Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-01-22
Marcan+onio
Issue Lifts
New Deal Lid
New York Faction Called
Socialist Communist '
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

IDS, the CIldlTifldfl Oh the COM
mittee and a conservative
southern Democrat, at last took
note of the fact that the fac.
ton of the New Deal Party in
the City of New York which
Marcantonio, represents is, as he
put it, socialistic-communistic.
This faction of the New Deal
party includes Mayor LaGuar-
dia, Sidney Hillman, David
Dubinsky and most OF their
subordinate bosses in the
tightly colonized and politically
regimented trades which they
govern, and Charles Poletti, the
lieutenant governor, who was
allowed 10 spend a few weeks
in the governor chair between
the resignation of Herbert
Lehman and the Inauguration
of Tom Dewey.
THE political programs of
Il both factions Of the group,
the socialistic and the COM
munistic. are strictly European
and opposed to the established
governmental system of the
United States and the member
ship Of the group is largely Of
European origin and unassimi-
lated though naturaliZed.
II includes also a considerable
number of colore Puerto
Ricans colonized in Marcantonio's
district and Il few opportunistic
native colored politicians who
are either openly or covertly
with the Communists. Z
Poletti recently turned out a
prison a dangerous firebug and
thug Of the Sidney Hillman
group for whom Hillman inter-
coded. although the man, iden-
titled with the Communist
element, had served only eight
months OF n two-to-four-year
sentence.
For this service 10 the Social
ist-CommuniSt wing OF the New
Deal in New York. Poletti has
been given a strictly political
Job in the war department
which is supposed TO be nom
political and certainly neither
socialistic nor communistic but
straight American.
IT IS plain that Poletti had no
Il qualifications other than po-
! litical for this job, whatever II
is, because even after he had
taken over in Washington he
still did not know what the job
nor his duties were 10 be.
If he had been picked because
OF certain abilities he would
have been assigned at once 10
duties in which they. could be
applied.
LaGuardia, who has been
unusually erratic lately and en-
gagged in a ludicrous campaign
against penny-ante gambling, Is
an old associate of Hillman and
is the political big brother of
Marcantonio. He has often pre-
tended 10 be anti-communistic
but his differences with Com
munistS have been head-on,
personal clashes with individual
Communist leaders or bosses
who challenged his own power.
LIE LACKS the sense OF dis
HI cipline 10 operate as a party
member, but he revealed his
attitude on communism when r.
Endorsed Marcantonio for CD
greSs Notwithstanding MarcaRs
tonio's party-line voting record
in Congress.
This record shows that In
common with the out-and-out
Communists. Marcantonio voted
against every American war
and armament measure up 10
the day that Hitler attacked
Russia and then joined the Com
munists in their demand that
raw, alarmed Americans be
sent 10 Europe TO relieve the
pressure on Russia.
The people of New York are
reasonably familiar with the
outlines Of the socialistic-com-
munistic wing OF the New Deal
Party and with its leading per-
sonalitieS. but only an attentive
student can follow the switches
in the lineup and analyZe mo-
tives from day to day.
The rest OF the country and
particularly the South, whose
people take their Democratic
politics straight, knows little of
the situation which Mr.. Summers
has now touched upon.
RUT regular Democrats IN all
- areas may soon realize that
in their strict adherence 10 the
New Deal Party, they have been
associating with and helping an
alien organization whose politi-
cal program is now here stated
in the platforms which they
have supported and which has
received generous recognition
from their party in Washington.
Mrs. Roosevelt. who is occa-
sionally seen in company witt
notorious fellow-traveiers Of the
Communist Party and VIII,
graclously publicized in her
column an anti-capitaliStic and
pro- comnunistic documentaA :
him some time ago, also
dabbled in the affairs Of TIE
New Deal faction 10 which