Evening star., 1953-01-13


necticut avenue at Eighteenth
and M streets NV. just north
of the Mayflower Hotel. The
board room is paneled with wal
nut. as Somber yet opulent as
that Of a bank-no pictures on
the walls, just the long table and
rows of leather upholstered
chairs and Mr.. Durkin's desk
with a few papers on it forming
a T at the end.
His moving into the big room
was merely a matter of utilizing
space that otherwise would be
wasted. When he leans back in
his big chair. his feet sometimes
leave the foor-but he is not q
short man. He is five feet eight
and one-half inches tall. He
weighs close to 200 pounds but
he is broad rather than fat. His
iron gray hair with a bit of q
wave to it is combed straight
back over his broad, square
brow. He still gives the impress
sion of physical strength al
though he hasn't had to bend q
pipe for years. His eyes are blue
and there's an occasional sug-
gestion of the Irish in his talk.
(His father was born in Sligo;
his mother in RoScommon.)
A Modest Man.
You soon find he isn't a man
to talk about himself. although
anyone who came up through
the labor unions in Chicago
must have stories to tell. You
remember what someone told
you: Il don't believe Marty Dur
kin has raised his voice in 80
years."
"Oh, yes" he said in answer
to an unexpected question, I've
been in some fist fights. Any boy
who grew up in the yards was
bound to get in some. But I've
never had a physical fight in
connection with my union ac-
tivities."
The world changed for Martin
Durkin-at least the immediate
future-before Gen. Eisenhower
went to Korea. Mr.. Durkin came
back to his Office from lunch one
day to find that a man named
Brownell in New York was trying
to reach him on the telephone.
This is Herbert Brownell," the
man said when the call was put
through, do you know who
amp"
Mr.. Durkin said of course he
did and to make sure asked the
caller if he was the Attorney
General-designate. He was.
Mr.. Brownell suggested that If |
it would not be too inconvenient,
that Mr.. Durkin should come to
New York and talk to the gen.
eral
That caused a moments si-
lence and then Mr.. Durkin asked:
Mr.. Brownell, do you know
who I am?" ..
An Affiliated Democrat.
AS Senator Taft pointed out
later he had campaigned for
Adlai Stevenson and for repeal
Of the Taft-Hartley law. He
was an affiliated Democrat.
He is a little sensitive about |
the naive remark attributed to
him after the appointment was
announced that "he guessed he
would have to affiliate Repub-
ncan now."
After all, one of his values to
the incoming administration is
that he is Democrat.
He feels he was misquoted.
What he meant to say was that
he would vote for Eisenhower
next time.
Who suggested him remains q
mystery. When George Meany,
now head of the AFL, called on
Gen. Eisenhower, the only sug-
gestion made to the general was
that, just as he would appoint |
q businessman to Commerce and
a man of related experience to
Agriculture. he appoint a union |
leader to Labor. The general
said something about getting in
the middle between the AFL and
the CIO and Mr.. Meany assured
him he would be the first to con-
gratulate the general if a good |
CIO man was appointed and that |
he believed the CIO attitude |
would be the same. Mr.. Meany |
did not mention any names. The |
general suggested a few possi-