Evening star., 1947-09-02
The Political Mil
Democratic c-CIO Victory
In House Race Unlikely
Election for Vacancy in Pennsylvania
Seen as Test for Labor
Bv Gould Lincoln.

Dy oUNfW DfWtUf"s
Labor Day and It's denunciations of the Taft
Hartley law and the Republican Congress are
past. Democratic leaders, in their Labor Day
speeches and statements, from the President
down, sought to make labor's national holiday
synonymous with Democratic Day" CLOS
Philip Murray declared: They (American
workingmen and women) are determined to
change the antilabor complexion of Congress.
They are determined to wipe the Infamous
Taft-Hartley law from the statute books" The
Democrats asserted far and wide that the
American people are disg,lsted with the artiv-
tiles and non-sctivities Of the Republicans In
Congress :.
On Tuesday, September 9, the Democrats
ano the C1O will have an opportunity to dem
onstrate, first. whether they have a chance
to elect an anti i-Taft-Hartley law Congress, and
second, whether they are right that the people
are disgusted with the Republican Congress.
That day there Is q special election for the
House in the sth Pennsylvania Congressional
District, where the death Of the late Repre-
sentative Charles l.. O. ach. Republican. has
created a vacancy. r district consists Of Le-
high and Bucks Counties-and Lehigh IL at
the southern end Of the anthracite coal region.
CLIO Overshadcws Democrats.
The CIo. as we'll as the Democratic orgsni-
zstion, has undertaken a great drive In this
district to elect its candidate. Philip H. Storch,
q veteran, and head Of the Newspaper Guild
(C1O) in Lehigh Valley. Indeed. the CIo has
taken the lead in the campaign for Storch to
such an extent that the Democratic organiza-
ton seems to be playing second fiddle, despite
the fact that the Democratic National Com
mittee has sent money and speakers into the
district The CIO has evidently decided to
make this test election. State Senator Elmer
Holland. who served short time In Congress
as member Of the House is running the CIO
campaign as the personal representative Of
Murray-with plenty of help.
It appears to be a difficult district for the CIO
and the Democrats to win. Representative Ger
ZACH had five terms. In 1910 he won by 5287
votes over his Democratic opponent. receiving
SIS per cent of the vote cast, and in 1916 he
won by 1895 votes, or 5S9s per cent. 1t will be
a'political miracle If they can overturn the
Republican grip on the district. The Republican
candidate Is strong politically-he is Franklin
H. Lichtenwalter, speaker of the House In the
State Legislature. Furthermore, this district is
the home Of former Senator Joe" Grundy, still
a power in Pennsylvania politics.
The CIO and the Democrats have made the
Taft-Hartley law the main issue OF the cam
paign In this Pennsylvania district-couplng
with 1t the present high prices, for which they
seek to place the blame on the Republicans
The AFL is playing a part In the campaign,
too, though not nearly so active as the CIO.
COP Wins Victory.
The Democrats and the CIO had little to
cheer about in the result of the recent special
election for the House In Michigan's 11th Con-
gressional District. to fill the vacancy caused
by the death of the late Representative Bradley.
Republican This is the old Prentiss Brown dis
trict--Mr Brown Is a Democrat-in the upper
peninsula, a Republican district for the last
eight or nine years The people there showed no
sign of turning their backs on the Republicans,
for the Republican candidate received 10 per
cent of the vote cast-a tremendous victory, and
larger percentage than Representative Brad
ley received in 1916. Unless all signs fail, the
Democrats and the C1O are not going to have
a great deal to cheer about In Pennsylvania
9Th district either.
The CIO has about as much chance to bring
about the repeal of the Taft Hartley law as big
business had to repeal the Sherman Anti Trust
law or the Securities and Exchange law: The
Taft-Hartley law was put through Congress by
an overwhelming combination of Republican
and Democratic votes in both the House and
Senate, because 1t was needed to check the
outrageous abuses of power by union labor
leaders. The law will need amendment. but 1t
is not going to be repealed. The Democratic
organization, which is playing along with the
CIO on this issue, realizes this. 1t knows that
large segment Of its own party will never vote
repeal of the law. But 1t Is out to get the
support of the CIO and the AFL In the national
campaign next year II 1t possibly can.