Evening star., 1947-10-26

Meany Is listed as Democrat, al
though he prefers to be called inde-
pendent. He supported Gov. Dewey
in the 1914 campaign.
Any thought Mr.. Lewis may have
had of dominating the AFL either
as president or power behind the
throne was lost at San Francisco.
He and the miners were conspicu-
ously absent the entire last day Of
the convention. Mr.. Green, q miner
himself and an official delegate of
the UNIV, asked Mr.. Lewis to nomi-
nate him for president, in accord
ance with AFL tradition. He never
received a reply.
| Lewis Next Move?
Mr. Lewis now Is split away from
other Federation leaders with the
probable exception Of Mr.. Hutche-
son. The break seems irreparable
in view ofethe personal invective
the miners boss injected into con-
vention debate.
At one point, Mr.. Lewis threat
ened to put 1000 District so or
ganizers in the field to harass other
unions. He may do 1t. He made it
clear that he would never recognize
the authority of the AFL Executive
Committee, from which he retired
and called "dehydrated" after the
convention shored away the titles of
vice president from 1s members, in
cluding himself.
Just what the next Lewis step will
be is known probably only to him
self. He may pick time to with
draw altogether from the Fedora
tion. Since the convention he has
said not word for publication.
Mr.. Lewis never tips his hand in
advance of a move. This was well
illustrated a couple Of years ago
when he was trying to get back into
the AFL after his break with the
CIO.
Two reporters got the opinion of
AFL leaders on the possibility of
UNIV re-af1iliation. They called at
the miners headquarters to get the
Lewis version. BY good luck, they
thought. they encountered Mr.. Lewis
at the building entrance. He greeted
them warmly and drew them into
conference room There he pro-
ceeded to question them and pump
them dry of the information they
had. Finally, when one of the re-
porters asked Mr.. Lewis what he
was going to do, the union leader
pulled himself to his full height and
, said:
Political Plans Sketchy
Gentlemen, you may state In
your publications that the president
of the United Mine Workers of
American maintained his usual,
enigmatic silence. Good day, gen.
tlemen."
1t is probable that Mr.. Lewis could
have won considerable support for
his ideas at the convention, includ-
ing an immediate and all-out at
tack on the new labor law, If he
had stuck to arguing his case. How
ever. he could not refrain from
name-calling and his cause was
overwhelmed.
AFL plans for political action
next year still are very sketchy.
Full details will not be known until
after a meeting here early in No
vember when "Labor's Educational
and Political League will be organ
lied.
A few facts are known. The
league will be an instrument for full
repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act and
to carry out the determination Of
leaders to try and defeat all men,
bers of Congress who voted for the
act. The AFL also will 60 into
State campaigns and work against
the enemies of labor" there. Be-
sides the new Federal law, nearly
a score of States have passed labor
curbing measures.
Apparently to support work OF the
league, the convention raised the
per capita tax on individual mem
bers and approved special assess
ments calculated to bring in total
of 81, 3,000,OOO
An Education Fund
I Senator Taft. Republican of Ohio,
co-author of the new law. has stated
that use of the fund for political
purposes would be Illegal. In reply,
Mr.. Green said the Federation would
ask for an early court test of the
issue.
However, Federation leaders do
not say the 100000 will be a
political fund.
THE money will be used strictly
for educational and organizational
purposes" Mr.. Tobin said. But, of
course, in educating the workers
and the public we will have to ex-
plain the political situation
The AFL does plan to spend a
huge sum for public relations, in
cluding a large amount of newspaper
and radio advertising against the
Taft Hartley Act.
Mr.. Green and the others made
two things clear. There will be no
cooperation nationally with the
CIO in the political field, and the
AFL will not depart from its ira
ditional nonpartisan stand in the
presidential election. There un-
doubted1y will be considerable AFL-
CIO cooperation on local basis,
just as there has been In the past.
Strong in Local Races
Few, If any, of the AFL union
heads believe they could deliver
the vote of their members for any