Evening star., 1947-10-12
By Raymond P. Brondt
Chief Washington Correspondent of tn


Chief Washington Correspondent of the
st. Louis Post-Dispatch.
LONDON.-The John L. Lewis of
the United Kingdom is pint-sized
Arthur Horner, an outspoken men,
ber of the Communist party, who,
as secretary general OF the National
Union of Miners. probably could
cause the present Labor government
more trouble than Winston Church
i'll, Anthony Eden and dozen other
Conservatives combined.
In an interview in his dir1gy, one
room Office in the industrial district
OF London, Mr.. Horner told me that
the Miners Union was not pressing
its strategic advantage to the ut
most because a national coal strike
of only one week would wreck the
economy of this country" He
added, After all, it is my country"
An Indigenous Type.
That was an unexpected state
ment from a Communist since Com
munism Is expected to ignore ma
tional borders. But Mr.. Horner gives
the impression that he is an indi-
genous Communist.
This does not mean that he does
not follow the general Communist
line in its demand for friendship,
If not answering loyalty, to the
Kremlin. He is an intense advocate
of closer Anglo-Russian relations
and has said that in the event of
British Russian war, the coal
miners would stop work.
Asked If he had been correctly
quoted about this, he replied that
Will Lawther, president of the
coal miners union, had said the
same thing within the last two
n:onths and that Foreign Minister
Ernest Bevin' continually boasted
that one of his greatest acts as
a trade union leader was the
stopping of the loading of the
British ship jolly George in 1919
when she was about to take sup
plies to the British army then
attacking the Soviet Union.
Left Wing Leads Mechanics.
Pressed for his own answer, he
said that not only the miners but
the engineers would stop work. In
England engineers" are mechanics
in steel and other heavy industries,
including machine tools. Their union
leadership is decidedly left-wing.
Should they and the miners down
tools there could be no war.
"In the event of a war, where
would your loyalty be, with England
or with Russia?" he was bluntly
asked.
He replied that there could be nd
war with Russia because in such q
conflict every inha bitant of this
island would be killed.
r. He added, however, that as a
Communist, he would take no part
in any "senseless war" =
Refuses to Bear Arms.
In World War I, Mr.. Horner re-
fused to bear arms in what he called
IAN imperialist and anti-working
class war" and, after escaping to
Ireland, where he served in the Irish
Republican Army, he did time in
four British prisons for that re-
fusal. He is the type that would 60
to prison again for his convictions.
A major question is whether, as
secretary of the NUN, he could
call Ian effective national strike Id
the event Of war or in support Of
greatly increased wages. He is the
biggest figure in the union; Mr..
Lawther is figurehead.
Some qualified observers here
argue that he could not-that the
miners have strong wills of their
own, that as a group they have
been patriotic and that at present
Mr.. Horner cannot control q ma jor-
ity of the unions Executive Com
mittee. which determines policies.
The recent wildcat strikes in York !
shire, Wales and Scotland indicated
that he does not have the discipline
Mr.. Lewis exercises over the United
Mine Workers.
Not Much Like Lewis.
Mr.. Horner with Mr.. Lewis is strik-
ing in its differences. Both are
Welshmen and both at one time
were red headed. There the physi-
cal similarities cease.
Mr.. Horner. SO years old, is a
sprightly, easy-to-meet man with
hearty laugh and a twinkling
eye. He reminded me of Barry
Fitzgerald. the motion picture actor
as he peered over his heavy, horn
trimmed glasses. Mr. Lewis with
his craving, bushy name, heavy
eyebrows and strutting posture
wheather standing or sitting, Is a
figure one Is not likely to forget
Mr.. Horner is about feet 4, his
hairline is receding and he lounges
in his of1ice chair.
| Tn 1922 prif{cL v,oiy,orc 1uore