Pragmatic Pennsylvanians

To labor theoreticians, there are usually but two valid approaches to the problem of political action: 1) the historic A. F. of L. policy of rewarding its friends and punishing its enemies but keeping clear of any long-term commitments; 2) an independent political party divorced from the structure and personalities of the two old parties, with candidates of its own and a program of social regeneration. But Labor's actions in practice have often confounded the theoreticians. New York's precocious and pragmatic American Labor Party has defied neat ideological characterization by putting Democratic and Republican nominees on its ticket as well as designating candidates of its own.

Last week John L. Lewis and his political pragmatists in Pennsylvania adopted a third course which has been regarded with equal indifference by advocates of the first two: bidding for control of the Democratic Party by offering their own slate in the primaries. Gathered in Harrisburg for its first convention, the Pennsylvania Industrial Union Council (C. I. O.) unanimously endorsed the Democratic primary candidacy of Lieut.-Governor Thomas Kennedy, secretary-treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America, urged its members to enroll as Democrats and to campaign for his nomination in the May 17 primary through the State branch of Labor's Non-Partisan League.

Uselessly, the delegates, representing an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvania labor, invited A. F. of L. to do likewise. For the convention itself was a measure of how deep and bitter Labor's division had become. Last month, when William Green ordered the Pennsylvania Federation of Labor to purge itself of disloyal C. I. O. unions, abetted by its president, John A. Phillips, the Federation instead constituted itself the 18th State Industrial Union Council organized by C. I. O. At its convention last week, attended by more than 1,000 delegates representing some 500,000 organized workers mainly in the mining, steel, aluminum, flat glass, textile, rubber and electrical industries, C. I. O. stalwarts appropriated Typographer Phillips as their president, supplemented their noisy endorsement of Miner Kennedy with a sheaf of resolutions militant enough to give the jitters to Miner Green.

The pragmatic Pennsylvanians had hardly reached their homes when the A. F. of L. chief produced some pertinent pragmatism of his own. Addressing himself to all A. F. of L. affiliates, President Green damned Labor's Non-Partisan League as a ventriloquist's dummy for John L. Lewis, urged withdrawal of every form of support for it and a reaffirmation of the Federation's traditional policy of non-partisan scrutiny of all candidates-- particularly now those supported by Mr. Lewis. It appeared certain that, in rewarding its friends and punishing its enemies, A. F. of L. would regard C. I. O. labor's friends as A. F. of L. labor's enemies. Enemies of organized labor as a whole could hardly ask for more.

Meantime the Pennsylvania Democratic machine was experiencing a split of its own. Mr. Kennedy's principal opponent for the gubernatorial nomination is the regular Democratic designee, Lawyer Charles Alvin Jones of Pittsburgh. Running for the Senatorial nomination on the old line Democratic slate is Labor's good friend, Governor George H. Earle. Governor Earle's support of Lawyer Jones has cost him the backing of C. I. O. and Senator Joseph Guffey who are opposing him with Philadelphia's currently non-partisan mayor, Samuel Davis Wilson. Out of this confusion and uprooting of old friendships, those who hope to benefit most are two more friends of Labor: Gifford Pinchot, Republican candidate for Governor, and "Puddler Jim" Davis who hopes to succeed himself as Pennsylvania's Republican Senator.

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