_ WASHINGTON, D. C.—Organ- ?, ized labor romped away with the honors for the greatest news story of the present campaign when John L, Lewis recently took the _ microphone to blast what he charged is the war program of President Franklin Delano Roose- velt and to endorse his Republican opponent, Wendell Willkie. A tremendous volume of support for the October 25th national radio speech of CIO President John L. Lewis on the presidential elections was revealed by an analysis of the thousands of telegrams received in Lewis’ office after the speech was delivered. Out of some 5,000 wires received, less than ten per cent were unfav- orable. The wires came from people in all walks of life, with a notably heavy proportion from labor union- ists, professional and small business people, and Negro, youth and old age pension groups. The largest volume of favorable responses among union groups was from members and officers of the United Mine Workers of America. District leaders in Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Maryland, Washington, Ten- nessee, Colorado, Kentucky and an- thracite and bituminus districts of Pennsylvania, were among the first to wire their wholehearted support of Mr. Lewis’ stand, and there were hundreds of wires from local unions in these and all other districts to the same effect. 3 : Bertel J. McCarty, secretary-treasurer of the International Woodworkers of Am- erica, wired that “the IWA has full con- fidence in the ability and leadership of John L, Lewis. Organized labor and the THE B.C. LUMBER WORKER November 13, 1940 ive Thousand Telegrams Praise ewis’ Stand Rietinst Roosevelt The Lewis Speech In the historical talk which John L. Lewis made to the American people October 25, the president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations made not one speech, but two. In both he made distinct contributions to the political development of labor and the common people which will bear fruit long after the sound and fury of the sham battle between Messrs. Roosevelt and Willkie becomes merely another inglorious page in American history. John L. Lewis in the first of his twin-speeches earned the gratitude of the people for performing a long needed job of political surgery. Wielding razor- edged facts as a scalpel he laid bare the cancerous growth of war and economic disaster which the administration is seeking so desperately to cover with 2 poultice of words about the now departed New Deal. While in his second tallc he offered the people a bottle of colored watered utility stock labeled “Wendell Willkie,’ the circumstances which impelled a.recourse to this nostrum, serves a politically useful purpose, Nothing could more compellingly call the attention of the people to the truth that the cure for war, unemployment and starvation in a midst of plenty lies within their own organizations and not in the snake oil being hawked so lustily by Dr. Tweedledee and Dr, Tweedledum. The bill of particulars presented by John L. Lewis in his indictment of the Roosevelt administration, cannot be effectively answered by the most de- voted partisan of the man who once championed and then murdered the pro- gram known as the New Deal. In one stinging sentence Mr. Lewis called national attention to a question which smolders in the minds of millions. “Where now,” he asked, “are the tears for the ill-fed, ill-housed and ill-clothed?” | The answer is, of course, that there are no tears. The administration has not kept the promise it made to the American people in 1936 when it declared it welcomed the opposition of the “malefactors of great wealth” and was swept into power by the votes of 27,000,000 people who believed what they were told. Every lumberworker knows that Mr. Lewis spoke the truth when he said that the administration has not only miserably failed to solve the unemploy- ment problem but that it is not even trying. Instead the American people are getting a “guns, not butter’ program which will bring all the misery and suffering to the United States that it has brought to the people of Europe. The truth may be bitter but it cannot be denied. The administration has failed to solve the problem of making it possible for the millions of people in the richest nation in the world to get adequate food, shelter and clothing. Now it is adopting what Mr. Lewis so aptly describes as the “device of the politically despairing and intellectually bankrupt statesman.” The rulers of Germany, Italy and Japan told their people they could not afford bread and it is giving them death and misery brought about through the expenditure of untold wealth. The International Woodworkers of America applauded Mr. Lewis for bring- Ing the real issue of the present campaign to the attention of the people. In doing so he has made a contribution to the peaceful and orderly solution of the economic problems, which cannot be solved but only intensified by a furtherance of Roosevelt's recent policies. The statement of John L. Lewis that his continuing as the invaluable leader of the CIO rests upon the outcome of thé presidential campaign should alarm every member of the CIO. As the most forceful and courageous champion of the CIO program, Lewis, more than any other ‘one individual, has been responsible for the economic and legislative achievements made by organized labor over the past few years. Regardless of who is elected President of the United States and sits in the White House during the next four years, the work and the struggles of the CIO will continue. The presidential election is but an incident—not the be- ginning or the end—in the career of the CIO. The great work in furthering the program of the CIO will not be done on an election day. Xt will be done in the weeks, months and years that fol- SUPPORT PLEDGED TO BAKERY UNION The Bakery & Confectionery Workers Int'l Union of America, Local No. 468, at their general meeting held on Satur- day, Nov. 2, set up a committee to deal with any eventuality that might drise as a result of the arbitration hearings now in progress with the Master Bakers’ Association. The Union is asking for a 10% increase in wages along with a de- mand for extra night work compensa- tion. The Rennie & Taylor company in Vic- toria, a subsidiary of Weston’s Bread & Cakes Ltd., recently rejected the major- ity award of the Board of Arbitration set up to enquire into wages and work- ing conditions at that plant. The Woman’s Bakery strike which re- sulted owing to the refusal of the com- pany to accept an award of a Board of Arbitration under the chairmanship of Judge J. C. McIntosh in 1938, was the first experience that Local 468 had with the present LC.A, Act. Also in 1938 the Union was party to a private Board of Arbitration which also gave no material gains to the bakers and left the wage scale at the present low rate for journeymen. This Union is determined that there shall be no repetition of these experi- ences at this time and have made all the necessary preparations. Speakers from a number of unions attended the meeting and pledged the support of their organizations to their bakers in their present attempt to better conditions for the bakery workers in this city. A dele- gate from the Housewives League of B.C. was also present, and a pledge of support was received from the I.W.A. B,C. District Council. In this instance the Union applied for the Conciliation Commissioner on April 15, The award was handed down on Sept. 3rd, 1940, and it was not until Oct. 23 that the Union was notified that the company refused to accept the award. ALBERNI WORKERS... for QUALITY, VALUE, SERVICE — try — UTTERSTROM'S MEN'S WEAR Argyle Street Port Alberni DENTISTS “LLEWELLYN Dr. R. Douglas Phone SEy. 5577 American people, their needs, their rights|| tow, and it must not be hampered by the resignation of John L, Lewis. 5 Cornea "and desires have been forgotten by the Peta iioniain: Richards and Hastings Roosevelt. administration.” 0 Sa> 0) a> 0 ©) GD 0 GauD 0 GED OGD 0 GED 0 GTDC =. - al 1-Jewel Elgin Watch, by arrangement with “London Jewelers” Ladies’ or Gents’ $35.00 Suit, by arrangement with “Kirks Clothes” : by arrangement with “Clarkson's Ltd.” Fifty Dollars Cash 5th Prize... 6th Prize . 7th Prize ... Radio, ...Pair of Johnson’s Logger Boots by arrangement with “W. Johnson” by arrangement with “The Hub” a GOOD MUSIC and REFRESHMENTS ver Embassy Ballroom - Friday, Dec. 27, 1940 a A Little Bit of Scotch -Gent’s $5.50 Hat, OED 0 GED © GED ()