Evening star., 1947-10-15

ward the main speakers platform,
disdaining microphone In the cen
ter of the hall. He was greeted by
bursts Of applause, mostly from the
galleries.
"The Congress Of the United
States had designated 5000, 900 men
and women Of various unions as
being CATTLE" Mr.. Lewis began, re-
ferring to passage of the Taft-Hart-
ley Act. Congress has put an eco
nomic muzzle on each of you. What
are you going to do about it? Oh, I
see. You are going to change the
constitution. God help us.
Called Thrust of Fascism."'
'The Taft-Hartley statute is the
first ugly savage thrust Of fascism in
America. 1t came into being through
an alliance between the industrialist
and the Republican majority in
Congress, aided and abetted by those
Democratic legislators who still be-
lieve in the institution of human
slavery. 1t was bought and paid for
in the campaign contributions of
business interests of this country.
"s 1t (the new labor law) creates
an inferior class of citizens-an in
ferior category and a debased posi-
ton politically for the men and
women who toll with hand or brain
for their daily substance and for
protection in the future of their
loved ones," Mr.. Lewis declared.
Opening his castigation of fellow
officers of the AFL for surrender
ing to the Taft-Hartley law, Mr..
Lewis cried:
Nov come the great leaders of
labor whose outcry is AL indeed is
lost unless they grovel on their
bellies and come under this in
famous act. I am not one who
thinks all is lost. I come from an
organization which believes they pay
their officers to fight for them. not
to deliver them into slavery-Ill tell
you what you should do at least once
in your life-you should do your
duty by your membership and fight
Says Denham Is Labor Halter.
He referred to Robert N. Denham,
general counsel of the NLRB, as
that labor-hating, labor-baiting
general counsel of the NLRB who
has been hired to persecute your
people" He described the new labor
law as "a despicable venture in
tyranny, inimical to all American"
Pour it on, john" someone
shouted from the gallery.
mo. We won't permit Congress
to amend this law. We will debase
ourselves and change the constitu-
ton to make amendment unneces-
sary. What paradox. What par
adox. You kneel in obeisance while
some one slips an iron collar about
your neck that sets you apart from
your fellow man. Itis true that the
leaders of 100000 workers have put
their tails between their legs and
run like the craven before the Taft
Hartley law.
Lions led by asses" Mr.. Lewis
continued derisively. THE magnif-
icent host of 5000, 900 being led across
the plains of America by intellect
ually fat and stately asses.
why don't you think about some
of these things? God knows you are
paid enough for thinking. I am too.
and I shut my mouth once in a
while and think"
Sees Chance Missed.
Mr.. Lewis said the AFL leaders
by refusing to follow his plan to
boycott the new law and the NLRB
missed the greatest chance to de-.
stroy this statute that will ever
come to them. All we had to do
when we met in Chicago (the AFL
executive Council meeting) last
month was to do nothing and the
act would be discredited. There
would be no cases filed under the
act. We lost that chance by bicker--
ing among ourselves. We couldn't
overlook our. petty animosities."
ct the proposed clipping Of the,
title Of vice president from the 13
members of the Executive Council,
he said:
ITO me that smacksf of q Com
munist technique lie to escape
responsibility. {. 49, -. -,
you have done lot of grovelling
in this convention. But you will do
more next January or March, when
Congress finds out how easy 1t Is
to make you grovel.
Ladies and gentlemen, I repre-
sent an organization that is not 60
ing to run with you"
Won't Be Candidate.
Mr. Lewis then told the conven-
ton that If it approved the consti-