The Chicago star., July 03, 1948, Star Edition, Image 1

About The Chicago star. (Chicago, Ill.) 1946-1948

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The Chicago
Published
Weekly
Vol. 3. No. 27
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FIVE GAVELS wore not enough to win for the lUittOM Repub
lican* and keynoter Got. Green.
Brickbats in June;
Bouquets in Nov.?
By CARL HIRSCH
HELL hath no fury like an
oud-foxed old fox named
Coi. Robert R. McCormick. •
“ But it took four days for his
apoplexy to simmer down to
the point where he could burst
out in print over the beating
he and his boys took at Phila
delphia last week.
Monday's editions of the Chi
cago Tribune carried the en
raged Colonel's inside account
of the "sordid story" of the Re
publican convention.
* * *
HIS story tells of the "double
dealing, broken promises and
political double-crossing,” and
reflects his deep disappoint
ment at the GOP’s failure to
choose the reactionary Taft
over the equally - reactionary
Dewey.
This weak, the Illinois Demo
cratic delegation promised to
"do a McCormick" at Phila
delphia by backing brass-hat
Eisenhower in the face of the
obvious determination of the
Democratic Party tc commit -
suicide with Truman.
In both old parties, in fact,
Chicago politicians stack up
about the same as do the Cubs
and Sox in both major leagues.
“We’ve got our candidates
and we’re stuck with ’em,”
seems to be the main Illinois
slogan.
• * *
BUT when such violent fam
ily quarrels break out in the
old party ranks, it’s a good idea
to stick close to the keyhole and
learn how corrupt old line poli
tics really is.
In a piece Monday signed by
Walter Trohan, most adroit of
Colonel’s trained seals, Dewey’s
nomination was revealed to be
the product of “a crisscross of
sinister influences.”
“Most important of these was
the long arm of Wall Street,”
said the Tribune, which speaks
for a somewhat competitive
branch of American reaction.
"Under a cloud of fear, Dewey
forces were able to blilx the
«^§^66
convention," the Tribune dis
closed, "the Deweyites filled
rooms with smoke and dele
gates and began making prom
ises for votes."
* * *
THE COLONEL lambasted
Sen. Martin of Pennsylvania,
who, he said, sold out for the
secretary of defense post in the
Dewey cabinet.
He uncorked a haymaker at
Rep. Everett Dirksen of Peoria,
who was promised an ECA job,
and at James S. Kemper, a fel
low leader with McCormick of
the pro-fascist American Action
Inc. Kemper, who was named
national GOP treasurer this
week, was promised the post of
Secretary of the Treasury.
But the wildest Tribune
swing was aimed at Stassen.
The man who McCormick had
picked as Taft’s running mate
was charged with “the biggest
double cross of all.”
* * *
STASSEN was described as
“the first man to make money
running for President.”
"He raised a campaign fund
that went above $1,000,000 . . .
he sold books, magazine articles
and delivered lectures—for a
price—to make a good thing of
campaigning."
The article even took a veiled
whack at Gov. Green who went
as far toward Dewey as the
Colonel’s leash would let him.
“There was some weakening in
the (Illinois) delegation for per
sonal ambition,” the Trib re
ported.
* * *
THE BIG question in Illinois
political circles this week was
this: What happens as Novem
ber approaches?
Will Democratic County
Chairman Jacob Arvey be
plumping for the haberdasher
whom he said couldn’t possibly
win?
And will the Colonel be en
dorsing Dewey, the man he has
been hitting with everything
but the Old Water Tower?
I
„ the people’s viewpoint
“ ww
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o
cn
o, July 3.1948
Pa< union convention:
Balk 'right
wing sweep
-Helstein aids win majority on Board
By RALPH IZARD
Ralph Helstein was re-elected president of the United Packinghouse Workers Union
here this week at a convention in which the union’s right-wingers had hoped to seize con
trol.
Eight of the 14 members of the
new executive board were also
elected as Helstein supporters.
The union's right wingers had
hoped so unseat Helstein by
saddling him with personal
blame for the loss of the recent
strike against the Big Four pack
ers.
* * *
ALTHOUGH the margin was
close, the convention elections
were actually a re-affirmation of
support for the militant leader
ship which has marked the
UPWA among the most progres
sive unions in the nation.
The elections served notice of
“No retreat!” to the packing
companies with whom contracts
expire on August 11.
All five of the top officers and
four of the district directors
chosen ran as progressives. Fred
Dowling of the Canadian Dis
trict was chosen both vice-presi
dent and district director.
• * *
HAROLD Nielson, a progres
sive from Cudahy Local 40 in
Milwaukee, was elected to suc
ceed Herb March as director of
District 1. March had resigned,
Celebrate the Chicago Star's 2nd Birthday
at our Picnic on Sunday, July 4 (See Page 8)
★ Edition
Helstein
refusing to sign the Taft-Hartley
affidavit.
Meyer Stern was unanimously
re-elected director of District 3,
having agreed to sign the affi
davit.
* * *
RUNNING to succeed himself,
Ralph Helstein, president of the
union, rolled up 683 votes to the
Five Cento
527 scored by his opponent,
Sve n d Godfredson, who has
served as editor of the union’s
newspaper.
Only two of the three vice
presidencies were contested, Fred
W. Dowling, District 10 (Canada)
director, being unopposed for the
third. Frank Ellis succeeds him
self as a vice-president rolling up
648 votes. The other vice-presi
dency was taken by Russell Las
ley, of Waterloo, la., with 624
votes.
Philip Weighlman, of Chicago,
who was a candidate to succeed
himself as vice-president, could
register only 591 votes. Another
defeated candidate was Arthur
Kamfert. acting director of Chi
cago's District 1, who got only
563 votes.
* » *
EARLIER, during discussion of
the national strike in packing,
Weightman had attempted to
stampede the convention into
“cleaning house.” In apparent ex
pectation of securing the office
for himself, he called upon Hel
stein to resign as president, and
appealed to the delegates to fol
low the political line laid down
(See page 4)