Evening star., 1953-10-11
Calm, od-Humored Mitchell
Above Criticism by Anyone
Labor Secretary
"A Good Guy, Says
Union Spokesman
By james Y. Newton

1OunQ nlmSelf a secretary OF
Labor in burly and Irish James
Paul Mitchell who apparently is
as much above criticism as any
public official could be.
If there is anything for admin
iStraUion enemies to shoot at in
the background of the calm.
good -humored, Mr.. Mitchell it
hasn't bobbed up. And, if he has
any enemies, people who have
known him over the years don't
know them.
Organized labor, feeling rather
bitter these days toward the Els
enhower administration, un-
doubtedly would have liked to
have looSed some blasts at the
new Labor Secretary. But typ
ical Of the comment of the labor
people was that of a spokesman
for the American Federation Of
Labor.
I'VE can't say anything good
= about him because he is an en-
ployers' man." he said, in ex-
planning the AFL's official mo
comment" following announce
ment of the Mitchell appoint
ment. "And we can't say any,
thing bad about him because
he is a good guy"
Expert on Personnel.
BY employers man" the
AFL spokesman meant that
Mr.. Mitchell, who will be SO on
November IL, had spent most of
his adult years on management'S
side Of the bargaining table
dealing with unions. He is
recognized as an expert on per-
sonnel and labor relations and
on Government manpower prob
lens.
He saw lengthy service with
the Western Electric Co., and
with r. H. Macy & Co., and
later as vice president in
charge of labor relations and
personnel at Bloomingdale'S
store in New York. He also
has had extensive Government
service and, at the time of his
appointment as Labor Secretary.
was assistant Secretary of the
Army in charge of the man
power and reserve forces affairs.
While some reports described
as "cool" the reaction of union
leaders to the Mitchell appoint
ment, actually it wasn't. The
AFL reaction already was men
toned. CIO President Walter
P. Reuther was warm in his
praise, and those labor officials
who kept quiet could think of
nothing unfavorable to say. The
fact is that all of the union
people who know Mr.. Mitchell
like him both personally and
professionally.
He is not so much the marked
man" as was his predecessor in
the cabinet post, Martin P.
Durkin, who quit a month ago,
charging Gen. Eisenhower had
broken a promise to recommend
certain changes in the Taft
Hartley Law to Congress Mr.
Durkin was president of the
AFL Plumbers Union and has
returned to that job. Before ap-
pointment. he had worked for
repail of Taft-Hartley. A life
long Democrat, he also had
worked to defeat Gen. EiSen-
hover. He had at least a
couple of strikes on him when
he took the job and he had few
happy moments in the ensuing
months.
Silent on Taft-HartIey.
Mr.. Mitchell says he has never
expressed himself, at least pub
licly, on the controversial Taft
Hartley labor relations law, and
he acts as if he won't express
himself publicly for some time.
Friends describe him as a
middle of -the-roader so far as
the law is concerned. He recog-
nizeS, they add, that the law can
be improved, but doesn't believe
it needs so drastic an over
hauling as Mr.. Durkin did.
Mr.. Mitchell believes strongly
in unions and the right of indi-
vidual workers to band together
and bargain collectively with
employers. He outlined his
views on those subjects few
years ago in talk to the Ameri-
can Management Association.