matters have
reached such state that Senator
Bailey Of North Carolina, announced
If Hillman land his CIO and COM
munists" dominated the Democratic
party, he will resign from it. Sena-
tor Mcclellan also has charged "CIO
is half communist" Clearly, it is
not only in the union and political,
but in the social reform business.
Practically all the leading south
ern senators attributed the current
poll tax discussion to pressure from
Hillman's CIOPA. The group has
caused the senate to waste weeks
time in what Democratic Leader
Barley conceded at the outset was
a futile argument.
AN OUTDATED ISSUE
Indeed, no one except the CLIO, its
political action and the communist
groups, seem any longer interested
in the poll tax. It is an outdated
issue, made even more obsolete by
the Supreme court ruling upset
ting the southern primary system.
No one seems to want the poll tax
anyway.
Apparently, these groups thought
they could force the senate to fill
buster and thus make the usual poll
teal hay for themselves, but the
southern senator's decided to keep
their long-winded men in the back
ground, and Senators Connally,
George, Bankhead, Bailey and
Mcclellan led off the debate to argue
the case on its merits.
i
Some Republicans had served pri-
vate notice that they might join the
Barley cloture move If the Bellows
boys were let loose, but the leading
southerners were willing to under
take the useless argument anyway
on a straight basis because of the
threat of the CIOPA to constitutional
government = and their party as
well.
The fourth term front offered offi-
cially by Chairman flanagan in his
New York speech took no notice of
Hillman and CIOPA, or its social re-
form line, but followed an opposite
one. Hannegan did not mention the
new deal which Mr.. Roosevelt per-
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