Labor in America - A Convention Report
Labor in America — A Convention Report PAC Eyes the Democratic Party Reconversion and CIO Antagonisms — How Do They Affect PAC By Stephen Hill In a recent conversation with a political writer,...
...Autonomy will grow...
...Hut this is certain: The CIO is opposed to a third party...
...CIO leaders know this—so why set up a new party whose votes ran be counted ? But, even with its actual strength hidden by the overell Democratic total, PAC will be tested...
...Some have predicted that the PAC will attempt to rapture the Democratic Party...
...Rut the CIO as sn orgsnixstion is not s homogeneous bloc...
...Neither Murray nor Hillman, it should be noted, permit Communists to hold office in their unions...
...Marcantonio can thumb his noso at Hillman—and has...
...The ALP nominated many camouflaged Communist candidates in the past election...
...The Michigsn political story is about the same—except that there is no doubt that the Detroit PAC swung the state to Mr...
...Leaders of the party-line dominated New York City CIO Council have officially backed regular Communist candidates in recent city elections...
...Where the AFL men—the kind that refused to back Wagner— were willing to break pretzels and guzzle beer with the back-room*" boys, the CIO lads will be agitating for some bill or other, or ringing door bells during city elections, or insisting on the nomination of their own officials...
...The war workers may not turn out to register and vote...
...In many states the Democratic Party will be forced to listen...
...It wants a share in political power equal to its ability to deliver blocs of votes in districts where these votes can swing cities and states...
...But he won...
...Regional directors who now are powerful may lose their strength as workera hit the road again...
...If the PAC does this snd continues the practices begun in the three months prior to November 7, its headquarters in every state outside of New York will continue to be the liaison center for the liberals who formed the many independent Roosevelt committees...
...Yet the CIO plan* to keep its distrirt-by-dislrict clubhouse orgsnixstion snd is making plsns for the 1946 Congressional elections...
...For example, in Ohio the PAC backed Cleveland's Mayor Frank Lausche...
...They might not elect the liberal candidates...
...Also, it will continue to finance many local Democratic candidates...
...Local CIO papers have bitterly assailed the Liberals...
...Wallace in '48...
...It has already happened in Jersey City and New York...
...It will make little difference that PAC votes will be merged with those of the regular party...
...However, Mr...
...In Los Angeles, for example, and in San Francisco, where Communist Harry Bridges is bossv the PAC will attempt to elect Communists...
...Liberals elsewhere will ask why the PAC is not building a third party, why it is operating inside the framework of a major party which it cannot capture...
...Stephen Hill, veteran labor commentator, draws the picture here...
...The national office may lose some of its powers...
...Labor in America — A Convention Report PAC Eyes the Democratic Party Reconversion and CIO Antagonisms — How Do They Affect PAC By Stephen Hill In a recent conversation with a political writer, Sidney llillman allegedly said: "Why don't you join us (the PAC...
...So did eight congressional candidates endorsed by the PAC...
...4"VlL indications point to an effort by CIO led groups to nominate Wallace for President in 1948...
...He also controls the Communists who run the local CIO council—which, in effect, is the locsl PAC...
...There is no reason Here in New York the locsl PAC plans to first destroy the new non-Communist Liberal Pari...
...To do this, the PAC must solidify its organizations in various states and work closely with and seek to influence the Democratic Party machines...
...In cities which have established smoothly operating political machines, PAC will make its deals with the old-line party chiefs...
...Here to think thst they will not use the PAC for the same purpose...
...War renters will be demobilized...
...ThE character of PAC will change during the next years...
...In other words, the CIO doesn't want a big, friendly political boss...
...These tactics will inevitably drive the New York Liberals away from the PAC, and the national office will be blamed for not controlling-its subordinates— when actually it can't because of the election lawi...
...The afl became part of the machine...
...the local PAC organization is tied to the Communistdominated American Labor Party which, in turn, ha, made deals with a group of Tammany leaders who have been accused ef being dominated by racketeers, Representstive Vito Marcantonio, as boss of the American Labor Party, can make whatever deals he wuhei...
...The difference will be in pac's militancy...
...What this adds up to is a gradual shifting of the pac into the Democratic Party...
...In other areas, such as Detroit and Los Angeles, where the huge concentration of cio workers makes the pac a power in Democratic ranks, the PAC leaders will become both cio and Democratic clubhouse bosses...
...It ia also generally opposed to the strengthening of such minor parties as the newly successful New York Liberal Party...
...All this will be reflected in the PAC...
...In some states, such as Minnesota, where it bolstered the Democratic (FarmerLabor) Party, it will be the back hone of a new Democratic Party made up of former minority organizations and liberals...
...For whether or not the PAC actually delivered the votes it claims it did—it is generally conceded that the CIO was powerful in such states as Ohio and Michigan...
...Indeed, the Communists in the CIO slready have begun to attsck the Liberal organization...
...Or local .PAC leaders may become involved in a series of district deals...
...The PAC will remain a political power in these industrial states so long aa it backs successful candidates...
...The national office here in New York will not have the facilities to watch closely all its regional and sub-regional headquarters...
...Except for one or two reports of second-hand impressions of what Philip Murray and llillman are saying privately, there have been no definite signs from the PAC leaders of what CIO plans to do with its widely acclaimed machine...
...There will be no Roosevelt In 1940, no driving central force around which to rally the CIO's members...
...In the past few weeks virtually all political commentators have dipped into the profundity with which they believe themselves equipped and have predicted the future of the political machine which the CIO whipped into shape during the recent presidential campaign...
...There are militant forces within the United Auto Workers who will push for a far-reaching social program, and the conservative forces, led by the Teheran Communists, who favor appeasement of Big Business...
...The same situation will occur in New York...
...There is the hostility between the regular labor men and the Communists...
...The PAC need no more capture these Democratic machines than the afl city crowds captured Tammany or Hague or Chicago Boss Kelly...
...PAC's only answer can be a successful invasion of the Democratic Party—for if it fails, it will have lost the Liberals and the professional politicians as well...
...This will happen in Chicago...
...So, the Democratic Party isn't going to take any chances on .hanging its luck...
...The AFL fought the big, blackhaired Lincolnesque chap...
...Roosevelt...
...And just as there are regional rebel strikes, there will be regional smelly deals...
...He controls the A LP's legal rights under the tleetios law...
...Others have written that the PAC will attempt to become the balance of power in Congressional Districts, and so give CIO veto power over the nominations of the major parties...
...The last edition of the CIO New*, published in Washington allegedly, under the watchful eye of Philip Murray himself, damned the Liberals...
...llillman did not explain just where he and the PAC were going...
...we're really going places now...
...The Republicans also lost 30 seats in the state legislature, along with the office of Lieutenant Governor...
...This is true, too, in Wisconsin, where the Progressive Party is rapidly disappearing...
Vol. 27 • December 1944 • No. 48
