Evening star., 1948-09-11
Labor Bosses cffain
To Be FIaffenedif
Dewey Wins Election
Have Worked sdves Into
Position Where lefeot
Will Prove Thef 'Foke's
N r. n h
By Frank r. Kent

by Frank n. emf
If the expected HAPPENS in No.
vember and Gov. DeIy is elected
by a decisive maioHy, the big
bosses of organized ljoor, particu-
larly those of the tIO. will be
politically fatter thin the we'll
known pancake. . For with a nota-
BILE lack of wisdom, they have
worked themselves hto a position
where defeat will Expose them as
a lot Of political takers who for
years have been operating on a
cheap bluff. And the odds favor
defeat.
For more than / decade leaders
of the CIO have thrown their
weight around Washington, bullied
members of Congtess, been fawned
upon by public officials and exerted
great influence in both the eXecu-
tive AID legislative branches Of the
Government. With the most ex-
pensiw and elaborate publicity and
propafanda machine in the coun-
try, and complete White House
support, they have become domi-
nant actor in administration poll
cies and performance. There is
hardl, phase of Government into
which they have not protruded. To
a considerable degree they have
been running the country. Ger
tainly until 1947, for IA years Con-
eress under the CIO dictation, and
with presidential cooperation, en-
acted every law the labor bosses
desird and killed every bill OF
which they disapproved.
j Propaganda Accepted.
Asan exhibition of congressional
subsrviency and cowardice it was
mate1ed only by that displayed in
the Did days of the Anti-Saloon
Leasle. The power thus welded
was based on the assumption that
In most districts and States the
labo leaders controlled enough
vots to elect or defeat, and that,
witt few exceptions, once candi-
dae got on their black list his
pplic career was over.
This was the theory the C1O
pppaganda constantly proclaimed,
aid It was very widely accepted
among politicians until the 1916
eections. In those, many Republi-
On congressional candidates and
sveral Republican Governors were
eected notwithstanding solid labor
lader opposition. One Of the Re
rlblican Governors was Thomas E.
lewey. For the first time it was
roven that the labor bosses could
yot deliver their rank and file with
nything like the solidity claimed.
the net result was the enactment
L the Hartley law despite the
truman veto. Almost as many
democrats as Republicans voted
pr it.
In their frantic opposition to this
Ill and their subsequent political
trategy the labor bosses did not
now intelligence. The extraorol-
farv violence of their misrepresen-
htions was a mistake. The vitupera-
ion and invective in which they
hdulged became ridiculous. Their
hreat to drive out of public life
avery member of Congress VINO
roted for the bill strengthened
hubble sentiment against Them
Their campaign Of disparagement
against Mr.. Truman, plus their ell
forts to do him out of the nomina-
lion at Philadelphia. was as dirty
Is it was futile. 1t also stamped
fhem as ungrateful to their friends
Risk Damaging Blow.
Now they find themselves IN a
situation where they risk really
Managing blow. For one thing, they
have been compelled to get behlno
Mr.. Truman, whom they have been
benouncing, whom they dislike and
khom they tried to ditch. For an
kther. their particularly the
tIO-have been split by the wal
kce candidacy. Some OF the strong
kt of the CIO unions are support
he that muddled and bespattereo
hdividual. For another, SO per cent
df the members Of Congress VINO
3oted for the Taft-Hartley bill ano
tho were to be driven out OF
1ublic life" have been renomlnateo
Ind most of them will be reelected
1or another, their demand for the
}eneal of the Taft-Hartley Act un
Which Mr.. Truman joins is silly
Quite obviously. even ii Mr.. lru-
man should be elected, it would not
he repealed. After a years trial II
jouite obviously is satisfactory law
Iii has worked no hardship on LABOR S
rank and file. Every poll taken
shows a majority of the general
nublic favorable. Laborers are more
fully employed, better paid and
better satisfied than before It's
enactment. The answer to the charge
that it is a slave law is: "Where
are the slaves?" AS an elected
president, Mr.. Truman could not
get a majority of his own party to
vote for repeal OF course, II he
Is not elected, the labor leader posi-
ton will be most unpleasant.
They would then have fully DEM
onstrated their political impotency.
They would have in the White
House a President with no reason
for friendliness who had twice
proven their inability to hurt him.
They would have a Congress fully
aware of the fraudulent nature OF
their political claims and which
they could no longer bully. They
would have lost their preferred
position in the White House, which
has been the most valuable asset
and which, they never should have
had. Perhaps, worst of all for them
they would have been shown up to
the great mass of union members
as untrustworthy leaders-a rather
dumb set of fourflushers.