Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-07-25
AFL's Plan 10 Raise
Political War Fund
Is Seen 0verrated
Held Likely TO Collect
Million. But Winning Vote
Nav Be Another Matter
By David Laurence


By David Laurence
When the American Federation
of Labor's political league an
nounced that it was going to solicit
81 from each member of the AFL
unions, some newspaper cores
pondents promptly estimated that.
with q membership of somewhere
between 100000 and 5000. 900,
this meant a campaign fund for
the 1850 elections of about $14,-
100000.
But no fund raising of that
nature ever produced 100 per cent
results. Likewise, the surveys TAX
en- during campaigns in recent
years show that somewhere be-
tween Is and 80 per cent of the
. union voters do not vote the way
their union bosses tell them to
vote or. rather. for the candidates
endorsed by the union leaders.
During the 1948 congressional
and presidential campaigns. the
AFL's Political League raised about
$500, 900.
If, however. the money raising
were more successful and fund
Of several million dollars were
raised, it would be the largest ever
achieved by any political group
outside Of the major party organ
izations themselves.
Lucky To Raise Million.
It doesn't seem likely, based on
political experience in the past,
that the labor leagues will raise
any such sum. They will be lucky
to raise 100000 in the 1850
campaign or, rather. to have that
sum available over and above the
expenses of collection and super
vision of the fund raising.
= The amendments to the corrupt
practices law forbid unions them
selves from raising the money.
Union dues cannot be used for
political purposes without the ex-
press authorization of individual
. members. This means that
record must be kept showing in
dividual authorizations or contri-
buttons. Record-keeping of thous-
ands of 81 contributions is in it
self rather costly. Also the time
and salary of union officers con-
tributed to fund raising cannot
legally be paid out of union treas
uries but only out of collections
for political purposes.
But the significance OF the
AFL's political league announce
ment is in another direction en-
tirely. Along with the mention
OF the fund raising was the nam
ing of specific persons against
whom the attack was to be made.
Thus Senators Taft of Ohio, Mil
likin of Colorado. Wiley of Wis
consin, Capehart of Indiana, DON
nell of Missouri, Young of North
Dakota and Hickenlooper of Iowa
were named as the targets of the
whole Embarrassing campaign.
The threat of big campaign
fund is another way of saying that
money can win elections in Amer
lea and that, if enough of fund
can be raised. defeat is assured
for those unfortunate enough not
to be able to match these funds
raised by a single pressure group.
Democracy would be in peril in
deed in the United States if the
only thing needed to win elections
was money. There are limits on
what a candidate himself can
spend but no limits on what may
be spent in his behalf. The Con-
gress itself may, of course, ex-
clude anyone who is elected and
who apears to have bought his
election. In one instance, the Sem
ate forced the resignation Of a
member whose well-intentioned
friends spent too much money in
his behalf.
Other Funds May Be Raised.
The announcement that a huge
fund would be raised to defeat the
the seven Republican Senators
newfoundland. of course, also
those In the House who have re-
fused to do labor's bidding
means simply that the citizens
who resent such tactics will be
organizing and collecting money,
too, to head off such a punitive
campaign.
In most congressional and SEN
atorial districts a relatively small
number of independent votes can
turn the tide. A reaction against
excessive spending has often re-
suited in cases where too much
money was being spent in an ef-
fort to elect or defeat a candi-
date.
The issues for the 1850 cam
paign have not yet crystallized.
Even the union chiefs do not
know as yet whether measure to
replace the Taft-Hartley Act will
have been put on the statute
books after the session Of Con-
gress has been concluded in the
first six months or so of 1850. If
the labor unions refuse to support
any compromise measure what
soeyer and insist on a one-sided
labor law such as they had before
1947, the chances are that per-
sons In unorganized industries
and businesses and particularly