LABOUR LION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 205, 15 September 1937, Page 5

LABOUR LION

♦ j—** ■ i t **3" " ' " John L. Lewis, Americai Union Leader VISIONS OF PRESIDENCY2 John L. Lewis, Welsh-American Labour leader, who may be the next President of the United States, is reputed to be one of the most difficult xnen to meet in America. After negotiatiohs whieh started more than two weeks earlier in California, he welcomed »e ih his closelyguarded room in the extensive offices of the United Mine Wofkers, which is hardly more than a stone 's throw from the White House, says Trevo? WignaU in the "Daily Express." By a very considerable portion of th« population of this country Lewis lt regarded as the second most important man in America, President Eoosevelt being the first. He was standing framed in the strong light of a window when I was led into his room by his daughter Kathryn, who acts as his secretary," His profilo was magnihcent, but fvsn more so was his general leonine appear« ance. Like all men much. is tho public eye, he is a showman but, except for a voice which at tinaes neaxly barks, Lewis is gentle and extremely polite. I was with him nearly one honr, during which we talked frankly of tho ago-old struggle between capital and iabour. "My Father's Fanaticism" He was ready to answer cnost questions, but there were times when ho went into long explanations When I felt I was a public meeting he was addressing. Ingrained in him is the same sort of - fanaticism that was characteristic of iny late father, who was also a labour leader. Lewis, like my parent, thinks more often of the lowly-born than hs does of the rich, and it is obvious that bettering the lot of thqse from whoso ranks he spxang has beccime an ohseS' sion wiih him, His steely eyes are stegdy, and * euriously like Ben TUlett 's, his mop of hair is only flecked with §?eyj &nd ho seems to grow it long go that he cpn throw it about when rpused. His steely eyes are seady, and a mite cruel, while hfs mouth indicatei that if he wero knocked down he would fight in the manher of an animal. Not much more than medium height, he i» massively biiilt with enormous shoulders. His build suggests more the wrestler than the agitator. His voice is powerfnl, and although hetases little slang it has a heavy and twangy American accent. He admitted to me that although ho is constantly struggling fqr limited working hours for thg people he reprgsents, he frequently works 18 hours a day himself. Oue thing I could not get him to confess was that among his plans is § project to form an American Parliamentary Labour party on the lines of the British party/ My opinion is that at the baek of his mind Lewis has already visualised. an American Soeialistic party, that goini day he hopes he will "sway the genat*. Have (fwn Pollcs It is obviously Lewis 's dream to form a vast union of tena of million* that will embrace the whole continent of America. He, of course, will bo president— which means dictator^ He asked me many questions ahout strikes in England, and particularly about the London bus dispute. shook his head sadly when 1 explained that tho bu,s strjko terminated without one grave incident, and went on to add that while U.S. cniployers mobilised their own police and guards, and alto openly kept in stoek gas-bambs and machine guns, riots and killings were to be expected. I askea Lewis this plain question; "Do you think that the creation of the Committee for Industrial Organination aud the eft'orts ypu are admittedly making to found the greatest tradt uiuon ever ltnown will evpntiially result in a batLle between Capital and Labour that will be equivalent to civii v/ar?" Lewis, after a slight hesitation, replied: "It is impossible to give a ccsiplete answer to that, Timo alone will show. May End in ShQwdown "Those again.sfc us are fighting as desperately as we are fighting, but our progress is such that a showdowa of the kind you .indicate cannot b0 di»missed froni our reckoping. "I have the greatest admiration for the way labour i^atters are handled iu Britain, but here we are compelled to adopt dilferent methods, The fight is on without a doubt, but how it will finish is more than any man can predict," it was a smiling, generous-hearted Labour Lion who finally opened the door of his sanctum to let me out. There was nc tliing of the ferocious, screaming, embittered agitator so often depicled here as he wrung my Gand, farewelled me out with a pat On the shoulder, but I noticed that when his door was ciosed again there was a sound that suggested a key had been tumecl ora bolt sliot into place. The dozens of paraders iu his waiting-rooms are probablv still hoping for the bcst.