The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-07-07
FARM-LABOR ALLIANCE
CAN REPEAL TAFT LAW

AT flrSt glance 1t may seem q
far cry from labor's defeat in key
Taft Hartley repeal votes in the
Senate last week to the recent
Democratic-farme bor confer
ence at Des Moines, Iowa. The fact
is, however, that few more moves
along the lines of the Des Moines
conference can reverse the Senate S
anti-labor decision.
All Democratic Senators from
northern and central states voted
for labor on both the trials. Many
of them are sincerely pro-union in
their thinking. The rest know that
without the support of the unions
in their heavily industrialized
states they haven't a chance of re-
election.
The Democratic Senators from
the traditionally agricultural states
of the southwest, the Rocky Noun
tain area, and the tier of states
Just west of the Mississippi all
came thru for labor too. In many
of these states the number of in
dustrial workers has sharply in
creased in recent years. And labor S
political action leagues have been
getting these non-farm voters to
the polls.
1t was the northern part of this
great west-central area that was
represented at the Des Moines con-
ference last month. Purpose of the
meeting was to whip up support
for Agriculture Secretary Charles
Brannan's farm income support
program.
But Democratic party leaders are
keenly aware of the political dyn-
amite in the Brannan program. For
unlike previous agricultural pro-
grams Brannan's also aims at re-
ducing food prices to the urban
consumer. 1t is made-to-order
measure for solidifying the farm
er-labor alliance that has been de
veloping in the central states.
The strength Of this coalition
accounts for the pro-labor voting
not only of a fairly conservative
Democrat like Sen. Guy Gillette Of
Iowa, but for the anti-Taft votes
of Republican Edward Thye of
Minnesota, and the newly split
personality Of reactionary Sen.
Homer Capehart OR, md, too.
1t explains why two conserva-
tives like Senators Tydings and
O'Conor of Maryland tipped their
hats to labor by voting for us once,
and against US once on the two
tests. And why Kentucky's Sena-
tors divided one pro and one anti
labor. The process Of Industrial
ization has been slower in the
border states, but it's under way,
and so is the formation of the
farmer-labor coalition.
Very vulnerable indeed are the
two Missouri Republican Senators
who are voting consistently against
labor and the latest political ex-
preston Of their constituents.
Neither Of these labor-haters was
up for reelection in 1913. Last
year the state went overwhelming
ly Democratic, and all the Missouri
Democrats in the lower house have
anti-Taft- Hartley records.
A concerted drive by the unions,
progressive minded local farm or
ganizations and the national DEM
ocratic party can "purge" the re-
dictionaries left in the Democratic
ranks in the "border states, and
easily retire the Republicans.
Some careful attention to the
"deep south" can change the pic
ture there too. Even now seven
Democratic Senators are voting
against Taft-Hlartley while II are
still for it.
Last weeks Senate vote was
clearly a defeat for our side. But
il shouldn't be discouraging. The
1947 Senate was 54 TO II Taft
Hartley body, while this years
Senate is almost evenly divided. A
few more carefully planned Des
Moines conferences can swing the
balance our way in the 1850 cleo
tions.