Evening star., 1952-12-04
The Political Mill
Maybe 6. O. P. Can Kill
Anti-Lubor Label Now
Eisenhower May Need
A Strong Labor Leader
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

organized labor's important place by
selecting Martin P. Durkin, Chicago
labor leader, for appointment to the
cabinet. Not bad idea at all, if the
G. o. P. is to rid itself of the anti-labor
label it has had pasted on it for too
many years. The appointment of a
friend of labor" but outside the actual
ranks of organized labor would not have
filled the bill.
OF course, Mr.. Durkin's appointment
to the cabinet does not mean that men,
bers of labor unions are going to fall
over themselves in their hurry to join
the Republican Party. The great mass of
them have been. Democrats. But if the
new Republican President-when he
even break, much may be done to wash
out a so-called class hatred that has
been fostered by Democratic leaders, in
their play for the labor vote, during the
last 20 years.
Republicans have agreed, among them
Senator Taft of Ohio, that the Taft
Hartley labor act written by the Repub-
lican 80th Congress needs amendment.
They are against repeal of the act-as
demanded by President Truman and the
labor leaders. Gen. Eisenhower is against
repeal and has said so often. His pros
pective Secretary of Labor, who went
along with his fellow labor leaders in
demand for repeal, has now come around
to the idea that amendment of the act is
all that is necessary. He may, and prob
ably will, ask for amendments that do
not conform with the ideas of Senator
Taft or President-elect Eisenhower. He
will be in position to see that the labor
side is strongly presented. That Is as it
should be.
Needs Strong Leader.
The Republican administration may
need a strong labor leader to help sell
the revised and amended Taft-Hartley
Act to organized labor-such a man as
the Secretary of Labor designate. APP
parently, Mr.. Durkin feels that he can
be of real service. After all. major
need in this country Is better relations
between labor and management. en-
tirely aside from politics.
In view of the keen personal interest
of Senator Taft in labor legislation-as
chairman Of the Labor Committee Of the
Senate-particularly the Taft-Hartley
Act, Gen. Eisenhower and his advisers
might well have consulted the Ohio
Senator in regard to the choice of Mr..
Durkin-or at least have advised him
what they had in mind to do. The Taft
outburst that the appointment of Durkin
was incredible" might have been
avoided by more tactful procedure. But
there it stands. Gen. Eisenhower will
certainly not change his plan to name
Durkin to the cabinet. And just as
certainly, if Mr. Durkin's nomination
goes to the Senate, it will be confirmed.
Indeed, Senator Taft has not gone so
far as to say he will attempt to defeat
confirmation. There has been no rush
on the part of Republican Senators to
the support of Taft in this controversy,
nor any loud shouts for Durkin's scalp.
Some of the G. o. P. leaders believe
that the Durkin appointment was wise
political stroke. It brings into the cabinet
not only representative of organized
labor but also a Democrat and a Cath
olic. Mr.. Taft objected to Durkin for
several reasons, one of which was that
Durkin was Democrat who supported
Stevenson. Yet there were plenty of
reports that Mr.. Taft himself would
appoint Democrat or two to his cabinet
If he were nominated and elected Presi-
dent-prior to the Eisenhower nomina-
ton in Chicago last July. Mr.. Taft's
idea was that, to be eligible, Democrat
must support the Republican ticket.
When the late President Franklin D.
Roosevelt appointed Republicans Stim-
son and Knox to his cabinet back in 1910.
he did not pick Republicans who had
voted for him-nor did he expect them to
vote for him in the future, nor did they.
Previous Secretaries.
When the Department of Labor was
created, President Woodrow Wilson,
Democrat appointed the late William
Beauchop Wilson as the first Secretary
of Labor. Secretary Wilson had been a
coal miner and an international Secre-
tary-treaSurer of the United Mine
Workers of America, and then a Repre-
sentative in Congress from PennSyl-
vania's coal section. When the Repub-
licans took over control of the Govern
ment in 1921, President Harding picked
James j. Davis of Pennsylvania, an iron
puddler in his youth, for his Secretary
Of Labor. For IA years prior to his ap-
pointment, Mr.. Davis had devoted all
his time to organizational work for the
Loyal Order of Moose. When Davis
was elected Senator from Pennsylvania
as Republican-he was succeeded in
the Hoover cabinet by William N. Doak,
who was also Republican-from Vir-
ginia-and an official of the Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen.
The Democrats took charge again in
1888, and President Roosevelt placed
Miss Frances Perkins, a social worker
from New York, in Office as Secretary
of Labor and kept her there for dozen
years. President Truman picked
former Senator and Federal judge, Lewis
B. Schwellenbach of Washington, for
his Secretary Of Labor, and when Sec
retary Schwellenbach died Mr.. Truman
brought Maurice Tobin, former Cover
nor of Massachusetts,, into the cabinet
in his place.
It's nothing new. therefore, for the
Republicans to have a labor union man
as Secretary of Labor - indeed, they
have better record that way than have
the Democrats. In the interest of sue
cess in dealing with labor problems of
today, it is of particular value that this
recognition of organized labor has again
been made.
Questions and Answers