Evening star., 1950-09-19
The Political Mill ..s ..p
Get Taft Is Objective
Of Truman, Labor Allies
Horde of Political Workers
Pouring Into Ohio for Fight
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

~ SO0i0 GWSOIH
Get Taft" has become the principal
objective of the Truman Administration
and it's AFL and CIO allies in the 1850
Congressional elections. President Tru-
man has said in the past that he in
tended to campaign personally in Ohio,
where Senator Taft is seeking re-elec-
tion. Because of the war, or for some
other reason, Mr.. Truman may not be
able to carry out this plan. But he has
and will send personal representatives
into the State and other parts of the
Union to attack the Ohio Republican
Senator.
A new technique. intended to warrant
Intervention by the President in in
dividual State elections for members of
the Senate-House, has been thought up
by the White House political assistants
1t is that the choice-the election-of
members of Congress, who in the past
have been considered the representatives
OF their States and Congressional dis
tr1cts, is no longer merely the concern
OF the people of those States and dis
tricts. These elections are of concern
to the whole Nation, the Administration
holds. Therefore it is all right for the
Chief Executive to intervene, or any of
his supporters, politicians, labor leaders
or what have you, from outside an in
dlvldual State, to cross State lines and
enter the fray for or against candidates.
Assault on State Rights.
This is just another assault upon
State lines ana the individuality of the
States. Nothing could better exemplify
the new doctrine than what is going
on i'll Ohio, where Senator Taft is fight
81
political carpet -baggers is pouring in
for the sole purpose of defeating Mr..
Taft They are bringing and sending in
thousands of dollars, collected from all
parts of the country by the CIO and AFL
political committees to overthrow Mr..
Taft and seat in the Senate Jumping
Joe" Ferguson, the Democratic nominee.
Mr.. Ferguson has been State auditor for
decade and earned his nickname by the
manner in which he has jumped about
the State.
The personal animus toward Mr.. Taft Of
the Administration and the labor lead
ers is intense. The President does not
like Mr.. Taft because he has been able
to block many of Mr.. Truman's pet
projects; because Mr.. Taft was able to
put through Congress over his veto
the Taft Hartley labor law, and because
the Democratic-c controlled 81St Con-
gress. under Taft leadership, has de-
clined to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act
as demanded by Mr.. Truman and the
labor leaders. The labor leaders don't
like him because he was the author of
a law which cuts down their arbitrary
powers over their own members, as
well as over their employers and tho
general public.
PetrillO Strikes Note.
James c. PetrilIo has told his union
members they were going into Ohio
ito knock Senator Taft's silly head out
of the United States Senate and keep it
out" The Ohio Federation of Labor has
reported plans to bring the presidents
OF the AFL'S 108 international unions
into Ohio to campaign against Mr.. Taft.
The CIO and AFL have been exacting So
member from their millions of mem
bers. and good portion of the money
collected has been earmarked for the
campaign against Senator Taft.
Before the campaign winds up, mem
bers of the Cabinet and Vice President
Barkley are expected to go into Ohio to
join the labor bosses in their effort to
knock off Senator Taft. They are going
there, of course, under orders. Labor Or
ganizers have been imported into the
State and have largely taken over the
campaign from the regular Democratic
organization They control Mr.. Ferguson
and tell him what to do and what to
say.
Ohio is the guinea pig this year. If
the Administration and the labor bosses
are able to dictate to the people of that
State how they shall vote, then they can
do the same thing in other States, as It
fits their desires. 1t remains to be seen
whether the people of Ohio fall for this
pressure drive from without.