Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-22
Union Abuse
Comparable
To Prohibition
When Reaction Comes
II Will 60 Just as Far
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

perfidy of the gorillas who COM
mand various sectors of the
union front against the liberties
of the American people have
been so frequent and factual
that they may have lost their
power 10 impress.
In a way. the situation is
comparable TO prohibition.
We all knew the whole thing
reeked. but political opinion
didn't ripen until the corruption
had poisoned the very flesh of
the nation.
The church people. such as
Bishop Cannon. obstinately in
sisted on their law and threat
ened obstruction TO any,
politician who defied them and
so il went until at last Franklin
ID. Roosevelt, arising before the
convention in Chicago which had
nominated him for his first term.
declared resoundingly that from
that hour on prohibition was
doomed
MR.. ROOSENELTS timing
" and psychology were sbso-
lutely perfect, for the people
were so sick OF prohibition and
Of the power of the preachers
over Presidents Coolidge and
Hoover and Congress that they
went for him. whooping
That issue. more than any
other. elected Mr.. Roosevelt the
first time. with the result that
this other outrageous scourge
was inflicted on the people under
presidential patronage.
Hoover spoke OF prohibition as
an experiment noble in purpose
I and President Roosevelt's ad-
ministration mockingly refers 10
/ this new era as Labor Gains
but the time will come when
the people will adopt as a cou-
rageous and opportune savior
some man who will rear back
in meeting and promise 10 clean
up union conditions. just as Mr.
Roosevelt cleaned up prohibition
The hero needn't have a clean
record Of opposition 10 union
persecution.
l. He may be one who has
walked softly waiting for opin-
ion 10 get hot. Just as Mr.,
( Roosevelt did.
Mr.. Roosevelt. you may re-
member. didn't cry that prohi-
hition was doomed until the
people were ready TO go along
with him.
He was very yes-and-no and
other-handed about this danger
Gus issue until the hour struck.
DUT just as those hot-eyed.
- thin-lipped fanatics of the
prohibition cause ruined tenn
perance and brought back the
corner saloon by insisting too
long and ignoring the vicious
conditions which they had Gre
aied. the professional unioneerS
who. like Bishop Cannon, think
so highly Of their own power
and political judgment. are pro-
voking n revolt against the good
in unions as we'll as the bad
You remember. OF course. that
repeal was supposed not To
mean the return Of the old
abuses of the liquor traffic.
States were 10 be protected
from their neighbor states in the
matter of smuggling and drink
ing was TO become nice. moral
>. family custom.
Instead, the United States.
already on the verge of wet
brain from hosting millions OF
gallons of shoe polish, house
paint and embalming fluid be-
came the drinkingcst country in
the world.
GO NOW. because unionism for
~ so long a time has been
identified with the fight Of the
workingman in the square cap
for decent living. these union
GERS are making the same mis-
take.
But they will learn one day
when they find themselves tan
gled up in the wreckage.
The danger, indeed the almost
certain probability. is that when
the reaction comes il will go
Just As far as the reaction
against prohibition. but that will
not be the fault of the working
man whose need Of honest
unionism is no more TO be
denied than the need of honest
temperance.
President Roosevelt Is fooling
nobody belaboring the practices
of the unioneers and their per-
secutions Of the people.
The people know. just as they
knew Hoover was not honest
with them in ignoring the
vicious conditions which had de-
veloped Under the Eighteenth