Evening star., 1948-01-25

buttons and had actually spent
SAB, ,os5. For the 1914 presidential
and congressional campaigns the
CIo reported expenditures Of ST.
327,774.
Goal Is IS Million Votes
Organized labor spokesmen now
admit that they fell down on the Job
in the ls46 elections. The total was
only $4,000, 900 voters. Their major
strategy this year is to get union
members to register and vote"
The goal, like that Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, Is
IS, 100000 voters.
There will be five major organiza-
tions in the field this year. The
AFL, which claims a membership OF
100000, has organized "Labor's
League for Political Education" !"
under the Craftsmanship Of President
william Green. The CIO, claiming
100000 members, will continue its
political Action Committee" with
Jack Kron as national director. The
Is standard railroad labor organi-
cations, generally known as the
"brotherhoods," claiming 100000
members, have authorized the estab-
lishment of Railway Labor's Politi-
cal League" with A. E. Lyon, execu-
tive secretary of the Railway Labor
Executives Association, as chair
man. The International Association
of Machinists, reporting $4,000
members, has formed the "Machin-
lists Partisan Political League"
under President Harvey w. Brown.
John L. Lewis United Mine Work
ers, with its reported 100000 men,
bers, will continue its Labor's Non
Partisan League, started in 1896,
There is some overlapping in this
membership, notably among the
and the AFL unions,
and not all are asking for a dollar
member. John T. Jones, director OF
the UMW's Non-Partisan League,
said that his organization was not
planning q campaign-fund drive.
UMW's Main Objective
"The UNIV has one objective" he
said, "and that is to beat every
fellow who voted for the Taft
Hartley Act. The Non-Partisan
League will disseminate information
on whether a Congressman voted
right or wrong. We don't need
much money for that. I can tell
you we've been getting more In
quiries from UNIV members about
Taft Hartley voting records than at
any other time I've had anything to
do with the league
Mr.. Green, in accepting the chair
manship of Labor's League for Po-
litical Education, said the AFL was
taking a historic" step in its first
large-scale venture in national poll
tics. The resolution setting out the
AFL program said:
AT no previous time in history
have the rank and file members, as
well as the leaders Of labor, been so
aroused as at present to the i'm
perative need of organization In the
political field"
Mr.. Kroll Of the CIO-PAC has
called 1913 "the most momentous
election year in our history" Not
inR that November is the payoff
month in political action, Mr.. Kroll
reported indications that I'VE shall
have the greatest financial collec-
ton In CIO history"
"Our members" he said, ARE CIV
ing the answer to Taft-Hartley with
their dollars. That is their answer
to the effort to enforce second-class
citizenship on American trade
unionists."
MANS Tactics Cited
The specific goal set was 1,ooo. 600
volunteer block workers" that is,
men and women with responsibility
for seeing that Is to 100 families In
their immediate locality were told
about political issues and persuaded
to register and vote. As explained
at national headquarters here, there
workers will visit around, keep
check on probable votes and on
registration, primary and election
days furnish transportation or act
as baby -sitters If necessary. Already
10000 political block workers have
been enrolled, headquarters said.
In the drive for funds the CIO-
PAC makes Q hullabaloo that the
National Association Of Manufac-
turers u raising Q propaganda chest
Of $4,000, 900; the NA,tn turn uses