Evening star., 1953-03-22
Administration to Rule
Toft-HortIey Changes
But Labor and Liberals
Will Make Hot Fight
*By Fronk R. Kent

tBy Fronk R. Kent
On Tuesday. the Senate Committee
on Labor will begin hearings on the
Taft-Hartley Act. The House Labor
Committee has had amendments to the
law under consideration for some weeks
and various persons, including the new
leader of the CIO, Walter Reuther, have
appeared before it.
It is the bill that comes from the
Senate committee instead of the House
which will pass, as now scheduled, in
July when it is planned to have Con-
greSS adjourn. There are several rea-
sons for this. One is because Senator
Taft is a member of the Senate commit
tee, though not its chairman. The chair
man is Senator H. Alexander Smith Of
New Jersey, who is expected to CO.
operate with Senator Taft and the
White House in this matter. A second
is because the House, for one reason
or another. often inserts provisions in
bill which it has every reason to
believe the Senate will reject-and
would be disappointed if it did not. A
third is because in the inevitable con-
ference committee the Senate conferees
usually carry more weight. And finsl
reason is that the Eisenhower influence
will be strongly behind the Senate
version.
1naSmuch as the Taft-Hartley Act
was one of the chief issues in the last
campaign, upon which both the plat
forms and the candidates took sharply
conflicting stands, it is likely the amend
ed bill will precipitate a heated and
prolonged fight before final action is
taken. AS to the outcome, there seems
little doubt that the Eisenhower-Taft
views will prevail. Anything else would
be absurd. Not only on this issue do
the two men now see eye to eye but
their stands during the campaign (that
TINS act was fundamentally sound, but
should be amended in certain respects)
were Identical. It will be recalled also
that the union-labor bosses. the union
LABOR propaganda machine and the full
Strength OF union labor. so far as it
could be influenced by its bosses were
against Gen. Eisenhower and in ia
vor of Gov. Stevenson.
Everything they had was used to af.
feet the vote, and so strong was the
pressure upon Gov. Stevenson that
ne wlted. Originally. his attitude was
against repeal Of the Taft Hartley Act
but IN favor Of amendments. That was
exactly the Eisenhower-Taft position.
but Mr.. Stevenson made a complete
about-face and in the end was denounc-
ing the TIL Act with a violence equal
10 that OF the MesSrS. Murray, Green.
Reuther and Lewis themselves. Also.
II Will be recalled that the election re-
suits showed these labor bosses could
not deliver the labor vote-even in the
Dig industrial States, where they were
supposed to be strongest.
X
Take it altogether and the labor
bosses made a remarkably poor show
ing in that election. They made a lot
OF noise, but exhibited weakness, not
strength. If the vote meant anything
1t meant that the country was sick
and tired Of being run by the labor
bosses who had taken control of the
Democratic Party and in any strike
no matter how critical, could count
upon the answering support of the
PRESIDENT. That support meant that.
regardless OF the merits of the con-
troVersy, the labor bosses invariably
got the bulk Of what they asked. with
the White House back of them. thew
could not lose. The damaging effect
upon the national interest of this o1-
lance has been attested by Charles +
Wilson, head of the Truman war MO
blllzation Board, who declared that the
steel strike, which Mr.. Truman aided
ana abetted, would add 20 per cent
70 tne cost OF the defense effort. besides
slowing down production. It drove Mr.
wilson, one of the best men in Wash.
ngton, out OF the administration.
Unquestionably some of the Iack ~
ammunition in Korea testified IN hv
Gen. Van Fleet can be traced In this
strike and to other stoppages in defense
plants all over the country Forner
Secretary of Defense Robert I,ovett and
otners pointed out the dangers these
entailed. but with adninistratio,
suPport they continued. A con-
SIDERABLE part Of the huge vote by which
zen. eisenhower was elected came from
people VINO resented the political tieup
between the labor bosses and the White
House. Few dispute that. The attitude
OF both the new President and Senator
iaft is not anti-union. Neither wants
TO punish the labor bosses for their
stand IN the campaign.
Neither wants to enact a punitive
law. Nevertheless. there certainly viii
be deep disappointment among millions
VINO voted for Gen. Ike If he does
not succeed in getting through Con-
gress at this session amendments that
Will take from these labor bosses the
power economically to strangle the
Nation IN a time of crisis-or at any
other time. Certainly this is one thinr
those who supported him have a right
to expect. OF course, there will be
violent opposition from the Reuthers,
the Morses, the Humphreys, from the
so-called liberal" journalists and from
left-wing organizations such as the
Americans for Democratic Action. But
the votes are there in both House and
Senate to pass such law-and they
are not all Republican votes either.