Evening star., 1949-09-27
The Political Mil
Taft Should Be Unworried
By Labor Chiefs Threats
Union Leaders Can't Deliver Votes
Pennsylvania Election Shows
Bv Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
CINCINNATI Ohio, Sept. 27.-The labor
leaders-and President Truman-have sworn
the downfall of Senator Bob" Taft, Repub-
lican, who is campaigning for reelection
next year. The labor leaders have threatened
to put workers and as much money as may
be needed into the campaign-and this
means lot of money.
Ohio is q big industrial State. with large
labor vote. There is still question. however.
whether the leaders are able to deliver the
rank and file of the union voters in anything
like solid numbers They recently tried it in
Pennsylvana's 26th congressional district.
There the labor leaders laid themselves ont
in support of Mrs Curry Ethel Coffey, the
Democratic candidate for her late sons seat
in the House. Mrs. Coffey journeyed to
Washington to get the personal blessing Of
President Truman before the election. What
happened. however. was the election Of
John Saylor. Republican. by some 5000 votes.
1t is not an amazing thing that the
district should have swung back to the
Republican column. Although the late Rep
resentative Coffey carried it in 1948 by
10000 votes, the Republicans had carried
the district for 10 years prior to 1915
though never by as large a majority as was
given Representative Coffey. The amazing
thing was the failure of the labor leaders
to roll up the big labor vote for Mrs. Coffey
which they had promised. And it is that
failure which may give them pause when
they start boasting about what they are
going to do to Senator Taft. The Taft.
Hartley labor law was very much in the
Coffey-Saylor campaign, as it will be In the
Taft campaign next year. Mrs. Coffey was
pledged to the repeal of that law. and Mr..
Saylor declared himself against its repeal.
although he stood in favor IF amendments.
Fr@
amendments, too.
Figures Tell Story.
Let's take a look at what happened in
strongly Democratic-Labor communities in
the 26th Pennsylvania district. The figures
seem to indicate that the CIO and the AFI,
hustling hard to get voters to the polls, must
have been hauling Saylor votes. In Cambria
County, strongly industrial, the following
voting records are found:
Black Lick Township, COP registration.
139; Saylor vote. 1862; Democratic registra-
ton, TOO; Cof1ey vote. 531.
Brownstone Borough, COP registration,
26; Saylor vote, So; Democratic registration.
ITS; Coffey vote, 80.
Lorette Borough COP registration. s5:
Saylor vote. 103; Democratic registration.
189; Coffey vote, IS.
Munster Township COP registration. 10:
Saylor vote, 80; Democratic Registration.
169; Coffey vote, 121.
Patten Borough, COP registration. 27s:
Saylor vote, $50; Democratic registration.
522; Coffey vote. 262.
The vote in the district was heavy vote
for q special election, with more than 10
per cent of all registered voters turning out.
Mr.. Saylor carried Johnstown where labor
Is strongest by 200 votes. He lost Cambria
County-one of three in the diStrict-by only
800 votes. The late Representative Coffey
carried the county last year by $4,000 votes.
Fail to Explain Defeat.
Something went haywire. The CIO News
has attempted to explain away the defeat.
But what the CIO News said before the
election and after are fantastically different.
For example, in its issue of August IS, the
News said: Local observers feel that
Mrs. Cofeys chances are good, taking into
account the margin by which Bob cher SOM
won, the increased Democratic registration
and the general feeling among the people
that the 81st Congress has robbed America
of what it voted for in l948" (this includes
the repeal of the Taft-Hartley AcD.
The News pointed out that all the principal
leaders of the CIO the AFL, and the mine
workers in the district were working hard
for Mrs. Coffey. 1t used figures to show that
registration had increased for the Democrats
far more than for the Republicans In the
last year. 1t also said that political OBJ.
servers say that she MRS. Coffey) Is ex.
tremely effective" as a campaigner.
In its issue following the election, the
News sang a different tune Explaining the
defeat, it said that the Republicans ran q
mean campaign against the election of
woman, and indicated that women have only
been elected to Congress in silk stocking
districts" Mrs. Mary Norton of New Jersey,
Democrat, from Hudson County, and q vet.
eran in the House, will be amazed at such
statement. The News also said that very
little money was spent for Mrs. Coffey, and
much for Mr.. Saylor. This doesn't jibe with
the reports that the Republicans are hard
up and the Democrats are rolling in money.
Naively. the News commented that in .
number of places the COP candidate re.
ceived more votes than there were registered
Republicans-and attempted to explain it
away by saying there was split among local
Democratic leaders
Taft supporters will not be disheartened
about what happened in industrial Cambria
County.
Ouesfions nnd Answers