Evening star., 1946-05-19

SOuLQ zoo. Iney are pdTTOtllke. blCt"
ner, when asked about the AFL drive,
said he was glad to see the AFL get
ting on the job" even If it was just
following the CIO.
Frank P. Fenton, AFL director of
organization in Washington, said that
a campaign in the South, or Operation
Dixie, as it is being termed, was origi-
mated by the AFL and that the unions
current drive will be the third such
campaign the AFL has conducted.
Fenton said planned series of drives
had been held up by the war and that
earlier ones. He said the AFL was pre-
pared to spend as much time, effort and
money as the situation requires. Each
Of the two unions is expected to spend
more than million dollars.
Some observers profess to see a straw
in the Southern wind in the election of
Mrs. Helen D. Mankin CDemocraD of
Atlanta to the seat in Congress left
vacant by the resignation of Robert
Ramspeck Mrs. Mankin, lawyer, ran
against a field of II men, good many
of them thrown in to split the vote.
The CIO entered the picture in the
following manner: Four days before the
election, which was on Tuesday, Febru-
ary II, an advertisement was published
in an Atlanta newspaper asserting she
was running as candidate of the CIO.
This assertion is said to have been with
out foundation, but on its publication
the CIO agreed to campaign actively
for her. Because of the unions late
entry it is difficult to assess the value
Of its help.
Raise Communist Issue.
There is no doubt that Southern Con-
gressmen are closely watching the union
invasion. Fearsome words have been
spoken by Representative John E. Ran
kin of Mississippi, who regards the
whole thing as Communist plot and
who has called for an investigation of
the CIO-PAC.
William Green, AFL president, told
the United Textile Workers recently
that prospective workers in the South
must be informed they had choice
UcIWSell d SdllALo-
ton and an American organization.
That is the issue that will be drawn in
the South"
He added that the Southern textile
workers belong to you and not to any
organization dominated by foreign in
terests," and clearly indicated the AFL
would use an anti-Communist line in
its Southern campaign.
The differences in the political ap-
proach of the AFL and the CIO will be
exemplified in the coming months. The
AFL (and this is true also of the rail-
road brotherhoods) generally supports
the candidate who has voted or prom
ises to vote according to the narrow
definition of what the AFL regards as
best for the AFL. land regardless of the
candidates other characteristics.
The CIO, on the contrary, takes into
consideration the candidates attitude
on wide variety Of foreign and do
mestic questions, including the po-
litically explosive poll tax and Fair
Employment Practices Commission is
sues.
A comprehensive study of Southern
problems, compiled some years ago by
a group of looking Southern
economists, argued that the South must
be rebuilt on new basis and that it
offers our greatest task in national
regional planning
Southern civilization has always
been dominated by its political culture" !"
the study asserted. Once its politics
demanded respect. Today it is largely
futile. The meaning for politics is
clear. If regional needs are to be served,
If democratic institutions are to func-
tlon, politics must abandon its futile
pattern of partisanship and personali-
ties to concern itself with questions of
economic efficiency. regional economy
and social legislation"
That was written in 1896, but things
are little changed in the South today
If allowances are made for wartime ad-
vances. 1t may be that the union CAM
paigns finally will provide the Begin
nings of an answer to the South's prob
lens.
printed by Special Advancement With the
st. Louis Post-Dlspatch.)