The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-10-15
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK.-From Worcester Mass the
APP reports that Father Thomas E. Shortel
S. j., director OF the Institute of Public
Relations of Holy Cross college, in an ad-
dress to the Massachusetts Federation of
Post Office Clerks, has admonished me to
write at least one piece each week about
good unions and good union leaders. Then
he approved, as service to labor, the ex-
posture of union rackets and those of Mus
covlte, or communist, inspiration but said
that it he, meaning me- should turn his
hand to exposing antisocial policies and
practices in business, we should be more
convinced Of his sincerity"
Before answering these suggestions as
earnestly as I can, I should like to say that
the matter of my sincerity is not really per-
tinent. think I am sincere in my abhor-
renee OF rackets and my detestation of the
communists and their methods, but the al
legations themselves, and not the inner mind
or heart of the person who presents them
or his motive for doing SO, should be the
sole consideration. When d prosecuting at
torney presents a case against an accused
person, do we try to examine his conscience?
and do we demand that he divide his en-
ergies and his time, diverting himself from
the case in hand, to praise some member
of the defendants family, or that he break
off and build case against some business
rival OF the accused, by way of proving
that he is sincere?
Father Shortell is not the first one who
has presented these thoughts but that a
jesuit should utter them to members of a
union gives me concern, whereas 1 ignore
them for obvious reasons when they come
from professional unioneers. I went to school
to the Jesuits and respect them.
When he speaks of good unions Father
Shortell reminds me of a conversation I
had with another priest some months ago
INV hp
Catholic clergy rarely eulogized the dead at
their funerals, but only prayed for the re-
pose of their souls, was that eulogy instantly
challenges those present to unpleasant and
possibly true recollections in refutaton.
I did permit myself to believe that the
Garment Workers and Transfers unions
were fine organizations led by idealistic men,
David Dubinsky and Daniel Tobin, respec-
lively. I inched out limb and had a
very painful fall as I became better &C
quainted with the ethics and practices of
the men, themselves, and the methods of
their unions. I felt that I had played the
fool in trying to be fair and had been a
bad reporter. These men are not democratic
in our popular understanding of the word.
Dublnsky uses his power to try to regulate
the politics of his subjects and Tobn one
OF the money aristocratics of unionism, know
! lngly sat in the highest council of the AFL
with a notorious racketeer, refralning from
protest lest he provoke political reprisals
within the organization. He also tried to
debar his subjects from recourse to the pub
lie courts and denounced anyone who would
go to court for legal relief from the op-
preston of a boss unioneer as a form of
life lower than the scab who has no more
rights than a Jew in Germany.
l simply do not know of any union which
could honestly praise as good, although
readily admit that I do not know all about
all of them. But not of the many that
l do know about can I indorse if only be-
cause they all believe in coercion and force
and subject to no restraining laws. If
Father Shortell can name one which can
stand inspection, I wish he would.
AS to antisocial policies and practices in
business the answer is that I think these are
pretty well covered by legal forbiddance and
that the study of union practices is fulltime
job for any man who tries it. However, there
are many good reporters who are welcome
to this other field and, if all the rest are
content to let it alone, why pick on me?
think business is almost helpless these
days and certainly well in hand, whereas
unionism is dangerous, dsorderly, irrepon-
sible and running wild, to the great peril of
us all.