Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-16
Rascke+eers
Still Flourish
In Unions
Aid and Comfort GAsi
By Top Leadership
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

A LETTER from New Dealer
n in Washington tells me that
my almost daily mention OF
criminal-infested unions. one is.
led to believe that all labor
unions are full of crooks and
that they are all run from Rus
sia," and adds that every one
who gives the matter more than =
an instant's thought knows
better" =.
That statement is typical OF
the New Deal mentality. IL
starts with a Misrepresentation
intended to lure an opponent in
debate onto ground which he
has never occupied and which
cannot be defended.
These dispatches have never
suggested that all unions were
full OF crooks and that all OF
them were run from Russia.
The constant contention has
been that the AFL division OF
the union movement is infested
with crooks and that the top
leadership, meaning William
Greene, the executive council
and Joseph Padway, the general
counsel. have given them aid
and comfort instead of throwing
them out.
THE Go has some crooks, but
l. Is less deviled by them tRny.
by Communists.
The common crook fights -.
Communists with a hot show OF
American patriotism because he
realizes that they are smarter,
than he is and that once they.
get a foot in the door they may
boost him out OF his racket. -.
He knows that while he Is
helling around with the rest OF
the criminal scum in the Miamis,
where several AFL bosses own
voluptuous winter homes and
many OF them do their winter
drinking and gambling, the
Commy Is scurrying around in
the slcet back home. perhaps
without a decent overcoat, try
ing to take over his union.
No New Dealer needs 10 he
told which unions of the Go
are deviled by Communists. .
He knows, il he knows any,
thing at all about il. that they
include the unions Of transport
workers. the West Coast cargo
handlers, one of the big unions
of sailors, a union of communi-
cations workers. including wire
and wireless tefegraphers. the
Office and Professional Workers
Union and the Newspaper Guild.
The Office Workers Union
put up a show Of resentment
some time ago when these dis
patches pointed out that they
were in a position 10 betray the
Office secrets OF employers and
that Communists naturally
would not hesitate 10 do so.
They shut up when il was
proved that one of their MEM
bers did steal office secrets from
a branch Of the John Lewis
Mine Workers Union and deliv-
cred them 10 the Transport
Workers Union.
The dangerous possibilities ex-
listing in a union of telegraph
and other handlers of confiH =
tial messages under Communist
control surely need no explana-
ton. inasmuch as Attorney Gen.
eral Biddle, himself New
Dealer. has recognized the hos
tility of the Communists 10 the
American form of government.
NEW DEALERS and union
~ GERS are forever saying that
there are only a few crooks in
the ALL unions.
AFL unionism in Chicago, the
second city OF the United States.
is a combination of the UNDER
world rackets. including many
OF the veteran personnel of the
old bootlegging mobs. gang poll
ticians of the worst type. vet
eran union racketeers such as
Umbrella Mike Boyle of the
electricians. and a few profess
sional phony Honest Johns who
don't steal but don't prevent
others from stealing.
Jersey City and Newark are
two other AFL political strong
holds in which AFL unionism is
as foul as the political machine
of Frank Hague.
In this area and along the
Jersey waterfront, conditions in
the AFL are absolutely rotten.
Dayton and Akron. O.. are ,
similarly bossed and infested
and in Cleveland the union
crooks are so influential in poll
tics that although occasional
public reactions, usually initi-
ated by the press. send some Of
the criminals to prison, they
soon walk out and return 10
their union jobs,