Evening star., 1948-05-30
UAW Plans
Third Party
Will Push New Group
After November
Elections
Bv Mox Hall
By Mox Hall >.

-
a million auto workers, will soon
make an entrance into national
politics.
He and the Executive Board of
the CIO United Auto Workers have
decided to sponsor q third party
after the November elections, al
though he himself denies any ambi-
ton to be a presidential candidate.
They have adopted a resolution
making it their "oflcial political
objective" to bring labor, farm
and liberal forces" together into a
genuine independent progressive
political party"
This won't affect the ls4s cam
paign. But maybe it could have an
impact in 1852 or 1856.
Shy Away From Wallace
| Mr.. Reuther, at 40, is high
voltage, spenbinding sort Of fellow
who is forever talking about max
ing democracy work In economic
terms"
In April he was nearly killed by
shotgun blast through his kitchen
window, but his friends say he will
bounce back from that experience
with his spirit and ability unim-
paired.
Mr.. Reuther recently increased his
national prestige by consolidating
his leadership of the big auto union,
which had been ripped by internal
feuding for a dozen years.
The Reuther people want new
political party in America, but not
the Henry Wallace third party.
Most labor unions have spurned the
Wallace party.
| Will American workers rally
around a unions sponsored third
party?
The Reuther planners hope they
will, If the groundwork is well laid.
They have already started an
educational program"
They aren't thinking Of indus
trial workers only, but industrial
and white collar workers, working
farmers, small businessmen, profes-
sionals and every individual and
every group honestly committed to
winning economic security and
abundance without surrendering
fundamental freedoms"
The union is seeking to create
an effective non-Communist left
wing in American politics, like the
Labor Party in England.
The kind of party the UAW lead
ers want would - apparently - be
further left than the Roosevelt New
Deal. It would favor a mixed"
economy in which the Government
would step in to fill gaps wherever
private enterprise fell short of meet
ing vital public needs.
The UAW resolution says the new
party shall be a popular move
ment with final authority
resting in the rank-and-f1le men,
bership." 1t also says history has
proved that "all attempts to build
a political party from the top
around a particular individual are
predoomed to dismal failure"
Once a Socialist
Mr.. Reuther has reiterated for
years that the present political par
ties are a "hodge-podge" and that
a realignmeht is some day bound
to come.
He has preached constantly on
his favorite theme Of economic
democracy"
For example, at a press confer
ence last November 13:
Il am neither Republican,
Democrat, Socialist, Communist nor
bitionist-though I don't drink.
The essential fight is to make eco
nomic democracy work. Political
democracy-we muddle through in
that field"
Two years ago. after Reuther was
first elected president Of the auto
workers, he said at a press confer
ence:
II am not member of any polit-
ical party. I did belong to the
Socialist Party for about a year
back in 1882. I think some of my
basic policy could be labeled in the
direction OF socialistic -.
II think you should test one. not
by label, but by this real criterion:
Is one willing genuinely to try to
advance and strengthen democ-
racy?'"
AS for the Reuther groups pro-
gram for q mixed" economy, a
union spokesman has explained this
to me as follows:
"The degree of mixture would be
determined by the amount Of social
responsibility industry would volun-
tarily assume. An example is oul
attitude toward the steel industry
as expressed in Walters testimony
to Congress and in several speeches
"Our program here is to try, by
every means possible, to get tht
steel industry to expand its capacity
in order to meet the needs Of the
Nation for steel. But We insist that
the Government should make ur
whatever deficiencies the industry
itself leaves"
mo Personal Aspirations
Then he added: TN a more gen.
eral way we would follow through