Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-27
Jim Pe+riIIo
Suited to Title
-0fDfc+ator
Ban on Amateurs Music
Was 10 Be Expected
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

IiiERE seems TO De a good
4 deal of excitement over
Jimmy Petrillo's decision that
amateur musical talent must get
off the air and his verboten
against further manufacture OF
canned or recorded music for
use by radio stations and in
saloons and restaurants.
James l.. Fly, the chairman OF
the Federal Communications
Commission, wants an inquiry
into the facts and the laws APP
plying and says the situation is
grave. as, of course. it is and has
been for some years.
But, apparently, no law does
apply, because Petrillo's union is
one of those privileged organiza-
tons which have been fostered
by the labor policy of the New
Deal and his union in particular
last winter received special en-
enlargement from Mrs. Roose-
welt in the operation of a picket
line.
To call Petrillo car or a
dictator is not to exaggerate or
misuse a term which has lost
meaning with overuse.
The constitution of his union
says that he, the president, may
suspend or revoke any portion OF
IL at will and substitute there
for any order that he deems
necessary which shall become
the law of the union.
JUDGE + f. f DIN A I'd Pc
- CORA. coming on this pro-
vision in perusal of the con.
Stltution in a court proceeding.
jerked his head up in startle-
ment and exclaimed, do you
call this a constitution
But they do and il is their
constitution and anything that
Jimmy says goes within the
union and there appears 10 be
no law Of the United States
~ifrrtff1- woufd restrain him.
The compulsory use of standby
performers or workers by en-
plnYers has been recognized az
ordinary union activity" and
that is the principle that under
Ties Jimmv's orders from the
throne in the present cases.
a few years ago the head 81
another local in New York state
charged Jacob Rosenberg, presi-
dent of local 802 in New York
City. with patronizing. on his
summer vacation with his fam
lly. a hotel in which nonunion
musicians were employed. but.
as Jimmy explained later, il
was all a mixup over nothing.
so nothing was done.
MR.. PETRILLO is not pune
NI tiliouS about such things.
for he himself, when in New
York, AS he often is. stops at a
hotel which is nOnunion from
cellar 70 roof except the must
clans.
In Chicago, which is his home.
he is a Kelly man and his union
has received sums from the local
taxpayers IN payment for con-
Certs.
In New York. Mr. Rosenberg
got himself nominated for the
city council on the ticket Of the
so-called American Labor Party.
was idolized in TIE unions Jour-
nal exhorted the members in
the same journal and finally
pollcd a total vote which was
only a fraction OF the member
ship OF his own union.
They rcpudiated his cars of
IN the secret ballot Of the public
election.
There arc some other unions
in which the rank and file MEM
bcrS have no more voice than
in Petrillo's international and
Rosenberg's local
The rank and file musicians
are simply speeches.. They can
be booted around even for think
ing III OF their masters and they
know il and give no interfer-
ence. because the union card is
a license 10 work for bread and
il rcvocable at will.
pUT JimmyS attitude toward
- amateur competition and the
employment OF standby musi-
clans is nothing new and Mr.. Fly
certainly should have known
what il was all along.
Jimmy has done nothing origi-
nal here. He has only gone a
little further along old lines and
no further than he should have
been expected to 20. on the
precedents and tendencies OF
past performances
OF course. the situation is UNI
pleasant, but this sort of thing
comes under the heading of
labor's gains and even Mr.. Fly
isn't able TO say offhand lust
what law he would attempt to
apply against Jimmy.
The Sherman and the anti
racketeering laws have been
tried against other unions, the