Evening star., 1949-01-02
Drive On to Give Friends
Of Labor Key Assignments
Foes of Taft-Hartley Act Press for
Committee Posts at Capitol
Bv Gerard D, ReiTv

By Gerard d. Reilly
When the Eighty-hrst Congress convenes
tomorrow, the campaign Of the labor organiza.
tions for quick repeal of the Taft-Hartley
Act will begin in earnest with q drive to
organize the two labor committees with ma
jorities committed to do whatever the unions
ask. For this reason great pressure is being
brought to bear on Representative Rayburn,
who is scheduled to resume his ONCE as Speak
er to persuade members of the Ways and
Means Committee elected at yesterdays Demo-
cratic caucus to name an entire union slate
for the vacancies on the House Labor Commit
tee.
Under the system which prevails In the
House, the members of the majority side on
the Ways and Means Committee elect the
members Of their party who are to serve on the
other committees In theory this gives the
ways and means group plenary power to re-
organize every other committee as they see ft.
In practice, however because the seniority
principle entities every old member on the
Democratic side to claim his former committee
assignments, their discretion Is confined to fll.
ing vacancies.
On the House Labor Committee last year
there were Is Republicans and 10 Democrats.
AS this proportion will now be reversed this
means that the Democrats have at least five
places to fill on the committee, and possibly
more should some of the holdover members ac-
cept appointments to one of the major" COM
mittees, i. e. Rules, Appropriations or Judiciary.
In the Eightieth Congress, the 10 Democrats
serving on the committee were divided in their
views on the Taft-Hartley Act Four of them,
Representatives Barden of North Carolina
Fisher and Lucas Of Texas and Wood of
Georgia, voted for the bill, and Kennedy of
Massachusetts, opposed it with reservations.
The ranking minority member who succeeds
to the Craftsmanship this year, however, is
Representative John Lesinskj of Michigan, an
all-out foe of the act He voted to sustain the
veto. He was also one Of the four members
Of the Joint Committee on Labor Management
Relations who dissented to the report which
so completely exposed the failure of the
advocates of repeal to make out any case
against the act.
Mr.. Lesinski comes from an industrial district
in Detroit There are already indications that he
is taking his cues from the United Automobile
Workers, CIO, the dominant union in that city
so far as selecting his own staff is concerned.
In 1947 when Representative Fred A. Hartley
of New Jersey became chairman, he gave the
minority representation on the staff by retain
ing as assistant clerk B. w. Matthias who had
previously worked with the committee when it
was headed by Representative Mary Norton.
With the political overturn Mr., Matthias was
scheduled to become the clerk of the full com.
mittee. Notwithstanding the fact of his status
as Democrat, the new chairman has informed
Mr.. Matthias that he is to be dropped and that
former Representative Frank Hook, the most
articulate spokesman for the United Automobile
Workers point of view, is to be installed in his
place. Despite this situation, however, unless
some violent stacking is done by the House
leadership the balance of power in the COM
mittee will still be held by friends of the act
Union officials are aware of this situation.
This is why Philip Murray and Arthur Goldberg
Of the CIO called on Mr.. Rayburn last week.
They sought to induce him to 60 along with
CIO slate for the Ways and Means Committee
vacancies, in the hope that their candidates,
II successful, would see to it that the Labor
Committee was filled with like-minded members.
Their position was that no Democrat who voted
for the Taft-Hartley Act should be chosen for
any Of the six openings on the Ways and Means
Committee. An unwritten rule Of the Demo-
cratic caucus, however, Is that only Represent
atives who have served at least one term are
eligible for consideration for that key COMMITTEES.
The last time that q roll call was taken on
the Taft-Hartley Act-this was on the ques-
ton of overriding President Trumans veto
only IS Democrats out Of the 1877 then in the
House were recorded against the bill. Since
virtually all Of the Democrats who stood for
reelection were returned to the House, ire
spective of their votes on labor issues, Mr..
Murray's suggestion would mean that q ma.
jorty Of the holdover Democrats should DO
excluded from consideration at the caucus.
1t is difdcult therefore for the House leaders
to succumb to this kind of pressure without
permanently alternating q large percentage Of
their fellow Democrats.
On the Senate side, opponents of the act
are more likely to be in control Of the Stand.
ing Committee on Labor and Public Welfare.
Two of the holdover Republicans Senators
Aiken Of Vermont and Ives Of New York (for
whose retention the Democrats are conceding
a place on the committee), were always luke
warm toward the act. Senator Morse Of Oregon
voted to sustain the Presidents veto. Senator
Ellender Of Louisiana, Democrat who played
an important part in its formulation Is being
urged to leave the committee to- serve on
Appropriations. Snoulo CnlS happen senator
Taft, who will lead the fight to conserve the
essential reforms in the measure can count at
best only upon votes out Of IS in committee.
The situation on the Senate floor will bs
quite different, for there the friends Of the
act are in the majority. 1t is q slim majority,
however, and great efforts will be made to
cut 1t to a mnority-a feat which can bs
accomplished If seven Senators willing to re-
verse themselves can be found
But under Senate rules, any bill reported
from committee is not only open to amend
ment, but can be subjected to the fullest
scrutiny In debate It will be at this point that
the report of the watchdog" committee will
become an important factor.
Senator Taft has no peer in this upper
chamber as a debater. And with such solid
material in his hands as the joint committee
report very few Senators whose attitude on