Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-20
Labori+e
Government
Dictatorship
Unionisfs Held Unified
TO Run County
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

DN w ES DRUM fEuLEh
THERE was time few years
ago when l might have said
in a glib, unthinking way that a
government Of laborites would
be fine thing for this country.
/ mean an abrupt change from
our accustomed makeup and bal
ance 10 an outright labor admin
istration under labor President
and with labor majority in
Congress.
Since then I have learned les
sons about some professional
unioneers which convince me
that there is not n single indi-
vidual in the whole movement
who can run union, much less
the United States.
II is not merely that the lead.
erShip is incapable.
That fact is alarming enough.
but 10 that fact we must add
that wherever the laborite finds
himself full Of power he inimedi-
ately proceeds 10 abuse IL like a
lower-case Mussolini or Hitler.
Or if he isn't buriy enough by
nature TO abuse the power him.
self. he permits others 10 abuse
II in his name. as Dave Beck of
Seattle has abused the power
delegated 10 him by that pious
and earnest but ineffective old
monument. Dan Tobin of the
teamsterS.
MR. TOBIN is living sum-
4'l mary Of all the civic. domes-
tic and religious virtues. but for
efficiency's sake he appointed
Beck as his Colonel House or
Harry Hopkins. and Beck, thus
muscled and armed. proceeded
10 he as arbitrary as any dicta-
tor in Europe
He remains MIR Tobin's ap-
pointee. because the old man let
him grow too bic and-taygh and
might lose his own position in a
showdown.
In parallel case labor
President OF the United States
would appoint regional gaulei-
ters 10 shove the people around.
tax them AZ will. govern by de-
cree. limit the number Of delica-
lessons. laundries and pubs in
any given area and determine
who must positively not be hired
and fired.
Also, in a parallel case The
citizen would appeal 10 the pub
lie courts only az his grave peril.
for a lot Of unioneerS are dead
set against the courts.
THE union movement Is SO
L laced together by ties Of
loyalty. politics and mutual in
tereSt that a labor President and
2 labor Congress could not give
the whole community fair
administration without violating
their first loyalty, which is
given 10 the unions.
Or if the President and a
scattering among labor's con-
gresSional majority had the con-
science 10 attempt 10 serve the
country impartially the rest of
labor's congressional strength
would gang up on them, picket
the White House in lock step
and four deep and declare war
on any foreign power whose am
basSador Sneaked in the back
way 10 talk over serious matters
with the incumbent Mr.. Big.
The laadarShip-at iha-nrSan--
lied unions has produced no man
as Yet who could be trusted
WITH the dangerous responsibility
Of high national office, except
he be surrounded and outranked
by officials Of normal mind 10
veto his errors.
John LEWIS was one Of the
- strongest leaders. and he
made a good press for himself
with coterie OF politically
callow bleeding-hearts Of the
fourth estate in the early days
OF the New Deal.
But events have shown him 10
be erratic. dictatorial and man
who made words pass for wis
dom until he finally talked him
self out of the picture with
campaign speech that sounded
like the Fourth OF July Grafton
of an old-time county chairman.
But even AT his height Lewis
did not trust all his own rank
and file 10 vote their choice or
pay their dues willingly, and
that fact may he taken as a
faint indication Of the fate the
common citizen would have SUI
fered under him as president
I believe that seven or eight
years ago great many Amer
leans would have said IL was
time 10 give labor chance 10
run the country
But nowadays The proposal
would be howled down in wild
alarm. and most angrily by
workers who know by expert
ence what a calamity that
would be-
Copyrighted by United Features synd. lac.
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