Speech #920048494

I am speaking of Jack Kroll. formerly of the CIO Political Action Committee and the AFLCIO Committee on Political Education. In the 1930s and early 1940s many of our citizens of low incomes and limited privileges did not participate very actively in political campaigns. This included many working people. both union and nonunion. many of the foreign born. most of the colored people. and poor people in general. It was assumed that citizens living on the "right side of the tracks" would take care of everything political for the general welfare. including the "wrong side of the tracks." In 1943 the CIO. under the leadership of Philip Murray and Sidney Hillman. undertook to change that. They formed the CIO Political Action Committee and put on massive campaigns to get all CIO members and their families and friends. including especially the foreign born -and the blacks. to register. to study the issues and the candidates. to make endorsements. to raise voluntary individual contributions and to get out their vote for their friends on election day. Their program was bipartisan in that they chose candidates from the two major parties on the basis of issues. without regard to a candidates party. Jack Kroll was part of that HillmanMurray team.