The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-10
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK.-The American Civil Liberties
Union has completed long study and issued
a report on the internal conduct of labor
unions which generally corroborates every
charge made in these dispatches and the al
legations presented to various committees OF
Congress. However, as might have been ex-
pected, the union is opposed to tie imposition
of legal restraints except TO compel the free
admission of all qualified workers and the
maintenance of "democratic rights under un-
ion constitutions.
The first of these concessions is aimed at
racial discrimination and the aristocracy of
the ALL job-trust unions. The second is mean
lngless because few union constitutions con-
form to the Constitution of the United States
and most OF them violate its spirit. The Civil
Liberties Union does not go Sc far as to sug-
gest that union constitutions should be re-
qulred by law to respect the workers rights
as citizens Of the republic, for this would
destroy their power as a super-government
The report says also I'VE dc not deal with
racketeerlng as such for that is chiefly a
symptom of lack OF democracy the idea
apparently being that -acketeering will cure
itself if let alone although L. thrived under
the rule of the very men, such as William
Green, Phillip Murray and John L. Lewis
who would still retain conhol of the move,
ment. The fact that Green has openly upheld
vile CRIMINALS at the expense of the rank
and file and that Murray anc Lewis also
were powers in the AFL and never raised
hand against such crlminaiity is gracefully
ignored.
AS trade unions increase in power, oper-
atlng under rights and privileges granted by
law says the introduotor comment, they
inevitably become the objects of legislative
control. This process has become so unusual
IN American life that most agencies which
come to be vested with public interest
also become subject to legislative control But
leglSlatlVe control, considering the pressure
on legislatures is likely to go far beyond
reasonable requirements and to reflect a de-
sire to weaken or destroy unions as all pres
ent tendencies show
AGAIN the comment says that although I'M
ions are growing more democratic, which is
a oeoataole statement, this growth is not uni
form and that there are gjaring exceptions.
ana comes to the inevitable defense of the
scounorel IN unionism, by suggesting that it
was the enemies of labor who exposed their
practlceS. And even while pretending to argue
1or the rights of the workers under union
rule, the comment says that it is not always
feasible to permit the rank and file to oppose
mlsfule because freedom to oppose may often
De USED as convenient instrument for pre-
venting the majority from fumctioning. Nor
can trade unions be expected at all times to
i l, wholly democratic procedures. When
tney are engaged in !jfo and death struggle
70 attain the right to organize it would be
loliy 10 ask them to postpone every action
Until IL could be done economically Under
Such requirements there would be no trade
unions''
mus the civil liberties union revokes its
own most important Recommendation for no
tyrant, such as John L. Lewis o. Daniel Tobin
OF the ALL teamsters. could be expected to
ADMIT that his union was now so strong and
efficiently organized that he could safely re-
linquish some of his autocratic powers. The
musicians union, for another example, is an
absolute monopoly whose president, Jimmy
PetrlllO, has the right &c suspend any part or
all OF its constitution a. Will and no power
exists by which the rank and file can oppose
him ON any matter. He is the law and he
can defeat by fiat any effort t. change the
constitutional provisioEs Which gives him his
power.
The futility of expecting honesty Or fair
ness in consideration of union matters from,
the Civil Liberties Union or any like organiza
tion is too obvious to need demonstration
All groups of this mind approach the subject
convinced that the American people, by the
passage of the Wagner act Wers deprived of
their right not to join Unions. they start with
the assumption that medlocf'ty must be made
bv law the lot of the American worker ana
fiat the Individual must accept stains ~ ~
Tho ororn known as tho Masses s,,h;aa4
forever to the rule OF az privileged and ~
resnonsib1e special government OPERATING ~
der nolitical license from the public govern
ment.
Unions in brief should DE beyond the law
except that existing restllctiolls must be ali.
olished so that more mIlloiio ~ subjects NAV
| be herded into the po"ei y A'iouS, brutal
and laWless men