Evening star., 1945-09-26

ne naQ maze FRANK NJ hehs-
threat and typical of his followers
who had come over to back up his
bullying, to boo the Senator. The
whole hearing, from start to finish,
was entirely typical of what has
been going on here in Washington
for a number of years.
The one thing not typical was the
righteous indignation of a Senator
who refused to stand for it. There
have not been many of them. The
denial of the threat, of course, was
absurd. refuted not only by the
language used but by the character
of the CIO strategy, both local and
national.
Threats are its whole stock in
trade. There is little else to it. Its
business of promoting legislation de-
signed to further its special in
terests, and of preventing legisla-
ton not to its taste, is conducted
almost completely by threats.
Invariable Method.
The invariable rule is for one of
its heads-generally, the unctuous
Mr.. Murray-to issue a statement
announcing a CIO stand for or
against a proposal in Congress.
Then the CIO publicity machine,
the most elaborate and costly of
Its kind, goes into action. The SEN
ators and Representative who rush
to support the CIO position are
eulogized. Those who are noncom-
initial are bombarded with litera-
ture, visited and reasoned with"
in a way to make clear, as the
little agitator told Senator Tydings,
that those who do not go along"
with the CIO will regret it at the
next election.
Members who frankly oppose are
violently denounced in the CIO
propaganda publications. Their
names are put on the black list as
"labor's enemies" and the Political
Action Committee of Mr.. Sidney
Hillman proclaims its purpose to
drive the recalcitrant members out
of public life. That is the regular
procedure.
The whole organization is rigged
for that kind of bullying warfare.
1t is the old Anti-Saloon League
formula, under which for a long
time the country was politically
controlled by an organized minority
concerned solely with its own special
interests.
Eventually the country turned on
the league, swept it and its cause
into oblivion. But for many years
its leaders bullied and threatened
members of Congress just as the CIO
does now-and most of them took it
meekly then-just as they take it
meekly now. In the end something
like what happened to the Anti
Saloon League easily may happen
to the CIO and its PAC, and thus
the whole cause Of labor be definite
ly damaged through the excesses OF
one group.
Twelve years of hard and fast po-
litical alliance with Mr.. Roosevelt
have given these CIO leaders the
idea that the country belongs to
them and that they can and should
run 1t. But there are signs that the
country, surveying the results of
these years of CIO political domi-
nance of the national administra-
ton, is beginning to have different
ideas.
The shocking strike record during
the war and the current situation
by WHICH CIO strikers and threat
ened strikes are seriously interfer-
ing with peacetime reconversion,
causing the idleness of many thou
sands of workmen and Gripping
great industries. is creating an anti
CIO sentiment greater than has
existed before.
Example for Others,
The Tydings incident will gratify
q great many people and it should
encourage other members of Con-
gress to cast aside their fears and
refuse to permit threats, no matter
now disguised, from the labor lobby
lists to affect their course in Con-
gress.
Probably Mr. Tydings has earned
Che oltter enmlty of the CIO bosses
But, because of his independence.
ne had that anyhow. 1t is re-
grettable that he does not come
up for reelection in 1946 instead
OF 1850, as it then could be seen
while the incident was still fairly
fresh, whether the CIO threat to
make him regret his independence
is borne out.
BY 1850 the clash, of course. will
be forgotten; but the best political
Judgment is that if Mr.. Tydings ran
next year and the CIO made a
night against him he would gain
three votes in Maryland for every
one the CIO could take away from
him.
1t is too bad that this cannot
De demonstrated in the next cleo
ton. Perhaps test may come then
on Mr.. Tydings' colleague. Senator
George Radcliffe, who will be IN
Tor denomination in 1916. Despite
labor lobby pressure, Senator Rad
cllfte is exhibiting similar inde-
pendence by joining with Republi-
can Senator Taft in an effort tn
amend the CIO-indorsed so-cal]ed
unemployment" bill so as In
eliminate its more unso,,,d