Detroit evening times., 1943-08-03
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

By WESTBROOK PEGLER
4 SHORT time ago. while
y Mrs Roosevelt was in Sc
7r.'o on another OF her many
'ogrncNs of urgent national me-
ce>,'y her attention was caught
hy remark OF am unnamed
authority, an engineer who was
quoted IN a san Francisco paper
lo lbe effect that the rules OF
certain unions we're restricting
production of some of The work
el> ln war industries
Sometimes l wonder whether
we have right Ia indiCt
whole group of people without
they may answer directly" Mrs.
Roosevelt wrote.
This wondering is consistent
with the first lady speculation
OF icW days earlier as TO
whether the American people
were really ready for popular
Seii-goNernment. or, as she calls
D., democracy.
II WE are not ready for il.
L then of CoureS, II Is quite
all right 10 suppress anonymous
gN.t.fa.-f,r,- ~ n,,Y,fn,, ,.ItI,l,oI,
some of the most effective voices
against tyranny in the historic
development Of our freedoms
have been those Of writers who
adopted pen names because they
knew they would be killed and
and their protests stuffed If
their IDENTITY were known
Indeed, some of laboT'S fight
prS dC1inSt oppression IN DAYS
gone by went underground tor
this same reason and today by
contrast. some of our industrial
managers feel 1t is perllouS
10 voice opinions against the
q o IN eS lC administration and
policies and some Of the person.
alitieS of Mrs. RooSeyelt's gov
eminent.
pUT Mrs RooSevelts wonder
- ment about the propriety of
anonymity, indeed her doubt of
a citizens right 10 take precau-
tlonS against undeSerVed pun
lShment moves me TO wonder
whether she has ever taken ex-
ception 10 the use Of aliases by
publlcistS of her own political
wing
Because II 50 I must have
missed her contribution 10 the
sum OF human wisdom on that
day ! have IN mind instantly
two writers who for years have
presented IN very aggressive
language. reminiscent of Nir-
Glnlo Gayda. arguments, diStor-
tIQnS and denunciationS along
he New Deal party line under
names other than those which
they were born with.
Why they do this I have no
idea because they have never
stood IN danger Of punishment
from Mrs. RooSevelt'S party
and one, in fact, was rewarded
for his vigorous regularity and
ingenious caSuiStry by a profit
able engagement on the radio.
pETNG much more liberal and
ID tolerant than Mrs. RooSe-
welt and more confident of our
capacity for popular govern
ment, ! would not deny any
person Of Mrs RooSevelt's wing
or her personal political follow
ing the right TO use an adopted
name for any purpose. provided,
Of course. that the laws be com
Piled with
! don't even mind complete
anonymity. as in the case OF
the engineer whose remark
evoked Mrs RooSeveltS doubt.
The name or the lack of any
name of an idea or an argu-
ment or allegation cannot al
feet IT'S validity
The question here was not
who SAID n but whether the
charge was true. but if II would
help 10 get ~ honest decision
on The merits of the thing |
would be glad to take the AZ
ilrmatlve IN the place Of the
tlmld engineer, who could have
Very good reasons for his ano-
nymitN and present facts in
support thereof
Unlike some journalists Of
y Mrs RooSevelts following.
have always put my own name
and no other on top Of my
pieces ever since l was given a
by-hne with three, exceptions.
One was a deathleSS autohiog-
raphy of Babe Ruth. 10000
words written in four days,
flat
Another vas series Of ESSAYS
on New York. the Modern
Gomorrah. written under the
name pf the Rev J Frank
Norris. then Of Fort Worth and
known as the Texas tornado,
winch Is s vacuum entirely SUR
rounded uv wind all based on
ON" chicken sandwich and
bottle ot near-bccT IN speak
easy and au orange drink ~ a
4 7 F.. ..It