Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-01
McWiIlidms'
Bioff Facts
Analysed
Evidence and Hearsey.
Weighed by PeelerN
By wEsTBROOK PEGLER

~ fessional bleeding-heart Of
California politics, has composed
a piece for the New Republic
dealing with the early phases
OF the Bioff- Browne thing, now
playing an engagement in the
Federal Court in New York,
which gives an accurate idea OF
the reliability of such pleaders
and some of the butcher's-paper
publications.
McWilliams Is commissioner
OF immigration for California by
appointment of Governor Olson
and is the author OF a book on
CALIFORNIA; migrant-labor farm
problem which arrived at the
conclusion that collectivization.
under an industrial union Of
farm laborers, would be the only
real solution"
He represents the rebellious
Hollywood studio workers whose
attempt 10 liberate themselves
was promptly exploited by the
Communistic California CIO.
Mr.. McWilliams Is lawyer
and so knows something about
evidence and hearsay and would
be the first 10 condemn a jour-
nalist for offering hearsay.
Discussing legislative in
vestigation OF the Bioff- Browne
union of movie studio workers
in Sacramento, Mr.. McWilliams
says:
Ito these members fof the
legislative committed I gave
documentary proof Of the fol-
lowing facts: that Bioff had .
long time criminal record In
Chicago: that Chicago papers
had repeatedly referred to him, 4
In front-page stories, rs . well ]
known hoodlum and gangster
and former member Of the
Capone mob. and that he had
been arrested and questioned
In at least two cases."
NOV I call attention 10 the
~ slippery wording which has
here been employed.
He says he gave "documen-
tary proof" OF these facts" but
what are the facts?
The only real fact" Is that
Bioff had a longtime" record.
He doesn't say long" criminal
record. but 10 the uniformed
and undiscriminating mind the
term longtime" might mean
the same thing.
The fact is that Bioff's GRIM
inal record consisted Of only one
conviction years before, and that
for a misdemeanor; thus his
record was long time"
True, he had been arrested
many other times and "ques-
toned" and McWilliams. the
lawyer, knows that. in the alb
sence of any further action,
those arrests would be mean
ingless.
OF course Bioff was an UNDER
world character and thus the
Chicago cops sometimes picked
him up on general principles"
But / am saying that this
lawyer, McWilliams. who knows
his law and his evidence, would
|. he quick and righteous in his
protest against the mention Of
these. arrests If they were cited
against a client Of his. par
ticularly a Go or Communist
unioneer.
Note also that McWiliams
presented the fact" that the
Chicago papers had often re-
ferred 10 Bioff as a gangster and
so forth.
That he certainly was. but can
any one imagine McWilliams
permitting any one 10 cite these
newspaper references as fact"
against a Go unioneer?
NOV I want 10 demonstrate
~ that McWilliams never did
thoroughly investigate Bioff"s
conviction of pandering.
He had heard gossip. just az
I and many others had. and he
may have checked the police
record. as / did. and learned
that Biof had been convicted.
But. remembering that this
man is a lawyer. note that he
did not check the court record
10 confirm his proof" because,
If he had done so. he would
have discovered that Bioff had
made an appeal and lost il and
had failed TO serve his term.
Every reporter and every
lawyer knows that il a convic-
ton is appealed and reversed il
is most often unfair and un-
ethical. and il may he libelous.
TO cite the conviction against
the person. but McWilliams
simply accepted the Chicago
police record. and he told me in
San Francisco that he had not
traced the case further
He did not know whether
Bioff had been indicated on an
peal. but he. nevertheless. cited
the police record as. proof" and
he offered newspaper clippings
as evidence.
So here we have an unusuallv
accurate gauge of the reliabiljtv
and sincerity OF those who plead
and publish the pleadings of the
Go which, in California. where
McWilliams operates. has been
for years an American front for
the Kremlin.
nv limited Feature. s.