Evening star., 1945-11-06
BitterFightotLob Conference
Follows Lewis Demand for Place
On Committee to Select Topics
Murray Engages in
Word Bottle With
Mine Leeder
BY JAMES, Y. NEWTON.

Labor representatives at the
National Labor Management
Conference split anew today as
a bitter floor fight developed over
a demand by John L. Lewis for a
place on the powerful Executive
Committee, which will decide
whether wages and other con-
troverSial issues will be taken up
by the conference.
Mr.. Lewis was supported by the
AFL, whose president, William
Green, also demanded committee
place for independent railroad
brotherhoods. CIO President Philip
Murray strongly opposed both moves
and became involved in an acri-
monious verbal exchange with Mr..
Lewis, once his close friend and boss
in both the United Mine Workers
and CIO.
The battle began almost before
the conference got down to serious
business after yesterdays opening
speeches showed the CIO, AFL and
management sharply divided as to
whether labor's demand for 80 per
cent higher wages should be taken
up by the meeting.
Issue Raised by CIO.
The CIO raised the wage issue
and the AFL and management OPP
posed it. When the conference
Rules Committee reported out
agenda and rules for the meeting
prepared in advance, including an
amendment for an eight-man, rather
than four-member, Executive Com
mittee, the controversy was on.
1t finally resulted in approval OF
the report carrying an amendment
by Mr.. Lewis that the whole ques-
ton of number in representation on
the Executive Committee be post
poned for further study by the Rules
Committee.
Mr.. Murray's motion for adoption
of the Rules Committee report car
rying provision for an Executive
Committee whose membership would
have been frozen to two delegates
each from the AFL and CIO and
four from management had been
seconded when Mr.. Lewis proposed
his amendment.
'I propose that the report of the
Rules Committee with respect to
the provision for the Executive
Committee be held in allegiance until
the conference has had opportunity
to examine its makeup" Mr.. Lewis
said. Mr.. Murray then rose to say
that he had understood that repre-
sentation on the Executive Commit
tee already had been decided.
Murray Hints at Packing"
He added that he believed $50
called nonafnliated organizations
such as the United Mine Workers
and railroad brotherhood" should
be represented in the conference,
but that membership on the EXecu-
tive Committee should be confined
to delegates from the four major or
ganizations participating in the con-
ference.
Mr.. Murray intimated that the
AFL was attempting to pack the
Executive Committee and pointed
out that the representative in the
conference of the independent
brotherhoods, T. C. Cashen, presi-
dent of the Railway Labor Execu-
tives' Association, was also head of
the Switchmen's Union, affiliated
with the AFI and not one of the
independents.
The CIO head said this morning
he learned "regretfully" from news
men that 'veritable blitz" was un-
der way to make Mr. Lewis as well
as Mr.. Cashen member of the
Executive Committee.
He reevaled that he had protested
in a letter to Secretary of Labor
Schwellenbach last week that Mr.
Cashen really was a member of the
AFL and not independent.
Mr.. SchWellenbach said he hao
Investigated and found out that Mr.
Cashen was entirely satisfactory as
a representative to the independ-
ent brotherhood.
Green Joins Debate.
Then George Meany, secretary
treasurer of the AFL, pointed out
that the invitations to the confer
ence were issued by President Tru-
man and said if an error had beer
made, the. mistake should be cor
rected by the man who issued the
invitation"
Mr.. Green then joined the debate by
calling for an Executive Committee
including Mr. Lewis and Mr.. Cashen
Il can't conceive of a fairer and
broader proposition than that" Mr.
Green said. They are entitled to
participation in the conference and
certainly should not be denied a
place on the committee"
IT think that Mr. Murray or any,
body else will agree that the railway
brotherhoods have the right to select
who will represent them," interjected
Mr.. Cashen.
Whereupon, Mr.. Lewis arose and
said:
Il represent directly just as many
human beings who work for living
as any other delegate and I con-