Evening star., 1944-07-14
HiIlman's 5 New Group,
Pledged 10 4h Term,
Begins 10 Function
~ J. A, 0TEARY.


A National Citissns' Roltical Ac-
non Committee, to snable New
Dealers Ia ali walks Of life to pool
their fourth-term efforts. began to
function today. under the leadership
OF Sidney Hillman, who also will
continue to direct the CIO Political
Action group.
In announcing the launching of
the broader organization at q press
conference here yesterday, Mr.. Hill
man made 1t clear that m effort
viii be made to stop Gov. Thomas
=. Dewey's White House bid by
picturing him Is the candidate Of
Herbert Hoover.
The aims of the new committee
will be the same q those Of the
>CIO Political Action Committee
to re-elect the President and to
back congressional candidates who
support the administrations policies.
; Activities Extended.
The only difference will be that
the National Citizens Committee
will embrace all walks, and, after
President Roosevelt Is nominated,
all expenditures will be obtained
from voluntary contributions, Mr..
Hillman explained.
The CrO Political Action Com
mittee started out during the pri-
maries with . fund donated by labor
unions, but Mr.. Hillman told his
press conference that once the Pres
ident is renominated this fund will
be put aside until after the Novem-
Der election, explaining that the
CIO political action group is a per-
nanent organization.
The Smith Conally wartime anti
strike law contained a provision
placing labor unions under the same
rule that prohibits corporations from
making political campaign contri-
buttons. Before 4 Senate committee
recently Mr.. Hillman contended the
law does not apply to primaries. In
his statement yesterday he ex.
planned:
The CIo Political Action Com.
nittee will not pass from the scene.
On the contrary it will continue and
intensity the activities whi:h it has
to date 50 successfully carried for
ward. Under Federal law, once the
primary campaigns are over and the
election campaign Is under way,
certain of the activities heretofore
financed by the CIO Political Ac-
tion Committee out of contributions
received from CIO trade unions can
no longer be financed from this
source. Such activities will be
financed by voluntary contributions
from individuals rather than from
trade union funds"
Strategy Is Revealed.
In revealing the campaign STRAIT
egy. Mr.. Hillman asserted that Her
bert Hoover and the Old Guard"
had fastened their grip on the
leadership OF the Republican party"
at Chicago two weeks ago.
Mr.. Hillman made public an
initial list Of "a members of the
new Citizens Committee, and said
others would be added from time
to time. The list included business,
professional and farm representa-
tives as well as labor leaders.
Among them were A. F. Whitney,
president of the Brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen, and James G.
Patton, president of the National
Farmers Union.
Some of the other committee
members, outside labor. are: Louis
Adamic, author; former Gov. Elmer
A. Benson of Minnesota, Otto Breme,
ST. Paul banker; Marc Connolly,
playwright: Albert Sprague Coolidge,
Harvard professor; Ben Hecht.
writer; Oscar Lange, University of
Chicago professor; James H. McGill,
McGill Manufacturing Co., VAL
paraiso, Ind; Reinhold Niebuhr,
Union Theological Seminary pro-
fessor, New York; former Senator
George w. Norris of Nebraska;
Jennings Perry, editor, Nashville
Tennesseean; Nelson Poynter, pub
Usher, st. Petersburg FlaJ Times;
j. Louis Reynolds. Reynolds Metals
Co., Virginia; Paul Robson, singer
and actor; Mr.. and Mrs. Edward G.
Robinson, Hollywood: Frederick L.
Schuman and Arthur NJ Schlesinger,
Harvard professors; Lillian Smith,