The New Force

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Last week P.A.C. backed a sure thing, Boston's handsome Mayor Maurice Tobin for the Democratic nomination for Governor in Massachusetts. Tobin won a thumping victory, which proved nothing about P.A.C., but in central Massachusetts P.A.C. lost in its attempt to unseat Congressman Philip J. Philbin. In the labor-conscious state of Washington, most of its candidates came out on top in the Democratic primaries. An active, aggressive left-winger named Hugh de Lacy won out over seven other Democratic candi dates for Congress. In an earlier election, P.A.C. was very helpful to ex-WLB Member Wayne Lyman Morse, a Republican, in an unexpected triumph over bumbling, ex-isolationist Senator Rufus Holman in Oregon.

Generally, P.A.C. has not squandered its money and effort in places where it had little chance of success. But it did all it could, which was not enough, to oust Massachusetts' egregious Congressman James Michael Curley.

P.A.C.'s real test will come on Nov. 7.

Even then, unless the election is very close, its actual national strength will be difficult to gauge. This will be all right with Strategist Hillman. For his first task is to establish P.A.C. as a threatening force, to which Congressmen and politicos in both parties must pay attention.

$3,000,000. Under the Smith-Connally law, which forbids union contributions to final election campaigns, but not to primaries, P.A.C. paid money directly to its favorites' primary campaigns. To date, it has spent $300,000 (mostly for salaries and printing), which it considers a mere drop in the bucket. In its treasury is another $400,000 contributed by powerful C.I.O. unions.

The P.A.C. technique for the campaign now beginning is different. Here C.I.O. drops out, and P.A.C.'s new National Citizens Committee will handle the funds.

This group hopes to collect and spend up to $3,000,000, the legal limit. This will be raised by passing the hat and by making appeals in newspaper advertisements. But just to make sure, P.A.C. has passed down word that it expects at least $1 from each C.I.O. member. A slogan already in vogue : "A Buck for Roosevelt." Most of this money will indeed go for the re-election of Franklin Roosevelt, for P.A.C.'s main strength will be thrown into the Fourth Term effort.

These were some of the reasons why Sidney Hillman is one of the most important men in Chicago this week. The gentle, chronically ailing labor leader is not a delegate to the convention; he is not even a registered Democrat. But behind the scenes his power is great.

Nothing Highfalutin. P.A.C. was formed at a C.I.O. executive committee meeting in July 1943. The Smith-Connally bill had just been passed; antilabor Congressmen were riding high & hard. Organized labor, its name blackened by John Lewis' four wartime strikes, was under attack from every quarter. And labor was angry at Franklin Roosevelt: his War Labor Board had stopped every drive for higher wages.