Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-12-31
Congress WillHave
Voice In Labor's
Political Perspective
BY Bradford L. Carter


of its predecessors have been.
L a b or s organizations, the
trade unions and their politi-
cal action leagues, played
much more of a direct role in
its selection than workers have
before.
. They're going to keep their
eyes on specific bills-for low
cost housing, for improved So
cial security, for health insur-
ance, and for attacks upon in
flation. They're demanding
quick action to repeal Taft
Hartley, and they're concerned
too about civil rights legisla-
ton and the development of
our natural resources.
Labor believes that in 1850
1t will be able to retire more
reactionaries. And certainly it
will make short shrift of men
elected with its support who
fail to come through in sup
port of labor's liberal legisla-
tive program.
But that's not the whole
story. More is at stake than
the fate of specific bills, and
the political fortunes of incum-
bent Congressman. The Demo-
cratic 81st Congress will do
much to determine the future
political thinking and electoral
action of the American labor
movement.
Most unionists think that
the workers can best accomp-
lish their political goals by
supporting their friends and
opposing their foes in both
major parties. In most cases
this has meant supporting
Democrats.
The accomplishments of the
New Deal, strengthened the
feeling of the labor movement
that more is to be gained by
backing major party candid
ates than by supporting new
political ventures.
This past election Henry
Wallace was rejected not only
for this reason, but because
most of labor recognized his
party as Communist inspired,
and in some cases actually de-
sirous of defeating not reac-
tionaries but proven friends of
the workers.
There have always been
however few respected
people in the labor movement
who have said that labor must
organize itself politically, just
as it has economically. They
have maintained that despite
their differences neither Dem
ocrats nor Republican politi-
clans can be trusted to de
liver on the campaign prom
ises they have made to labor.
But, by and large, these
men made relatively little
headway in selling" their APP
proach to most of their fellow
unionists. One of the answers
of the majority always has
been that labor doesn't have
enough strength to go into
politics directly and so must
support party nominees most
favorable to its program.
Since November, however, a
new synthesis is emerging be-
tween their attitude and that
of the union men who have
favored vigorous labor politi-
cal action. 1t is that labor must
create its own independent
marshall its MEM
bers as voters, and keep up a
constant campaign to align un-
organized citizens in behalf of
progressive programs.
Although encouraged to con-
tinue working with the major |
parties - primarily the Demo-
cratic party--as a result of the
194S experience, most union
leaders feel that their political
must remain indie
pendent, that the loyalty of
unionists and their friends
should be to labor political
action, not to any party. Their
assumption is tnat they will
continue to work with and
through the major parties, in
behalf of good candidates and
platforms.
But-and this is where the
31st Congress comes inf the
people labor helped elect to
office do not live up to the
Il