Evening star., 1944-11-19
CIO Farley to Settle PAC;s Fate
Chicago Convention Decide Organization Kept Intact
yRnymon Rrnndf

AAneC WAuCAy ocPdIdtcu CONGRESSIONAL
contests demonstrated the effectiveness
OF PAC support. In upstate New York,
Augustus w. Bennett, running under the
colors Of the Democratic, American
Labor and Liberal parties, decisively de-
feated "isolationist'' Representative
Hamilton Fish; in Illinois, Mrs. Emily
Taft Douglas defeated the Chicago
Tribune nationalist" Representative
Stephen A. Day, and in California, Mrs.
Helen Gahagan Douglas, wife % the
movie star, but parsonage in her own
right, Won by comfortable majority.
Although the national CIo disclaims
any credit, the primaries and election
virtually liquidated the notorious Dies
un-American COMMITTEES. Chairman
Dies Of Texas did not choose to run
for reelection; Representative Starnes
OF Alabama and Costello of California
were defeated in the primaries, and
Representative Busbey of Illinois was
knocked out in the election.
The high ratio of victories to defeats
was obtained by the PAC working on
their own and in close coordination
with other political groups, especially
the Democratic national headquarters,
Including the senatorial and congress
sional committees. These operations
were test of the practical politics of
the PAC workers and in large measure
they set the pattern likely to be followed
In future campaigns.
Except for the presidential election,
the PACS were nonpartisan. For that
reason they could not be too closely
allied with the Democratic committees.
At the same time, however, there were
certain situations, such as the Negro
vote, which could be handled more
easily by the CIO than by the Demo-
Gratis. There were also some conflicts, as
when the Democrats and PAC dupli-
Gated expenditures in a few localities
because the PAC wanted a share in the
victories. For that matter there were
one or two conflicts between the ma
tional and local CIO workers, as in
Indiana, where the national workers
wanted Representative Charles M. La
Toilette, Republican reelected, and the
local workers had their own candidate.
The national Office boasts that it does
not dictate to the local committees,
but in La Follette's district the local
and national support resulted In a
standoff and La Toilette was reelected.
Labor Represented Balance.
New York represented perhaps the
most delicate situation for the diverse
Roosevelt-Wagner groups The Demo-
Gratis, the American Labor party and its
of1shoot, the Liberal party, were all
working for the presidential and sena-
torial candidates in their own separate
ways. The Liberal party campaign
speakers attacked the ALP as dominated
by Communists; the ALP speakers did
not retort in kind, because they knew
that the Liberal party offered haven
for the Willkie and other Republicans
The results of this three-cornered CO.
operation, with Hannegan and at times
Roosevelt, the liaison, exceeded expecta-
tions, and at the same time proved, If
additional proof were needed, that the
labor group held the balance of power
in the State. Roosevelt carried the
State by only $4,000 votes The Amer
ican Labor party vote was about 400, ,000.
and the Liberal party vote, 325. 600 The
total was $4,000 votes, the great bulk
of which was cast in New York City.
In other large cities the votes were
h,,f thn
claim, with justification, that they gave
similar support to the national ticket
in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, De-
troit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, st. Louis,
Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The cities, where the CIO-PAC has
its present great strength. will undoubt-
edly be the regions where labor-in-
politics will have the greatest growth.
This raises several interesting questions
about the future power of the city bosses.
Wheeler Influence Powerful.
Some writer's have compared the CIO-
PAC to the National Association of
Manufacturers, the defunct American
Liberty League and the Chamber of
Commerce of the United States. more
apt comparison would be with the Anti
Saloon League under the late Wayne
B. Wheeler.
For the benefit Of younger voters it
may be explained that for more than
Is years Wheeler, as Washington coun-
sci for the temperance group, was the
recognized boss of q large batch Of
Senators and Representatives, who
feared. with reason, what his support
ers could do In the primaries and elec-
tions. Any subject remotely connected
(See pAC Page H.21