Evening star., 1952-10-30
Dorothy Thompson:
Issues, Regardless Of Candidates
Candidate Owes Election to Forces Under Party Banner
Despite Denial of Nominees They Are Under Strings

the Democratic Party into a
coalition of groups, voting to-
gether on matters of real or
imagined self-interest.
Some of these are so strongly
organized that in specific meas
ureS they actually control the
Democratic Party. The strong
est are the trade unions. The
days of Samuel Gompers' phil
osophy that recommended labor
to operate strictly in the eco
nomic field are over. This year,
for the first time, the leader
ship of both great labor fedora
tions indorsed the Democratic
ticket.
The immense power of Gov
ernment over economic life leads
powerful economic groups to try
to control its policies. Labor
leaders want a Government to
which they can dictate. as the
price of their support. and Gov
ernment agencies which will al
ways find in their favor, regard
less of merit.
No Democratic candidate can
be nominated against the veto
of organized labor, which does
not even need to have any con-
siderable delegation on the con-
vention floor. In the last con-
vention they put thumbs down
on Vice President Barkley, and
Mr.. Barkley was finished.
Originally, Gov. Stevenson
favored amendment of Taft
Hartley. Later he advocated re-
peal, and a new act. But. hav-
ing once yielded for repeal, how
can he then overcome the same
pressure that will be modified
against any act to define or re-
strict in any way whatever &C
tions labor's leaders may wish to
take? When these leaders de-
mand repeal, they mean repeal
not a substitute act.
They already break the exist
ing law with impunity. Petrillo,
"czar" of the musicians. has a
stranglehold on American cul-
tural life and is in consistent.
uninterrupted violation of the
law-and brags of it. Other
leaders have threatened to call
a strike against the law. Is this
tolerable? Do We want increased
dictation by men, notorious for
seeing no interest but their own
and identifying it with the ma
tional welfare, despite the fact
that they cannot even pretend
to represent more than 28 per
cent of the United States labor
force?
Another organized force in the
Democratic coalition are the
political machines of the great
cities. These have always been
a disgrace to American life, but
they once played a small role in
National affairs. Now, in the last
three elections, they have been
chief factor in the Democratic
victory, and, in q showdown like
the one with Mayor O'Dwyer of
New York, have been protected
by the President of the United
States who made ODwyer am
bassador to Mexico.
Do we want to continue to be
governed under a coalition of
such pressure groups. each
clamoring for special privileges
and getting them?
And if people are encouraged
to vote as organized blocs what
will eventually be the fate of
representative Democracy?
Is it healthy that for the last
20 years. the great cities, where
flourish the highest rate of
crime, dependency. graft, sub
version, and corrupt alliances
between law enforcers and law
breakers, should have so pre-
dominant an influence on Gov
ernment while the villages, email
towns, smaller cit. ~, and small
farms have so little?
Is the most organized man
manipulate through his or
ganization-a greater citadel Of
freedom. or is the less organized
man?
These seem to me to be issues,
regardless of the candidates.