Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-01
LABOR
Continued From First Page

Lewis to the CLIO, demanding re-
payment of $l,665,0 in what
Mr.. Lewis described as unpaid
loans his United Mine Workers
made to the CLIO in it's organ
izing days of the late 1930s.
Although Mr.. Lewis is re-
garded generally as the father"
Of the CLIO and in the past has
been a major figure in the AFL
as well. his UNIV has not been
invited, nor has it sought to join,
the new AFL-CIO. Relations be-
tween the bushy-browed miners
chief and the leaders Of the AFL
and CLIO have been cold for
some years.
The "dunning" note to CLIO
Secretary-Treasurer James B.
Carey was signed by John
Owens. who holds the same post
with the UNIV, but the prose
was Enthusiastically that of Mr..
Lewis. The letter demanded re-
payment of the huge amount
since you (Mr. Carey are now
in the process of liquidating the
Congress of Industrial Organi-
cations" The reference to
liquidation" rubbed sore spot
on some CLIO leaders.
Mr.. Carey replied directly to
Mr.. Lewis. He said tartly that
the CLIO is not being liquidated
and that the organization owes
the UNIV no money.
You have achieved" Mr..
Carey told Mr.. Lewis sarcas-
tically. "the monetary ripple of
publicity which you sought to
relieve the boredom of your iso-
lation from the democratic
labor movement.
"As the president of the sec
ond largest bank in Washington
can tell you this publicity is
worth easily $1.665, 000."
A postscript to the Carey note
said, Il trust that you enjoy
reading the CLOS book on 20
years of constructive CLIO
achievements, which I have sent
to you by your own courier"
The book, not yet released by
the CLIO, was said to play down
Mr.. Lewis role in reorganizing
workers in the steel and automo-
bile industries and to play up his
subsequent break with the organ
ization he founded. Mr.. Lewis
gave up the presidency of the
CLIO when its members refused
to go along with his support of
Wendell Willkie in 1910.
On the program for the first
day of the CLOS last convention
was pageant depicting the his
tory Of the organization, starring
Actor Melvyn Douglas and 9TH
ers. Significantly, there was no
John L. Lewis" in the show.
Political Move Seen
Labor leaders interpreted Mr.
Eisenhower decision to address
the AFL-CIO convention directly
as meaning the President had
lined up with those Republicans
who believe the party should try
to court" labor for the 1856
campaign. Chief among those
who hold that view is Secretary
of Labor James P. Mitchell.
Some of the other Republican
leaders. notably Senator Gold
water of Arizona, have charged
that labor leaders are raising
huge funds to capture control OF
the Democratic Party and the
government.
A few voices are expected to
be raised against the merger
agreement, including those OF
Michael Quill, president of the
CLIO Transport Workers, and
Woodruff Randolph, head of the
AFL International Typograph-
zeal Union. They, and few
others, favor changes in the con-
st!tution proposed for the ALL
CLIO, which. as it stands. they
say, would enable big unions to
go5ble up little ones.
But leaders Of the AFL and
CIO said there can be no changes
IN the constitution now and thai
ell proposals for changes will b.