Evening star., 1954-05-08
The Political Mill

Toft-HortIey Revision
Democrats Stund Together
In Rebuff to Eisenhower
By Gould Lincoln
The vote in the Senate recommitting
and virtually killing the administra-
tion's Taft-Hartley Act amendments
shows there are more ways of assassi-
mating cat, or bill, than choking
it to death with cream. The assassina-
tion in this case came through the
racial anti-discrimination amendments
proposed by Senators Ives and Lehman
OF New York, one Republican and the
other a Democrat. and through the So
called States rights amendment offered
by Senator Goldwater of Arizona. These
proposals drove together two wings Of
the Democratic Party in the Senate
who have diametrically opposed views.
In consequence, all the Senate Demo-
Gratis lined up to oppose the administra-
ton, and three Republicans and one
independent went along with them.
While in some quarters it will be as
serted that the Senate action was a
rebuff to President Eisenhower, and it
was, there are two outstanding and
mitigating facts. First, the Taft-Hart-
ley Act. which is hated by most of the
labor union leaders, remains the law
of the land. Second, Gen. Eisenhower
has gone through with his promise to
try to get the act amended, so that it
would be fairer to labor and to man
agement.
Democrats Satisfied.
Many of the New Deal-Fair Deal
Democratic Senators are entirely salts
fed because they want only the repeal
of the Taft-Hartley Act and return to
the old Wagner Labor Relations Act,
heavily weighted in favor of organized
labor, or amendments which would have
the same effect. They claimed in de-
bate, however, they were voting to re-
commit because Senator Smith, New
Jersey Republican, had "railroaded"
the bill out of the Senate Labor Com
mittee over protesting Democratic
members. The real fact, 1t is claimed,
is that these Democrats-who play al
ways with organized labor leaders-did
not want the administration bill to
pass. And like their allies. the labor
leaders. they want to see Taft-Hartley
and proposed repeal go into the coming
congressional campaign.
But the Southern Democratic Sena-
tors. many of whom helped to make
possible the passage of the Hart
ley Act. voted to recommit for a very
different reason. They did not want
to run the risk of having either the
Ives or the Lehman anti-discrimination1
amendment adopted by the Senate.
They are violently opposed to any pro-
posal to make discrimination because
of race or color or religion in employ
ment an unfair labor practice, either
by the unions or by management.
They do not believe that employers or
labor unions should be compelled to
employ Negroes, for example. by Fed
eral law, or by any other law. for that
matter.
Coalition Too Much.
Further, the New Deal-Fair Deal
Democrats are opposed to the so-called
States rights amendment of Senator
Goldwater, which would have the eff
feet if written into law Of turning many
labor management disputes back to the
States for handling instead of having
them handled by the Federal Govern
ment. There was the chance that this e
amendment might prevail. J'
The combination of opposing ele- =
ments was too strong. Even if all the =
Republicans had voted for the Eisen- a
hover administration bill, there would
not have been enough votes to prevent =
recommital, with all the Democrats,
plus Senator Morse Of Oregon, inde-
pendent. voting against it, because the
Democrats have today 48 Senators. the
Republicans Al, with one independent
to make up the total membership. How
ever, three Republican Senator'S, all Of
whom have been of the Eisenhower .
reservation on occasions, Joined up with
the Democrats to really sink the adj
miniStration bill by vote of so to AZ.
The three Republicans are Senators.
LANCER of North Dakota. Malone Of
Nevada and Young of North Dakota.
The unfortunate part of the matter
is that the Eisenhower amendments are
calculated to make the law fairer and
more equitable for all sides. However,
labor was opposed to some of the
amendments. and management to 9TH
ers. The bill was caught in the middle
and when the racial issue was tossed
into the battle, chances for it's passage
became very. very dim.
A Democratic President, Harry Tru-
man, was unable to obtain repeal of the
Taft-Hartley Act-though he tried
hard. So far Republican President,
Dwight Eisenhower, has had no better
luck amending the law. Too much pol
itics involved. The country has come
along despite the Taft-Hartley Act
called slave labor" act by many Of
the labor leaders. The law was passed
in the Both Congress, a Republican,
controlled Congress, but with as many
or more Democrats voting for the bill
as voted against it. Five years have
passed. No slaves yet