Evening star., 1952-12-03
Mr.. Durkin's Appointment

1t is already evident that President-elect
Eisenhowers appointment of Martin P. Durkin
as Secretary of Labor was the most controversial
one among the cabinet choices.
Senator Taft whose cooperation on Capitol
Hill may be hrhly important to the new admin
istration. has attacked it as an incredible ap-
pointment" of Truman Democrat" an action
affronting millions of union members who
deserted their leadership to support General
Eisenhower and of millions of Democrats who
deserted their party to do likewise. The re-
action in labor ranks is mixed, ranging from
enthusiasm in some AFL quarters to extreme
GOODNESS in some CIO quarters. Some hail the
naming of professional union official as the
best means of obtaining an understanding
administration of the Labor Department.; others
criticize it as portending administration OF the
department for special interests rather than in
the public interest
1t is early yet to tell whether General Eisen-
hoWerS approach to the matter will be justified,
or whether Senator Tafts concern for the
affronted millions will be substantiated by some
manifestation of their diSapproval. The Senator
has said he made several recommendations for
the post which obviously were ignored; in fact,
he has said that the prospective new cabinet
does not include any one he had recommended.
From political standpoint, the appointment
evidently was made in hope of obtaining some
support for the administration from or
ganized labor. Since Mr.. Durkin is registered
Democrat who supported the Stevenson Spark
man ticket-very few labor officials did otherwise
in the recent campaign-the appointment may
also be gesture toward bipartsanship. But it
already has displeaSed at least one Republican,
Senator Taft and he says it offends millions OF
Democrats Only time can tell whether it will
bring greater cooperation from the top ranks
of labor-or less from Senator Taft on Capltol
Hill
There have been precedents for naming
labor officials to head that department. The only
one moving directly from labor office to the
cabinet post was William N. Doak, named Secre-
tary by President Hoover in 1880 while he was
legislative representative for the Railway Train
men, William B. Wilson, first head of the depart
ment was in Congress when named in 1913 by
President Wilson but for many years previous ne
had been secretary-treasurer of the National
Union of Miners. James j. Davis was an official
of the Order of Moose when named by President
Harding in 1921 but he had been an officer IN the
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers No labor leaders
were chosen to head the department during the
Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the 2O
years in which labor made its greatest organiza-
tional gains, although several have held the rank
of Assistant Secretary.
Mr. Durkn has not entered the controversy
about his own appointment. He has declared
himself surprised and pleased, and has pledged
that he will be loyal member of the Eisenhower
team He has expressed hope that the depart
ment's responsibilities will be broadened, and
beief-contrary to laborS campaign position
that the Taft-Hartley Act can be improved salts
factorily by amendment rather than by repeal
He has even suggested he may change his Demo-
cratic registration now that I'm in the cabinet"