Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-05-14
Burglar Aide
Of UNIV
Defended
Head Of Draft Board
Defends YabIo0ski
By MUSHROOM PEGLER

- = & 'N ~ , q W. -NI
By WESTBROOk PEGLER
| OS ANGELES. May III
- have a lcttcr on tho station
cry Of Tho SolcCtvc Service SyS-
tenn, Local Board No 3, Washing
ton County Pa, signed Charles
D. Seaton. He represents that he
Is a member of the board with
jurisdiction over the classified
ton of Joseph YahloHSki ef Cali
fornia. Pa, burglar. who is
member of the intornatinal oN-
ecuuye board. or national gov
erninC body, OF John l.. Lewis
United Mine Workers.
Fms burglar Is also chairman
Of RatiOuiuE Board No. 8 Of
Washington County, Pa.
YahlonSki. who Is 81 years old
and physically strong. was very
active in tho recent coal strike.
Alone point during the Sabotage
ne remarked proudly
"The coal that will he mined
today can all he sold at one small
corner drug store"
He is A member OF tho Lewis
faction in an area whore there
has been great rank and file OPP
position =te=the Big Rass.=IIe
was elected TO the international
executive board with the support
Of the national office although
his record as a criminal was
thoroughly publicized and doubt
less was well known TO Lewis.
THE letter from Mr.. Seaton
Il says the local draft board is
gravciy concerned with the at
moSphere of triCkery and shall
loWneSS that you have tried to
create IN your article with re-
Spect TO the operation of Selec-
tive service in their classification
OF regiStrantS.
IL am permitted 10 say"
writes Mr.. Seaton. that Yablon-
ski lives i'm family relationship
with his wife and two minor
children, horn we'll within the
limits as prescribed by selective
service for dependents"
The dispatch which Seaton de-
sires TO challenge did not con-
Germ itself seriously with the
question of dependency as a
ground for deferment of this
criminal.
On the contrary it observed
that dependency would be
minor claim" in his case, infe-
rior to his claim for defermcnt
enjoyed in furthcring the war
effort.
His helpfulneSS in the main
tenance of good labor relations
and the prosecution Of the war
was demonstrated IN the walk
out of a large number of miners
at California. Pa, his immediate
bailiwiCk, during the recent de-
fiance of the national govern
ment.
lie ALSO helped maintain
IL good labor relations and to
advance the preparations for
war by assisting Lewis in the
captive coal mine strike in 1871,
shortly before Pearl Harbor, in
which. issue was a demand for a
closed shop.
In that case, President Roose-
welt gave solemn assurance to
the non-union miners and to the
nation as a whole, amounting TO
a vow, that he would not order
nor would Congress enact any
law imposing the closed shop
and adding, Gratuitously. that
such would be Iiitler'S way.
a few weeks later, IN VIOLA
ton of this vow. President
Roosevelt did adopt Hitler'S way
and the nonunion miners were
delivered into the control of a
man with police record of nu-
merouS entries. including a plea
of guilty TO a charge of bur-
Elary and a Jail sentence for this
crime.
OUCH, then. is the actual va
- lidity OF Yablonski's right 10
deferment as a union boss, and
not as a petty local gangster
either, hut as one who occupies
in the Mine Workers position
equal TO that of a member of the
executive council of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor
He is, thanks TO the support
Of the John l.. Lewis faction, a
BIG shot in the Mine Workers by
reason OF an election which was
denounced by reputable officials
of the union as the most dis
graceful campaigning in the
history Of the UNIV" which
was taking in lot Of territory.
As 10 tho validity Of any claim
Of dependency which may have
been made hv YablonSki the
dispatch which Mr.. Seton has
challenged set forth that va
hlonSki'S attitude toward his
family responsibility had in the
L.