Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-05
Ignored
u. S. Menace,
PegIer Says
President Did Not Talk
Of Lobor's Betrayal
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER
SON THIS day-this Ameri-
" can holiday" said Presi-
dent Roosevelt in his Labor Day
address. 1--WE are celebrating the
rights OF free laboring men and
women"
Now, OF course, the President
was challenging Hitlerism AMI
he certainly did lay it on the
line. but al the same time he
was polntedly ignoring a more
imminent menace TO the rights
of free laborlng men and women
which has been fostered by his
government for eight years and
more at home.
Not one word was uttered by
the President or William Green
or any other orator of the day
about the betrayal of millions
of American workers into the
hands Of men who forbid them
TO work at their lawful occupa-
tons according TO the right of
free men. even in the interests
of national defense. unless they
submit TO the rule Of private
groups which often are riotous.
brutal and shockingly corrupt
and unless they pay taxes into
the treasury of an irresponsible
invisible government.
TlIE record OF this betrayal
L may be found in the testi-
mony taken by the Dies COM
mittee and other committees OF
Congress.
And, with a cynicism that
would do credit 10 Hitler. him
self. this government has had
the effrOnteTy TO speak of this
betrayal as ''labors gains.
II these and other knocking
declarations of the day, masking
some sly political intent that
can only be surmised, has been
qualified by any warning TO The
Union fuehreEs-- GauleiierS and
brown shirts. IL would have been
possible TO hope that. in time,
the government would remem-
Der the forgotten and trampled
rights Of free American men
and women.
Instead. however. the Presi-
dent and every other speaker
pretended 10 be utterly unaware
Of the oppression and robbery
OF the workers and OF the can
collation. Of their right. set forth
in the Wagner Act.
ONLY few days before, the
" national government had
seized a great shlpyard 10 end
strike and uphold a unions
demand that workers be for
hidden to repudiate one bar
gaining agent and select another.
And, for year before. the
national government had per-
mitted racketeers to station
guards and licensed extortionistS
AT defensive works to steal mil
lions of dollars from those whom
the President. almost tauntingly
described as free laboring men
and women in vast, unds-
gulsed shakedovn
OF course, all Interest is
turned on war Jobs. but the
right OF the American worker
10 have and hold a Job IN the
normal business of the country
IS more important in way.
Defense and war will not
always be the principal concern
of the United States. and even
before the emergency came free
workers were suffering the
same exploitation and denial of
their rights in the fulfillment OF
an apparent political UNDER
standing between the govern
ment and the unioneers.
WHEN peace comes will il he
w accepted that a man must
Join a union and obey the whims
and serve the political ambitions
of the union bosses as a con-
dition prior 10 employment?
That seems 10 be the plan, for
that state of affairs was being
imposed wherever the issue
arose in private industry.
THE task OF defeating Hit
Ier." which the President mem
toned I'm those words, is not a
private obligation of the union
bosses whom the President flat
tered so. II is everybody'S fight
and II y pathetic that a PreSl-
dent should have to beg the
unioneerS not 10 sabotage the
national defense.
But If the reward for winning
this fight is to be enslavement
under native NaZis and Com
munists. operating under union
charters with the force of the
government behind them. free
Americans will surely have an
uneasy feeling that they are
being sold out In the rear as
they face the foreign enemy.
"He has abolished trade unions
as ruthIessly as he has perse-
cuted religion" the President
said Of Hitler. ignoring the fact
that here at home the unions