The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-23
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW 4ORk.-Inere is no mystery ABOUT
the reason why the federal government is
hanging onto Lepke Buchalter, refusing to
turn him over to tine State OF New York for
execution under a sentence of death for a
murder done in Brooklyn in 1886. The reason
is revealed in the record Of the murder trial
and in the opinion of Judge Albert Conway of
the New York Court of Appeals affirming
the conviction and sentence.
Lepke was the boss of a local of Sidney
Hillman's Amalgamated Clothing Workers of
America when he procured tie murder of
Joseph Rosen, a trucking contractor, who had
been out of business and was threatening to
go to Thomas E. Dewey, now governor but
then district attorney Of New York county,
and tell all. 1t is very dirty story of crook
ednesS in the union of man who is one of
President Roosevelts pet unioneers of the
radical wing and if Dewey could get pos
session of Lepke he might persuade him to
tell the whole story of his murderous, racke-
teering career in exchange for Il commuta-
ton of his death sentence to life in prison.
Hill1nan has great influence in the new deal.
He is an old and intimate friend and associate
of Mayor LaGuardia. He is SO highly re-
garded in the White House that Mr. Roosevelt
selected him to serve on the body which was
the forerunner of the present. War Labor
Board and, about year ago, on his request,
Charles Poletti, then serving brief interim
term as governor, secretly turned out of prison
vicious communist fire-bug named Alex
ander Hoffman who had served only eight
months of term of from two to four years
for arson. Poletti said Hoffman had enjoyed
excellent reputation before his conviction
which was a lie because the man had been
indicted on charges Of stink-bombing and his
reputation was that of a brutal ana dangerous
terrorist. Poletti by-passed tee judge, the
prosecutor and the parole authorities in re-
leasing Hoffman and when he left the gov
ernor's office he was commissioned a lieu
tenant colonel no less, in the Army. He has
since been sent to Italy in one of those ad-
mlnistrative government jobs TO teach the
Italians his own peculiar version of democ-
racy Hoffman, by the way. was general
manager of local 239 of the cleaners and
dyers, affiliated with IIillman's amalgamated
and he went right back to his old job on his
release but was quickly boosted out by the
parole board which lacks authority, however,
to revoke Polettis order releasing him from
prison.
One paragraph from Judge Conway's ma
jority opinion will sketch the relationship of
Lepke to Hillman's union although the details
OF the crime are much too complicated to
be reviewed here.
Zone Max Rubin became an executive board
member and one of the finance committee
OF Local No. Of the cutters union of the
Amalgan1ated Clothing Workers of America, -
Judge Conway wrote. GAS an official of the
amalgamated, Rubin came to know the de-
fendant and was with him almost daily. He
also worked for Lepke in connection with
Local l38 of the flour truckmens union and
the Greater New York Tailors Expressnlen's
Assn. Later, Rubin became business agent
of Local 240 of the clothing drivers and help
ers union, which was also affiliated with ANAL
gamated. In 1881, dispute arose between
two groups in Local No. of amalgamated
Lepke supported one group which gained con-
troll. Rubin arranged a meeting between the
leader of the opposing group and Aepke and
certain union officials were gwen years
pay and withdrew from the union:
Dewey, who convicted Lepke OF extortion,
of course knows the background and many
of the intimate details of mis- criminal career
and is in a fine position TO traoe win him
because the division of the Court OF Appeals,
d tn 2 gives hin, an excellent excuse to offer
him clen,encv in return for ms testimony.
On the other hand if Dewey should decide
against clenency before Lepke IS surrendered
to the state. as Attorney General slddle wants
him tn J,enl<e would have no1hlng to gain
by squealing. Tenlec
and the whole group of organlza41ohs and per-
sonalities are important in the Tuscan po-
litical parasite known as t.1e s,absid;, LABOR
Party which is New ioAA VI
the neWe deal party