The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-05-18
Majority OF AL Executive
Council Believed To Favor
FDR lille Accepts Candidacy
Green To Submit Lab or
Plunks To Platform Com
rnittees OF Both Parties
BY BETTY GOLDSTEIN
Federated Press

1'nllauelIflld I'll I'll ne NJ l. eAtcu-
tive council wound up its quarterly
meeting May 8 without committing it
self politically, but with clear indica-
tions that AFL support will go to
President Roosevelt if he is nominated
for reelection.
Maintaining on the surface its non
partisan stand, the council authorized
President William Green to appear be-
fore the platform committees of both
the Democratic and Republican parties
To submit labor panks for their con
sideration. But official votes on issues
before the council and unofficial com
ments of board members showed that
a definite majority of the 13 AFL vice
presidents are for Roosevelt and op-
posed To any attempts to swing the
AFL into the Republican camp in 1914.
Firmest repudation of the Republi-
cans was the councils refusal to read
nit the United Mine Workers on Presi-
dent John H. Lewis terms. Lewis
move for readmission at this time was
generally recognized as a bid for Re-
publican domination of the AFL.
Blocking of this move was received by
Lewis himself in his letter withdraw
ing the UNIV application as an aflirma-
tion of the New Deal and Reputation
of the COP by the AFL.
Evidence that the issue of the
UMW's reentry was finally closed
came with Green's announcement that
the council had authorized granting of
an international union charter 10 the
AFL Chemical Workers Council which
has about $1,000 members. Chief juris
dictional bone of contention in the
miners proposed return To the AFL
was Lewis insistence that District 80
which includes large numbers of chemi-
cal workers, be left intact.
At the conclusion of the councils
meeting, Green told reporters that
Lewis check for 100000 which he had
sent in with his original application
had been returned There are some
men who have developed the habit ia
life of forcing their opinion upon
others and become bitterly disappoint
ed when they fail 10 force agreement"
he commented, adding that he attrib-
uted Lewis bitter letter of withdrawal
ito his disappointment and the fact |
that he was forced to say to himself |
Il have failed TO have my own way"
No council member voiced regret at
Lewis withdrawal, although President |
William l.. Iiutcheson of United Bro |
therhood of Carpenters, sponsor of the
UNIV application, told one reporter:
Ills record speaks for his leadership |
of labor" Asked by Federated Press
about the coming national election,
IIutcheson, who was chairman of the
Republican national committees labor
section during the last three presi-
Dental campaigns, said: II am non
partisan, the AfL must be nonparti-
san"
"If Roosevelt runs, there is no ques-
tlon but that the AFL in general and
labor in general will back him" presi-
dent Edward Flore Of the Hotel x
Restaurant Employees international
Alliance, first AFL international to in
dorse the fourth term, told FP.
f0lilildI pro- ID'lNtNflI NltNN NtIt
expressed by President Harry c. Bates
of BricElayers, Masons 4 plasterers
international Union. President w. {.
Birthright of ,Journeymen BARRIERS In
ternatiOnal Union and President Felix
knight of brotherhood of Railway
Carmen All told FP they believed
Roosevelt would gain general labor
support il he runs for n fourth term.
Their informal comments confirmed
the strong proadministration feeling
In the AtL council which came to the
surface when statement backing fed
eral action In the Montgomery Ward
case was adopted over the opposition
son, AFL 2nd Vice President Won and
Secretary G.. NJ. Bugniazet of Inter
national Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers.
The fight for support of the admins
tration on the Montgomery Ward issue
was led by President Daniel j. Tobin
of International Brotherhood of Team
sters and President Harvey Brown of
international Association Of Machin-
lists. Voting with them We're President
George NJ Harrison of brotherhood
of Railway Clerks, AFL Secretary
Treasurer George Meany and the heads
of the smaller internationals.