The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-08-08
Facing the Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

IoflnaIloll is interesting or Qull, true
or spurious. Every day in every news
paper office stories that are worth
less or superfluous are killed by the
simple process of impaling them on
a spike.
We ask the newspapermen Of Amer
lea to exercise the same judgment
and analysis with respect to the union
which claims to represent them-the
American Newspaper Guild-and to
spike it.
The American Newspaper Guild to-
day is a fraud. 1t is not a union of
newspaper writer's, copyreaders and
editors. 1t has taken in scrubwomen,
advertising solicitors, clerks, steno
graphers, proof boys and dangerous
group of Communists.
These Communists are now in full,
open control of the Guild. They are
running it their own sweet way. And
that is the way of ruin and destruc
ton for the working press of the ma
ton.
In the past we have deliberately
pulled our punches at the Guild. We're
through pussyfooting now. The time
has come for the self-respecting news
papermen Of this country to crack
down on the clique of Communist con-
spirators who have stolen their union
and turned it over to the custody Of
Stain.
The Expose Begins
From now on we are going to do
our utmost to expose the Communists
and their stooges in the Guild. We
are going to start right at the top
and work down.
Let's take the new President Of the
Guild, Donald Sullivan, of Boston. He
was elected at the recent Guild con-
vention in Memphis. His opponent
was Kenneth Crawford, of Washing
ton, the incumbent president, who had
succeeded the late Haywood Broun.
Mr.. Crawford is liberal New Dealer.
He is not Red-baiter. But the ac-
tivities of the Communists in the
Guild had so disgusted him that he
refused to follow the Communist
Party line. He protested against the
editorship of the Guild Reporter, the
unions official organ. He inveighed
against the political policies of the
Guild being shaped by the Commu-
nists. He was openly critical of John
l.. Lewis. So he was marked for
sacrifice and the Communists lined up
enough votes to defeat him and elect
Mr.. Sullivan.
A reporter on the Boston Globe, Mr.
Sullivan was highly regarded in la
Dor circles until few years ago,
Then, in the words of his former
friends, he "went wrong" His Com
munist-supporaed candidacy in the
Guild was not the first .time the Reds
had used him as a front. Recently
they put him up as candidate for
State CIO director in Massachusetts,,
but he was defeated. Apparently the
Communists have lot of confidence
in Mr.. Sullivan.
Then, let's take Morris Watson, or
ganzer for the Guild but paid direct
ly by the CIO. You can have him.
Mr.. Watson led the Communist putsch
in the American Labor Party few
months ago but was soundly beaten.
He follows the C. P. line closely.
Hope in the Offing
One of the storm centers in the
Guild convention was Clyde Beals,
editor of the Guild Reporter. Com
mittee reports denounced him and the
paper for following the Communist
Party line. But he was finally given
a public vote Of confidence at the con-
venton and warned privately to pipe
down.
All of the scandalous activities of
the Communists in the Guild are not
known because the opening session of
the convention which debated this
issue was held behind closed doors.
The working press was barred. This
in itself is scandalous for a news
papermen's union.
Fortunately, we are able to look
ahead optimistcally because a serious
and growing revolt has started among
bona tide newspapermen against the
Guild. A few days ago the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor chartered
the American Newspaper Writers AS
sociation in New York City. This To-
cal will lead the drive to organize an
honest-toGod newspapermen's union
in New York and it's efforts will be
aided by dozens of other locals al
ready established in other cities.
Within a short time the American
Federation of Labor plans to form
these locals into a national council to
lay the foundation for a new national
union.
The president of the New York To-
cal is William l.. Laurence, of the
New York Times, who commands the
admiration and respect of newspaper
men, educators, scientists and public
officials throughout the country. We
once had the good fortune to work
with Bill Laurence on the old New
York World. He is universally be-
loved for his kindliness, his idealism
and his ability. He is highly paid
writer and has nothing to gain per-
sonally from the job he has volun
tarily undertaken of organizing this