Evening star., 1947-06-29
Labor Law Is Labeled
As Campaign Issue
By Gael Sullivan
BY the Associated Pres.

The Democratic National Com
mittee billed the Taft Hartley Labor
Act as political campaign issue
yesterday with an assertion by Di-
rector Gael Sullivan that it had
arrayed his party members "dra-
matically in opposition to COP re-
action"
Mr.. Sullivan wrote in the weekly
issue of Capital Comment" party
organ, that 1.-The Taft Hartley law
has sharpened the cleavage between
the two parties"
Liberalism has been demon
strated anew by the PRESIDENT" Mr..
Sullivan said. Democrats are now
dramatically in opposition to COP
reaction"
He recounted desperate efforts
he said had been made to sustain
President Truman's veto and said
Mr.. Truman had made "a dramatic
last-ditch appeal" to Congress.
Ballot Called Answer.
He blamed "stay-at-home voters"
and rocking chair politicians" for
permitting "a well organized minor
ity of Republican voters to seize con-
troll of Congress" The answer, he
said, is for Democratic leaders to
work for mass registrations with
the avoWed intention of voting
against Republican reaction" and to
ring those doorbells" to get out the
vote.
Mr.. Sullivan's seeming attempt to
align the Democratic party organi-
zation in opposition to the Taft
Hartley measure prompted comment
by Senator Mcclellan, Democrat, of
Arkansas, that the committee direc-
tor was attempting to take in too
much territory"
Senator Mcclellan supported the
bill and voted to override the Presi-
dents veto, along with many other
Democrats.
IT don't think he can say that
the Democratic party is against the
Taft-Hartley bill because a majority
of the Democrats in Congress voted
to support it," Senator Mcclellan
said. ut is not perfect bill. but it
represents step in the direction of
controlling abuses that I think the
majority of the people of the coun-
try want controlled"
When the House acted, the divis-
ion among Democrats there was 106
to II to override the Presidents veto
In the Senate, % Democrats sup
ported the Presidents position and
20 went against him.
May Be Issue, Hatch Says.
Senator Hatch, Democrat of New
Mexico, who also voted to override,
said he thinks it is too early to de-
termine whether the bill will be-
come a major issue in the 1948
campaign.
"If the law proves TO be success,
the Republican party will claim full
credit for it and seek to make it
an issue" Senator Hatch predicted.
IF the law is a failure and pro-
duces the dire results forecast for
it in some quarters, the Democrats
will blame the Republicans and seek
to make it an issue
Senator Wherry of Nebraska, the
Republican whip, said he is per
fectly willing" for the Democratic
committee to make the Taft-Hart-
ley bill a campaign issue if it wants
to.
All Right With COP.
Tf that's the way Mr. Sullivan
wants to draw the ISSUE" Senator
Wherry told reporter, its all right
with us. If the Democratic Ma
tional Committee doesn't believe
that the country wants these labor
abuses corrected, let it find out.
"This law may. not be perfect,
but it is a start in the right direc
ton"
Mr.. Sullivan went to some length
to contend that Mr.. Truman had
done everything possible in his un-
successful effort to get his veto sus-
tanned. Before Congress voted, labor
leaders had asserted publicly that
it was not enough for the Presi-
dent merely to veto the bill, adding
that he must demonstrate that he
wanted his action sustained.
Mr.. Sullivan described the Presi-
dents effort to sustain his veto as
unique" adding that never be-
fore has a Chief Executive tried to
hard to muster support