Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-12-08
FAIR
ENOUGH
-ByWestbrook
PeqIer

ANFRt'' ~ - - AhfN ANAAAh6 ~ WV
union affairs of the newspaper
people as an honorary member
of the Guild, but those who had
TO fight her underhanded friends
of the Communist element
few years ago will not forget
that she threw the prestige of
the presidency and her personal
influence, which then was large,
10 the side of the Bolos.
They were the dirtieSt fight
ers imaginable and you would
show up at a Guild meeting,
which was supposed 10 consist
of newSpapermen and women,
10 discover lot of horn
trimmed, greasy strangers whom
nobody had ever seen around
any city room or on any assign
ment anywhere.
They were Communist ting
erS who had been qualified on
the ground that they got out
little occasional sheets purport-
ing TO be labor papers. some of
them printed in foreign Ian
guageS, and regular American
newspaper workers were sup
posed 10 treat them as guests
and brothers.
THE Communists decided that
Il for their own purposes they
would have 10 pull a Guild
strike on the World-Telegram
and this meant that the real
editorial workers. for whom the
union had been organized
originally, had TO turn out 10
debate and watch their inter-
eStS, and especially TO watch
the vote. or they would find
themselves out of Jobs and even
compelled 10 walk a picket line
in the company of a mob Of
furrierS and buttonhole makers
from around Union Square.
The Guild had started as an
editorial union. but the news
paper people were inexperienced
and too truStful for their own
good The first thing they
knew the CommieS had moved
them into the Go and enlarged
the eligibility so that the edi-
torial workers were hopeleSSly
outnumbered in their own
union.
uEYWOOD BROUN was red
IL hot in his Communist phase
AT the time and il was clear. that
he was going over 10 the Eve
ming Post The real reporters,
writers and copyreaderS of the
World-Telegram. with the ex-
ception of few red hotS,
wanted TO 90 on with their Jobs
and they easily saw through the
plot 10 use them against their
Will.
Naturally there was very Bit
ter feeling, which was constantly
lnflamed by the savage naStineSS
of the official organ of the
Guilds Communist manipula-
tors. the Guild Reporter.
The majority Of the editorial
newspaper people of the World
Telegram realized that there
was plan afoot 10 make them
go without pay for weeks. pos
Sibly months, and mess around
in the streets under Communist
orders.
They got sore and fought the
COmmieS every step Of the way
even though the Reds would
drag meetings along until all
hours of the morning and try 10
outlast them and spring a snap
vote after the opposition had
gone home.
MRS. ROOSEVELT has not
A'l now. and never did have any
right 10 belong 10 the Guild. be-
cause newspaper work is not her
principal occupation. Moreover,
on Joining, she was given a spe-
Cial concession relieving her
from the obligations 10 strike or
picket. which are two Of the
most painful obligations Of union
membership.
She horned in (and on tho
side Of the Reds al that and
this naturally made II pretty
hard for real American news
paper people and their wives 10
60 for that gracious lady 1busi-
ness, which is always offered as
the whole answer to any Cntl-
cism of any wrong she does.
We Just felt that this was our
Sown affair and that she ought
10 mind her own business and /
have told her so in print from
time 10 time. This is.known as
insulting the First Lady of the
land.
The newspaper people finally
licked the Communists on the
strike thing but that doesn't
alter the fact that when the
fight was on and things were
looking very bad. the gracious
lady of the White House was
eXerting the influence Of the
presidential office on the side of
A lot of sneaking conspirators
who didn't give a damn how
much the real editorial worker
suffered if they could put over
their plot and promote their own
ambitions.
knowledge Test
BY DIR. SABINA II. CONNOLLY