Evening star., 1948-06-27
Green Declares AFl
Never Will Support
Slate
By the Assoeioted Press

William Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor said
yesterday the AFL never" would
support the Republican presidential
ticket of Thomas E. Dewey and
Earl Warren.
But one AFL union, the Inter-
national Brotherhood of Teamsters,
promptly rushed in to say that Mr..
Green was not speaking for it.
The teamsters union does not
share Mr. Green's views on this
matter" declared Lester M. Hunt,
director of public relations for the
union, which has headquarters at
indianapolis.
Mr.. Green's announcement was
made to reporters at the White
House after he had l5-minute
chat with President Truman.
Question Left on Truman.
Whether the AFL might support
Mr.. Truman if he wins the Demo-
cratic nomination was left an open
question. Mr.. Green, a registered
Democrat, didn't say.
But he did express the opinion
that the Republicans certainly
won't get much labor support
Mr.. Green added that Labor's
League for Political Education, the
AFL political adjunct, will never
support the Dewey Warren ticket"
Only once before. in 1924 when it
supported Robert NJ La Toilette on
third party ticket. has the AFL
been committed politically as an
organization.
Daniel Tobin, president of the
Teamsters Union, has left the way
open for both the Democrats and
the Republicans to seek the support
of the unions 100000 claimed
members. He said in a statement
last Monday that the union won't
decide its political course of action
until later in the campaign.
TOO Busy" for Convention"
Several times a delegate to Dem
ocratic national conventions, Mr..
Tobin won't go this year because,
he explained, he is too busy"
But he denied that he has quit
the party, and said he had neither
opposed nor indorsed any major
party candidate.
The United Mine Workers and
the CLOS Political Action Commit
tee were both noncommital yester-
day but at least one CIO union
leader. Emil Rieve, was critical of
Gov. Dewey.
Mr.. Rieve, in talk for the Maine
CIO Council meeting at Lewiston,
said the countrys future will be
darker than ever before" unless the
Both Congress is repudiated by the
next administration on almost every
domestic issue.
The Republicans have had full
control of Congress for two years,
out they have done nothing Mr..
Rieve said. about such questions as
housing, health and education,
wages, social security,
civil rights, and on controlling in
fation.
1t is ironic to find these issues
in the Republican platform" Mi
Rieve said, adding:
The man who is nominated for
President can sometimes overcome
the weaknesses of the platform
But unfortunately we know the Re-
publican nominee very well. We
have heard from him before, even
though he hasn't had much to say
for the last four years."
Meanwhile, Mr.. Green disclosed
ne had urged Mr.. Truman to ap-
point Keen johnson, former Gov
ernor of Kentucky, as Secretary of
Labor The President. however, did
not commit himself, Mr.. Green said.
The death of Lewis B. Schwel-
lenbach recently left the Labor
vacant.
Congress has taken many func-
tions away from the Labor Depart
ment, Mr. Green said, and in his
opinion, was striking at labor in
stead of the administration.
Mr. johnson, in Mr.. Green's esti-
nation, could help strengthen the