Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-11-09
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PeeIers

q
1T WAS a foregone conclusion Z
i that, on appeal TO Washing
ton, Joseph Curran. president
OF the National Maritime Union. o
would be permanently excused
from the armed forces and re- II
lieved of all risks of that second :
front for which he and other
soap box Commands OF the
Communist party line have ?
been clamoring. ~
In recognition OF his valuable r
services in furtherance OF the
conspiracy TO seize the Ameri-
can merchant marine, Mr.. Cur .
ran has been placed in "a by
Mai. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey.
The case went 10 the Presi- /
dent on appeal by the union,
which is 10 say on appeal by :
Curran himself, because he runs
the union. after appeal board >
No. a had over-ruled a defer
ment granted by local board IL. r
M f A N w Hi +. OF course.
WI other clients of local board :
1S. lacking Curran's political !
influence at the White House
and the correct theology. are Z
off in the fighting forces. :.
Currans slogan and the basis +,
on which his indispensahility.
was based is that he keeps them
sailing by sending other men
10 sea through the agency OF
the union.
That many OF those who do /,
90 10 sea as civilian merchant
sailors have been draft-dodgers :
attracted by the high wages =
some OF the officers Of TN
navy's armed guard or gun
crews will testify with disgust II
they are assured that they will
not be identified until the war
is over and they are safe from
political persecution by the
proCommunist authority in
Washington.
THUS the navy Department.
l. protects the navy's enemies
and Furnishes officers who would
like 10 tell about the loafing OF
union sailors and the heckllng
and harassment of enlisted
men by sea-going civilians.
One such officer recently told
OF taking stand when his YES
sci was attacked and threaten
ing TO shoot any member Of the
crew who tried 10 put a boat
over and abandon the ship with
out orders white his own blue
Jackets stood by their guns.
He recalled also the. refusal
OF a young merchant sailor 10
help his men load ammunition
because that was not his work.
And the incident aboard trans
port in which the merchant crew
knocked off al quitting time
and took the winch controls into
seCluSion with them so that
the army could not scab their
Job of unloading stores which
were needed in a hurry by sol
ders fighting the Japs not far
away has been related indie
pendently by two young Off
GERS. one of the navy, the other
Of the army, back from the
South Pacific.
IN fact. the files of the navy.
i the coast guard and the ship.
ping companies contain rich
and racy record of the conduct
and attitude of unionized civil
ians in the war zones IN con-.
trast with the disciplined loyalty
of the armed forces.
The secret of the contrast
may he found in the oath which
is forced upon sailors Of the
merchant service which runs as
follows:
81 solemly swear To he true
and loyal to the union and the
labor cause and To put into<
7ractice the principles laid
down by the preamble and the
Constitution. and Ia obey all
rules the union may adopt"
The enlisted sailors and COM
missioned Offices Of the navy.
of course, swear 10 uphold the
Constitution of the u. S. A.
above all others.
Under this oath, the mer-
chant sailor makes himself
liable 10 fines and 10 dismissal
from the sea if he condemns
communism and, in a notable
case. man actually was put
or the beach in New York and
fired from an army transport
AT that. because he had offered
a resolution against communism
in convention of Curran's
union in Cleveland
Copyright 1913. ny United Features synd.