| Show j La Labor t May May Decide Decide Ld NY t Y Vote I V U V. 4 4 r i i r 4 y Z v t J f n t tU 1 By BRUCE CATTON Ano Another In U IL S. S tour series by Bruce Catton NEW YORK In YORK In the old days you began every political analysis analysis an an- in New York by asking what Tammany Hall was going to do Nowadays you OU begin by asking what the American Labor Labor La La- bor party is up to That doesn't mean that Tammany Tammany Tam Tam- many ninny Is dead or that the Labor party rules the roost It does mean that an 2 change has taken taken tak taka p en place Some of ot TamI Tammany Tammany's Tam Tam- many's many decline I Is Js due to population population 4 lation laUon shifts which have made Manhattan Manhat- Manhat t tan a n fl T a m- m many's one big stron n g h o 0 1 I de d d- d y e c compare compare- 0 m in P par a r ab a- a b- b 4 ely less leu Important important im Im- un- un in the Catton city's pol politics J t Ics Some ome of it is U due to the new deal When the federal government went into the direct relief boll boil n ness nell M. M It robbed Tammany of ot an Important prop While White all of this was happening happen happen- ing leaders of organized labor were putting together a political politics machine to help President Roosevelt In iii in inthe the election n. n Elsewhere the Roosevelt pro-Roosevelt work was done through Labors Labor's Partisan Non-Partisan league In New NewYork NewYork NewYork York an outright labor party was formed and In the 1936 election election election elec elec- tion it gave Roosevelt votes v I rut Put LaGuardia Over Oter The organization was then made permanent In 1937 It rolled up votes for Mayor May May- or LaGuardia bringing about his reelection and demonstrating that In New York City the new nv party actually held the balance of ot power Republican n and Democratic strength was close dose enough to tob b being ng evenly divided that those those- odd Labor party votes could Issue This was proved pro again agam last fall when Governor Governor Gov Coy Lehman reelected reflected by the narrow margin of ot votes was given by the Labor party So while Tammany out Tammany out of ot power In New York and In bad bed with the new administration tion tion languishes languishes for lack Jack of patronage which Is it thus added to all its ils further other wo woes s. s the Labor party part occupies ples an extremely important important im im- Im- Im portent position And it will go godown godown godown down the line for President nt Roosevelt or any other satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satis factory new deal candidate next year ear 4 Which may easily mean that New York will go Democratic in the 1940 40 presidential election Rejected Mayor l Candidate Mayor LaGuardia recently sought to throw the party's support support sup sup- port to William Horlands Herlands for the post of district attorney of Kings county Brooklyn Scandals have clustered about the controlling controlling con con- trolling Democratic machine there is an able man formerly chief assistant to Thomas E. E Dewey in Manhattan But the Labor party refused to toll follow ow the mayor Indorsing Instead in instead instead In- In stead Magistrate Charles Solo Solo- mon The disagreement reflects the fact that La Guardias Guardia's prime concern Is to break the power of the New York Democratic machine machine machine ma ma- chine and the Labor party is thinking primarily In terms of national politics politic Party leaders leaden figure that they must not do anything now to build up Republican Re Re- publican strength which In the 1040 campaign would be used against the new deal In reaching ng that decision the thc these o leaders leaden were thinking prin prin- of Dewey They believe that with any other candidate running against a n new dealer the vote ote in New York will be beet et even en en enough enouch so that their votes vote will bring about a new deal victory |
