Evening star., 1952-09-18
Nine Top AFL Leaders
Form Special Group 10
Back Gov. Stevenson
By jones Y. Newton
Sior Siuff Correspondent

SfuT Sfuff correspondent
NEW YORK, Sept. ia ma
jority of the American Federation
of Labor's Executive Council al
ready have agreed to work for
the election Of Gov. Adlai Steven
son. it was revealed here today.
George M. Harrison, an AFL
vice president and head of the
Brotherhood of Railway Clerks,
made the announcement at the
AFL convention. Mr.. Harrison
revealed that at Gov. Stevenson's S
request he is heading up the spe-
cial labor committee to work for
the StevenSon-Sparkman ticket.
Mr.. Harrison already is chairman
lof the labor committee Of the
Democratic National Committee.
MIR. Harrison said that nine Of
the is members of the AFL execu-
tive council, the federation's gov
erning body, had agreed to serve
on the new committee. He said
lit would be made up Of 70 to 80
AFL and railroad union leaders.
Endorsement Certain.
The announcement Of Mr.. Har-
rison's made it even more certain
that the entire AFL will indorse
Gov. Stevenson's candidacy after
he addresses the convention Mon
day.
Mr.. Harrison made his an
nouncement after Gen. Dwight Eli
senhower apparently had won few,
Iif any, converts in his speech to
the convention yesterday. Mr..
Harrison described the Eisenhower
talk as very thin so far as labor
is concerned"
Mr.. Harrison said that AFL
President William Green and Sec
retary- treasurer George Meany
had not joined his new committee
only because the AFL was not
committed so far to support either
candidate.
Four Members Not Included.
However, only four other men,
bers Of the executive council had
told Mr.. Harrison it was unlikely
they would serve on his committee
They are Vice Presidents William
McFetridge. William L. HutcheSon,
Matthew Woll and Daniel j. Tobin.
Mr.. Hutcheson is a lifelong Re-
publican and is not attending the
convention for health reasons. Mr..
McFetridge has not committed
himself this time although he
supported the Republicans four
years ago.
Mr.. Woll seldom takes a political
stand. Mr.. Tobin, who in past
years has been very active in
behalf Of the Democratic Party.
has said nothing SO far in this
campaign.
Mr.. Harrison said that his new
committee was raising funds by
contributions from various labor
Leaders. Its first act. he said, would
be to rebroadcast over a national
radio network Monday night Gov.
Stevenson's speech to the con-
lVention.
Senator Lehman, Democrat-Lib-
eral. Of New York in an address
to the convention this morning
said that 'McCarthyism" is en-
dangering this Nations civil lib
critics and destroying the peoples
faith in freedom and democratic
principles.
Senator Lehman also said the
Taft Hartley Act must and will
be" repealed.
"Civil liberties include the
freedom to think. write and speak
as one pleases," the Senator said,
|" and above all to worship
God as one chooses.
NAtCS 1IuHdEys
Today, the greatest and most
immediate danger to our civil
liberties is from what we call Nc
Carthyism. The deadly and infec-
tious quality of this danger was
never so clearly demonstrated as
by the results of the Wisconsin
primary election last week."
Senator Lehman said "the Nc
Carthyites unquestionably have an
appeal. They come before the
people as super-patriots. :. They
thrive on fear, they revel in it."
Another speaker at the conven-
tion today will be Senator Morse,
Republican, Of Oregon. He ac-
icepted an 11th-hour invitation
from the AFL Executive Council