National Affairs: Red Hunt

New York’s Senator Royal S. Copeland is a self-dedicated friend of the working man who is regarded by Labor with much suspicion. His particular jurisdiction is seafaring men, which he claims by virtue of his chairmanship of the Senate Commerce Committee. For the past two months he has held hearings on proposals made by Joseph P. Kennedy in his monumental report on U. S. shipping (TIME, Nov. 22) to amend the Maritime Act. Most controversial of the proposals is special maritime labor legislation modeled on the Railway Labor Act. Last week Dr. Copeland succeeded in stirring up a first-class row.

In the hearings, Senator Copeland has heard from the Secretary of Labor Perkins and her enemy, Joe Kennedy (see p. 77), has heard the proposals roundly condemned by labor-men who fear restrictive legislation. But Dr. Copeland has succeeded best of all in turning his hearings into a rousing Red hunt. Indeed, he got so far afield that last fortnight his Committee voted out a resolution asking a special $50,000 Senate investigation of Reds on everything afloat, “merchant marine, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy.”

But the chief quarry of Senator Copeland’s hunt was one specific “Red”: Harry Bridges, the Australian-born leader of Pacific Coast longshoremen. Harry Bridges’ papers are in good order but like any alien he may be deported if he advocates overthrow of the Government by force. Therefore, Senator Copeland set out to prove he was a militant member of the Communist Party. Though most labor observers believe Bridges hews close to the Communist Party line, he denies being a party member. Dr. Copeland claims, however, that Mr. Bridges is in fact a member under the name of ”Harry Dorgan” (Dorgan was his mother’s maiden name).

To Harry Bridges’ request for a hearing Senator Copeland turned a stony ear remarking: “This is an American committee considering the American merchant marine. We have no place for aliens.” Meantime the Senator put on the witness stand the A. F. of L.’s maritime strongman, Joseph P. Ryan, boss of the Port of New York. Burly Mr. Ryan blandly assumed that everyone knew that his

C. I. O. enemy was a Communist, went on to expand about other labor leaders, notably C. I. O.’s East Coast leader, Joseph Curran, of the National Maritime Union.

Referring to the N. M. U. Manhattan offices, Joe Ryan declared: “I’ve seen half-a-dozen men come out of that Communist centre with bats.” Senator Copeland asked what he meant by “bats.” Joe Ryan: “I mean baseball bats for slugging.” Then he added thoughtfully: “Possibly we were responsible for that because we first started using them.” With perfect frankness Longshoreman Ryan admitted that his batmen had been paid with money furnished by the shipping companies to beat up Joe Curran’s striking seamen.

Before he was through Mr. Ryan flatly asserted that Joe Curran was on the Communist Party payroll. Instanter, Joe Curran told his lawyers to file suit for $100,000 damages. At the same time Mr. Curran got what amounted to a public apology from Senator Copeland, who wired in response to a request for personal hearing: “If point involved in your request is to convince the committee you are not a Communist there is no need to appear because no one on the Committee believes you are one.”‘

Nevertheless, iron-jawed Joe Curran went to Washington last week to tell the Senators that he had lost 28 men killed. 163 wounded, in recent waterfront warfare. Said he: “We accuse Joseph P. Ryan and his subordinates of being responsible.”