Evening star., 1946-07-10

of friends outside the labor move
ment. Jane Addams and Clarence
Darrow helped him in the Chicago
strike. In New York he welcomed
the Consumers League movement
of which Frances Perkins was secre-
tary. The leagues object was to
educate women not to buy the
products of industrial injustice.
| When Mr.. Hillman came to New
York, the clothing industry, the
largest one in the metropolis, was
working under the conditions Jacob
Riis had described a generation be-
fore in How the Other Half Lives" :"
The manufacturer" paid only Office
rent. The garments were sent into
the tenements for sewing.
Scores in Lehman Election.
First realization of the Importance
of the labor vote to the fortunes of
the Democratic party came in 1888
in the New York State elections.
Thomas E. Dewey, Republican pres
idential possibility, scored more
votes than the total of Democrat
votes for Gov. Herbert H. Lehman.
But the American Labor party, Or
ganized by Mr.. Hillman and Mr.
Dubinsky and other labor leaders
two years before gave Mr. Lehman
419, 900 additional votes-just enough
to win.
Mr. Hillman was denounced by
the Communist Daily Worker and
the left wingers in the CIO while
he was sharing the direction of
the defense effort in 1910. But
in 1914 after Mr.. Hillman had or
ganized the Political Action Com
mittee to further Mr. Roosevelt's
election for a fourth term, the
right wing of the American Labor
party. of which Mr.. Dubinsky and
his union formed the largest group,
pulled out after failing to unseat
Mr.. Hillman in party election.
They protested that the party had
been captured by the Communists
and that Mr.. Hillman had been
elected with Communist help.
Become COP Taunt.
Basis Of the Clear Everything
with Sidney" phrase which became
Republican taunt in the 1914 cam
paign was story that buzzed among
the reporters covering the Demo-
cratic Convention that year in Chi
cago. President Roosevelt had his
special train stop in the Chicago
yards while en- route to the Pacific
Coast. Robert E. Hannegan. party
chairman, went aboard The story
was that the President suggested
Supreme Court Justice Douglas or
Senator Truman for Vice President
adding Clear it with Sidney"
When the phrase became cam
paign literature, Mr.. Hannegan de-
MED that anything of that nature
was said.
Mr., Hillman and the PAC re-
malned an issue in the campaign
Republicans demanded the Justice
Department prosecute him for vio-
lation of the Smith -Connally Act
which prohibits labor unions from
contributing to election campaigns.
The Attorney General ruled that as
PAC had spent the money itself.
some 100000, that there was no
violation
Long after the controversy was
over sources close to President
Truman told the true story of how
he was cleared with Sidney" Al
though Chairman Hannegans hopes
were to nominate Senator Truman
Vice President. the Senator went
to Chicago to advance the cam
dldacy of James F. Byrnes. Mr..
Truman was pledged to place Mr..
Byrnes in nomination. MIR. Byrnes
believed he had the go" sign from
President Roosevelt.
Mr.. Truman was urged to take
the Byrnes candidacy up with Mr..
Hillman. He did so-at an earlv
morning breakfast with Mr.. Hill
man
VIII you go along with the
Byrnes nomination if it is made"
Mr.. Trpman asked
Mr.. Hillman said he was in Chi
cago to support Henry A. Wallace
and no one else. He added that if
it became impossible to nominate
Mr.. Wallace there was only one
other man he would support.
"Who?" Mr.. Truman asked.
Pointing directly across the table
to Mr.. Truman, the labor leader
said:
Its YOU
6HRHRR