Evening star., 1955-02-20
Mergerof Labor Groups
Lacks Political Effect
Writer Sees Eisenhower Strong
With Union Members
By Fronk R. Kent


By Fronk R. Kent
Naturally, the recently consummated
merger of the two big labor organiza-
tions-the CIO and the AFL-into one
giant combination is of very great po-
litical interest. For both have been
and are-in politics up to their respec-
tive necks. In the past the bosses Of
these master unions have undertaken
to run the country politically, to die
tate to Presidents and members Of
Congress on both foreign and domestic
policies.
In the past, too, they have seemed
to have considerable success. Now
with IS million members supposedly
under single control there are those
who think they will be politically ire
sistible. They reason that if they were
politically potent when divided, now
that the CIO and AFL are united their
political potency will be doubled and
the total number of voters whom they
can control will be so great that no
candidates for national or State offices
whom they unitedly oppose can pos
sibly be elected. In brief, these labor
bosses, with almost unlimited money
for campaign purposes and their huge
propaganda machines, will become the
dominant figures in the Nation. With.
out their support and approval no one
possibly can be elected.
That is the argument. That Is the
propaganda. Also, that is the goal Of
at least some of the conspicuous men
at controls of the new organization.
But the argument is false, the propa-
ganda is not well founded and the
goal not attainable without possession
of the White House in the sense that
they had it during the Roosevelt and
Truman regimes. That may happen
again but 1t Is no more likely now than
1t was before the amalgamation. There
is plenty of proof Of this. In numerous
State elections the forces Of both CIO
and AFL have been unable to defeat
the candidates whom they opposed.
AS has often been pointed out, there
are two outstanding instances when
the united efforts Of the two organiza-
tions, plus that of John L. Lewis,
whose United Mine Workers are not
included in the amalgamation, were
signally unsuccessful. One was in 1850,
when they exerted themselves to drive
the late Senator Taft out Of public
life, the other in 1852. when all the
labor bosses united against Mr.. Eisen-
hover.
In those instances, the labor bosses
were as united as possible. Adlai
Stevenson knuckled under to them.
They were well supplied with money.
They utilized their publicity machines
to the limit. They put everything they
had into those fights and they were
humiliatingly beaten-worse beaten,
in fact, in the States and cities where
they were supposed to be strongest
than anywhere else. What this indis-
putably proved was that in politics the
rank and file of union men by no
means solidly follow their union
bosses. So clear has this been made
that fear of the disfavor of these
bosses has considerably lessened-even
among some of the most timid and
subservient politicians.
Developments since the two big or
ganizations merged have made several
things fairly certain. One is that
there will be no attempt upon the
part of the top bosses to create a
labor party here along the lines Of
the Labor Party in Great Britain.
Had they been successful in defeating
Senator Taft in 1850 and Mr.. Eisen-
hover in 1852, it is likely that move
in this direction might have been
made At least, some of the jour-
nalistic left-wingers of that period so
predicted. Now there Is no such idea.
Instead, the more or less acknowl-
edged purpose of the labor bosses who
have brought about this labor combina-
tion is to work within the Democratic
Party That is the obvious strategy.
Obviously. too, it is the only way in
which they can regain the kind Of
ascendancy they had under Roosevelt
and Truman.
Already the outstanding Democrats
have lined up with them-Adlai Steven
son. Gov. Hartman Of New York.
Senators Murray Humphrey, Lehman.
Douglas and others; also, the Demo-
cratic National Committee manage
ment and the so-called Americans for
Democratic Action. Quite clearly, the
labor bosses cannot win if they make
themselves the issue Their only
chance is to combine with the Demo-
Gratis. Exactly the same thing can
be said of the Democrats. Without
united labor support they cannot win
Or at least so they seem to think.
But twice in the last four years this
combination has proved futile in an
election. Logically. of course, If all
the is million union members land
their families), plus the Democratic
regulars. followed their leaders, there
would be nothing to it. But the
facts show they don't-and while the
labor bosses, through their publicity
equipment, are now the most violent
and virulent assailants of the Presi-
dent, they seem long way from con-
vincing the rank and file of organized
labor that Gen. Ike is either their
enemy-or. indeed, is not one Of their
real friends.