The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-10-29

NEW YORK-In the contest for a place on
the New York state Supreme Court we have
before us, among those competing, two men
who have associated with underworld gang
sters. One, Thomas A. Aurelio, has been, re-
lican parties following disclosures of his de-
votlon and political obligation to frankie Cos
tello, slot-machine racketeer He (Aurelio)
is defendant now in disbarment proceedings
but is still on the ballot.
| The other Matthew M. Levy, lawyer long
associated with the union front a lucrative
field and labor-lawyer- politicians, was pulled
out OF the hat by Alex Rose, of the hatmakers
union. as the candidate of the miscalled Amer
lean Labor Party. left-wing new deal SUBJ
sldlary, composed in unequal parts of social
lists OF varying shades of pink, an dcommun-
lists OF varying shades of pink, and commun-
overlook Auerlo.
Mr.. Levy. who calls himself friend of la
Dor, was counsel for New York Local BOG of
the notorious BroWne-Bof racket of the movie
industry from Aug. l. 1886, to Dec 81, 1941
except the year 1888 when ne was on the
bench. His pay was $4,000 year or $1,000
month, total of $97,5oO for services which
did not occupy him to the exclusion of other
law practice.
After he ceased to be counsel for the local
subsequent litigation with the union, which de-
manded the return of important papers, he
said that he had 100000 coming and probably
more. Levy refused to hand over the unions
property until he was paid $4,000 on Jan. II,
1912, when the dispute settled by agree
ment between him and the unions new coun-
sci, Nathan Frankel, who does the job for
$4,000 year. Mr.. Levy, labor's idealistic
friend, was firm, not soft, in his financial
linPS with the working man.
In September 1885, after Levy had become
counsel for local 306 the wages OF the rank
and file were IL IL per cent by reason of
conspiracy between George Browne and Will
lie Bioff the Chicago hoodlums and the en-
ployers No suggestion is made that Levy
knew OF this secret agreement by Which
Browne and Boff received large sum. But
he was getting $4,000 year to watch the in
terest of workers and, as late as june 1910,
after Bioff had been revealed as an underworld
gangster, he lavishly extolled Browne at the
convention of the mob in Louisville
The minutes of the convention report also
that in February, 1910, Levy attended the
meeting of the executive board In Miami and
that Browne there introduced him as an at
torney who had represented the parent or
Browne-Bioff union, ION numerous occasions
The nature of these services and the amounts
paid Levy by Browne were not revealed
After Levy ceased to be counsel for 3O6, the
local, acting on disclosures maze IN the
Browne-Bioff trial, sued several motion picture
companies for the amounts which the mem
bers had lost through the conspiracy TO reduce
their pay The petition charged the employers
with bribng Browne and Bioff. Two OF the
defendant companies settled-Loew's for $97-
90 and RKO for $4,000.
Levy may have had no mixing OF the char
acter of Browne and Bioff when ne first be-
came counsel for 3O6, but they and their union
were notorious when he. lavished praise on
Browne in June 1910. BY that time it had
been shown that Bioff was an old brothel-keep-
er who had never worked and ne was in jail.
Nevertheless in his official report, Browne
eulogized Bioff as a martyr who was suffering
horribly so that the members and their loved
one might enjoy better life. Levys only
comment on the report was that it was
Notwithstanding He took no exception to
the praise of Bioff g.
The judiciary committee of the City Bar
Assn, indorsed Levy but Hiram Z: Todd, in
minority report. wrote that he could not con-
cur because of his unsatisfactory explana-
ton of his relations with George E. Browne
and his praise of him in a public speech in 1910
in the light of the publicity whlch mad been
given ito the charges against Browne and the
Conviction of Bioff for panderlng.