Honolulu Record, August 19, 1948, vol. 1 no. 3, p. 7
Nashville, Tenn. (FP)—The political machine of Edward H. (Boss) Crump suffered its first statewide defeat in 20 years when organized labor united behind anti-Crump candidates in the Aug. 5 Democratic primary elections.
With AFL, CIO and railroad union backing, Rep. Estes Kefauver swept the senatorial contest and former Gov. Gordon Browning topped the governor's race. Democratic nomination in Tennessee usually means election.
This joint labor campaign marked the first time in 10 years that the AFL and CIO pooled resources in a political campaign. The victory came despite efforts by Crump to smear Kefauver as a tool of CIO-PAC, a "foreigner and a red."
In the 3-man Senate contest, Kefauver chalked up more than 150,000 votes, incumbent Sen. Tom Stewart rolled up more than 115,-000 and Crump's nominee, John A. Mitchell, polled only 75,000.
Gunfire punctuated the voting in Polk county, bordering on McMinn county where violence marked a veterans' coalition victory over an intrenched machine in 1946 balloting. National Guardsmen and highway police were called out to patrol the area after, two men were killed and five wounded.
CIO Director W. A. Copeland summed up labor's victory, saying: "Two years ago, we made a lot of noise, did no work and took a beating. This time we made no noise, worked like hell and won for the people."
Louis Kaplan, United Electrical Radio & Machine Workers (CIO) organizer, shows picture of police brutality against striking workers at the Univis Lens Co. in Dayton, O., to House labor subcommittee which is investigating strike violence. Picture at left shows Kaplan, bruised and bleeding, after being beaten by police on picketline.