Show Inside Labor Unions Sneer At Truman Crony Bloc By Victor Riegel Its It's cronies before crusades Inthe Inthe in inthe the White House these days The labor men who expected to have Harry Truman measured for shining armor by pre-Christmas pre arc are finding their blitz balked by what they're sarcastically re referring referring referring re- re ferring to as government by crony The president is genial benial al almost almost almost al- al most hilarious with the union chiefs who come in to see him through the front and side doors Still hes he's promising nothing but that hell he'll keep his campaign promises Behind the scenes hes he's getting the same Missouri waltz from his old bunch of boys whore who're telling telling tell tell- ing him that his was a pure and simple Democratic victory victory and and theres there's no need to pay payoff off any any- body Result is that Mr Truman is relaxing and enjoying the Man bian Destiny of tales his kitchen crowd are telling him privately Political New Rich Truth is that Mr Truman is politically nouveau riche and really has no experience with real power which power which he now has for the first time The labor labo r chiefs and trained new dealers are anxious to help him organize the new congress congress because because a lot lotof lotof lotof of the Truman crowd really are babes on the Potomac But the crony crowd crO hasn't shown any intense enthusiasm over the need for the many swift technical moves required to get congress ready to steamroller presidential bills Right after the election for example the dashing Labor Secretary Maurice Tobin simply wanted to take a vacation The labor people had to scream to keep him in town and grinding away at the big job he had to do for them before congress con con- venes All AH Sorts of Plans The union chiefs have all sorts of plans They get these to the Truman lieutenants who listen but dont don't get terribly excited over what the labor lads thought would be the beginning of a second second second sec sec- ond new deal And as far as informed in informed in- in formed labor circles know no one has seriously discussed the crusade with Harry Truman himself So the president doesn't know what he wants wants except except that he now is anxious to keep everybody happy For example Mr Truman and his aids in all their speeches to labor crowds promised to make the labor department a power power- house Union audiences would whoop it up every time After election Tobin was called in and told to talk to a lot of labor leaders labor board experts and business men and prepare some some- thing Well VeIl as of now Tobin a really charming chap who ho hadn't heard much about the labor department department depart depart- ment until he was picked to head it so he could make those short snort pile riving promised promised filled campaign speeches for Mr Tru Tru- man man man-hasn't hasn't worked out a program pro- pro program gram jor for the bigger and better labor department He says it will be bigger but that's all aU Reports Confusion Contusion So one of the really expert labor lobbyists I guess you can call him who has been doing everything from trying to find apartments for new congressmen congress congress- men to hammering out a program program pro pro- gram on housing price controls and all the other things that go into a new deal revival reports that there is terrific confusion in the administration The point simply is that Mr Truman is is loaded down with promises for the crusade crusade and and the men who surround him are saying that none is needed because be- be because be be- cause the election was sublime approval of his past record and old cronies A lot of the labor men are beginnIng be be- ginning to feel that government by crony is here to stay r Copyright 1948 New York Post Corp |