Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-10
Background
For Cosmic
Journalism
Unions. Asserts Pesler'
Much Like Sports
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
COME Of the fumble-fingeyed-~
- persons who run the unions
try TO console themselves and
build character with the public
by recalling that I was a sport
writer by trade before / went
cosmic and that gives me an
idea for today's essay.
II never occurred to me before
but / have just now realized
that it was this training on the
sport side and particularly
around the smelly fight and
wrestling rackets which pre-
pared me professionally and
spiritually.
Up to my.time in cosmic jour-
nalism unioneers enjoyed a false
dignity and an undeserved inn
munity from realistic treatment
i'm print because an old journal
istic superstition held that the
unioneer was leader and
spokesman OF the humble toiler
Of the rank and file.
Even individuals who we're
known TO be crooks, and unions
which were known 10 be racketS
no better than Al Capone's and
not much different. were ham
died with tongs in the papers
lest some one with a charter in
his pocket put through resolu-
ton declaring the paper TO be
unfair TO labor"
DUT the editors and publishers
- weren't altogether venal in
this.
1t wasn't fear of reprisal
alone that deferred them.
There were traditions.
They had been telling the
public SO long that unioneers
were labor leaders that they
believed il themselves in a dull. 4.
dumb way and never thought &c
challenge their own beliefs.
Almost all of us thought Of
them so.
/ did, myself, until. along
about 1884, l began 10 realize
that many unions were more
like than unlike the fight and
wrestling rsekets.
IT may be remembered, that.
Il back when fighting and wres-
Ting were released from the
doghouse after the other war.
pugilism and wrestling were
| glorified and glamourized as fine.
manly sports which promoted
chivalry in youth and that some
! of our nobleSt soldiers OF
/ victorious army naively lent
their distinguished names and
presence TO a revival OF the two
rogue sports.
1 we'll recall lunch attended
| by strange mixture OF noted
warriors and well-known felon-
| ious characters at which Jimmy
Walker, then a member of the
state Legislature. who had just
put through the prizefight law,
hove up and delivered solemn
pledge that If any low creature
ever should do aught TO smirch
the fair name of the noble sport,
he. personally. would move at
once, though il break his heart.
TO put TO death by law pastime
dear 10 every clean-minded, red
blooded American.
TT was not long afterward that
Il Mr.. Walker. as mayor. was
taking his regular seat in the
new Garden every Friday night
just across the aisle from the
section regularly reserved for
the pack who were known 10
the whole town as the princi-
pal operators of fixed fights and,
who held official credential
from the prizefight commission
which MIR Walker had created.
In that situation, William
Muldoon, an arrogant old igno-
-FaHlHs- who WAS boss of the
fight commission was COM
parable to some of the stupid
Honest Johns OF the unions of
today in that he more or less
knowingly licensed men to VIC
timize not only the customers
but the unfortunate fighters and
wrestlers themselves with a
thousand tricks. but stoutly re-
sented criticism and expose on
the ground that all this tended
to bring into disrepute the
grand old game.
TIE fighters and wrestlers
Il suffered most. just as under
crooked and communistic union
ism the workers take the worst
punishment, but there were
l/plenty of traditionists who
wouldn't believe such things
could be and regarded every
revelation as a vicious blow at
the sport itself.
Tex Richard. who was on So
cial terms with some of the
editors and publishers. some
times tried TO put in the boss
fix to suppress realistic writing
about his fights and creation of
the managers involved therein,
and there was a strong public
!, opinion working for the chisel-
men in the name Of sport.