Evening star., 1947-07-12

United States" by fathering the
Taft-Hartley law. But when re-
porters tried to draw Mr.. Lewis into
a discussion Of other Republican
presidential prospects, especially
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, he refused
comment. Some observers take this
to indicate that Mr.. Lewis is pre-
pairing to support Gov. Dewey next
year as he did in 1914.
There are others, however, who
predict that Mr.. Lewis will back
Harry S. Truman, in pursuance of
q promise Of the AFL to go
down the line for the Democratic
President, provided he would veto
the Taft-Hartley law. According
to this version, Mr.. Lewis will join
with David Dubinsky, president of
the Ladies Garment Workers Union
and chief organizer of the Liberal
Party in New York State, in a nom
partisan committee Of organized
labor, after the fashion of Sidney
Hillmans 1914 CIO Political Action
Committee.
Purpose Of Group
The purpose of this group. besides
supporting Mr.. Truman, would be
to oppose Congress members who
voted for the Taft-Hartley bill,
including a majority of the pres
ent Democratic membership Of the
House and 10 Of the IA Democratic
Senators who will be up for re-
election next year.
Mr.. Lewis and Mr.. Dubinsky alse
are as one in their determination to
rid the American labor movement of
Communists. From that standpoint
both of them are completely at odds
with Henry A. Wallace and his
chief organizat tional backer in the
Progressive Citizens of America.
Dubinsky's union, in convention
at Cleveland last month. while op-
posing Mr.. Wallace, called for third
party action by labor on local
basis and urged AFL unions to seek
"co-operation with all labor and bona
fide liberal forces" toward the elec-
ton of a "pro-labor Congress"
Since the veto of the Hart
ley bill Mr.. Dubinsky has urged re-
election of President Truman, but
: Mr.. Lewis has made no such decla-
ration.
On the union side, Mr.. Lewis
supreme ambition always has been
to bring all American labor under
his command. Because he was con-
tinually thwarted in that purpose
by the craft-union majority in the
AFL governing board, he broke away
In 1885 to form the C1O. He re-
signed the CIO presidency, SEEM
ingly to escape being ousted, after
he had unsuccessfully opposed Presi-
dent Roosevelt's third-term candi-
dacy in 1910. Thereafter, for five
years, Mr.. Lewis was lone wolf,
hard pressed to maintain control
even Of his miners union.
Precipitated Court Action.
Mr.. Lewis got back into the AFL
early in 1916 but shortly thereafter
he precipitated the mine shutdown
that led to Government seizure of
the mines and subsequently to the
Supreme Court decision penalizing
the UNIV and Mr.. Lewis personally
for striking against the Govern
nent.
Mr.. Lewis bitterly denounced
President Truman because of this
court action and 1t remains to be
seen whether this anger was ap-
peased by the Presidents veto later
of the Taft Hartley bill.
When Samuel Gompers, first
president of the AFL, died in 1924
Mr.. Lewis was not strong enough
to win the job for himself but he
did succeed In electing to it the
secretary of his mine union, William
Green.
Mr.. Green now is past IA and re-
ported willing and anxious to turn
the presidency over to Mr. Lewis.
Mr.. Lewis also has made up with
William Hutcheson, president of the
carpenters union, with whom he
mad fist fight at the time of the
AFE-CIO break in 1885, and with
George Meany, the veteran secre-
tary-treasurer of the AFL.
:, Mr.. Lewis still has many friends
among CIO subleaders and has been
reported ss endeavoring to wean
these back into the AFL on the
anti-C Communist issue. If there is
any one with position and prestige
sufdcient to accomplish reunion of
the American labor movement, Mr..
Lewis would seem to be that man.