Montana labor news., 1937-10-07
WHO EXPOSED
BLACK!
BY ROBERT S. ALLEN
Reprinted from The Nation,
Issue of Sept. rs

Blacks one-time membership in the
Ku Klux Khan was a deliberate con-
Spiracy to destroy the erusading New
Dealers usefulness on the bench and
to force President Roosevelt to
abandon his fight to liberalize the
reaction-ridden federal judiciary.
Parties to the conspiracy were the
Hearst stooge Paul Block, the North
American Newspaper Alliance, and
certain not definitely identified Ad-
misunderstanding business inter
ests. The last-named supplied the
information and alleged documents,
and Block and the North American
Newspaper Alliance furnished the
newspaper columns and s%care-head-
lines to blazon the dope to the
world. The sensational stories car
ried the by-line of a Block reporter,
but their real author was Frank
Prince, one-time Hearst reporter and
now operator of a private detective
agency with offices on Fifth Avenue
in New York City. It was Prince
who dug up the material on which
the Black-Klan articles were based.
Who employed him for this i'm
portant service is still a matter of
unconfirmed clues and reports. One
points to the independent steel com
panies which successfully resisted
C. l.. o. unionization last spring and
whose tactics are now being aired
by the National Labor Relations
Board; another to certain financial
interests in Pittsburgh. How far all
or some of these corporations are
implicated in the affair probably will
have to await disclosure by a Senate
investigating committee commit
tee practically certain to be appoint
ed. In the meantime, however, GER
tain facts about Princes activities
are known.
A week or so before the Black
Khan expose he spent several days
in Pittsburgh, where Block publishes
the Post-G Gazette, which carried the
copyright on the stories. Prince
handles public relations for the Uni
versity Of Pittsburgh, Mellon-sup-
ported institution of anti-labor fame.
He is now engaged in a gumshoe job
on John L. Lewis for the same in
terests that hired him to investigate
Black. Two of Princes agents are
ferreting around in Indianapolis,
where Lewis lived when the national
offices of the United Mine Workers
were located there, in an effort to
uncover information about his past
that could be used to discredit or
embarrass him.
Prince is one of the ablest and
smoothest operators in his line. He
is tall, handsome, a good dresser, and
a ready mixer; there is nothing of
the dick" or "flatfoot" about him.
In appearance and speech he gives
the impression of an intelligent bust
ness executive. He has the highest
business and publisher connections.
In addition, as a one-time reporter,
he knows the news game and talks
reporters language. He never at
tempts to plant a bum" story on
them. When he offers a tip, they
know from experience it is depend
able. In the last few years Prince
has done a number of %undercover
jobs with political angles. He sup
piled the Mccormack Dickstein
MISUNDERSTANDING committee with
most of its important disclosures.
What the final outcome of the at
tack on Black will be is %unpredict-
able at this writing. Administration
strategists believe the matter will
blow over. At least they hope so.
But certain positive forecasts can
be made: ID Black will not resign;
~ Mr.. Roosevelt will not ask him
to resign. The new justice has no
thought of resigning, for he con-
siders himself guilty of no miscon-
duct or misbehavior either in act
or thought. He stands on his twelve
year senatorial record as a steadfast
liberal and friend of labor and the
farmer. That record includes a Wig
orous opposition to the attempt OF
Tom Helm, Number One Catholic
batter, to hold on to his Senate seat
through IN election contest after be-
ing defeated at the polls. The
President will make no request OF
suggestion to Black, holding that
the latter is a full-fledged Justice Of
the United States Supreme Court
and under the Constitution removed
from any interference or pressure by
anyone in Or out Of the government
The President holds that it would
be no mor fitting or legal for him
to call OF Black to quit because Of
his one-time membership in the Klar
than it would be to make such a
demand on Justice McReynolds be-
cause Of certain well-known facts
about his private life or on Justice
Butler because he violated his word
of honor that he would not partici-
pate in eases involving railroads he
once represented as a corporation
lawyer. MI. Roosevelt would moi
have appointed Black had he known
of his past Khan af~filiation. But
having appointed him, the President
takes the position that Black now is
the sole judge of his conduct.
(rA.4.z1 l. n--- nN