The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-16
By WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK-Those old-sty1e American DEM
ocrats and those 'open-minded' citizens whose
votes put over President Roosevelt for his
fourth term learned in less than one week
after the election one of the consequences ot
their decision.
They voted to Jimmy Petrillo and to all
other professional unioneers of the Roosevelt
following fascist power to collect a sales
tax on our food, our clothing, on every article
Of commerce produced by workers who belong
to unions, whether voluntarily or under Roose-
velt's compulson. 1t is true that Tom Dewey
had made no fortnight declaration against
this private taxing authority but those who
voted for Roosevelt had no excuse for doubt.
He had repeatedly demonstrated and de-
clared that he would confer this power on
these private individuals, practically all of
whom are members of his political following
I'D most of whom dipped into union treasures
under their control mulcted their subjects
for special contributions to Roosevelt's cam
paign fund.
There will be some flippant and thoughtless
individuals among the marginal group of vot-
ers who supplied Roosevelt with his plurality
who will scott away this and other presenta-
lions of an omnous development with taunts
of hard loser" and poor sport.
That is a pity. of itself, because this was
not game or sporting contest but an issue
Of fascism or the American way and they
knowingly voted for fascsm or Hitlerisln mi
nus only the racial and religious oppression
1t is a pity, too, that some Of those VINO
fought hard, though not quite we'll enough,
against Rooseveltian Hitlerism in the cam
paign, have indicated that they did not mean
al that they said in the excitement of the
contest and we're indulging their emotions in
that which Wendell L. Wilkie to his historic
embarrassment and discreet, described as on
ly Campaign oratory.'
AS one who meant every word of it in
those days, I insist that the victory of Jimmy
Petrillo, the president of the musicians union.
is just as subversive and dangerous as I said
it would be, that Roosevelt planned it that
way and that Petrillo now has won not only
the power to tax the whole American people
but also the power to censor our radio enter
tanment and to load the air with propaganda
for the party to which he is politically COM
mtted and indebted, namely Roosevelts.
To 60 as far back as we need to explain
the case, Petrillo demanded from t n e big
broadcasting and recording companies roy
atty on canned music" or records playable
on the air, in the juke-boxes and in the homes
He said the money would be used to relieve
the needs of musicians who would be done
out of work by the repetition of their playing.
However, there is no law to compel him
to distribute these royalties among members
Of his union whose work is abolished or cur
tailed by the repetition Of "canred music
ard there is no excuse to believe that he will
put it to any such use. Already he has said
he intends to build up the unions treasury
tc one hundred million dollars, all under the
hands of himself and a few other unioneers
of his council.
Thurman Arnold, when he was an assistant
attorney general prosecuting antitrust cases,
in an unsuccessful action against Petrlllo and
his council in this same issue, sWore IN his
court petition that the unions total member
ship was only 1000 and that no more than
half of them were full-time musicians. The
rest are Saturday night or occasional per-
formers otherwise employed as clerks, bar
bers, school-teachers carpenters who JOIN
ed the union only to obtain license to earn
a little extra money, his basic membership,
thus, is only 10000 a relatively small union.
By revising his contracts with the moving
picture industry when the present agreement
expires, as he intends to do, Petrillo will help
himself to another sales tax on the consumers,
meaning the movie patrons, and may raise
his treasury to an immediate goal of 100000,
00C.
In that process, the basic membership doubt
less will drop because, as he has commended
through his argument, mechanization drives
musicians out of the trade, or art, so the dis
proportion will grow.
Jimmy might boost his treasury up to hall
a billion dollars, still with no legal compulsion
to divide it with his wholly unemployed or
needy members. And there will be no gov
eminent check the political use OF the
money now that the will of Congress has
been frustrated by Francis Biddle, the attor-
ney general, in his refusal to enforce the
corrupt practises act against Sidney Hlllman
and the communists of the Political Action
Committee.
AS Arnold pointed out in his petition, but
as few Americans realize the Roosevelt gov
eminent compels each of the licensed stations
to broadcast for at least two-thlrds OF the
hours authorized by his license and, as Arnold
said, that entertainment is about 70 per cent
musical So, by refusing to enforce against
Petrillo an order of the War Labor Board
calling on him to lift his boycott, the Roose-
welt government compelled the companies TO
submit and sluced this new flow OF royalty
money, which Petrillo estimates at S4ooo'ooo
a year. into his treasury to be useo OF olviueu
according to his conscience. AND, OF course;
he has already resorted to censorship anu
that right has been blessed in washington.
By invoking the same principle with very
little variation to accommodate their speI 10
all other union oossee " ~
Roosevelt adherence receive the same taAiiie
power. ,,
The possibilities for taxation, for the accuen-
,1lation of wealth in dictatorial hanos anu ~
censorship and power have not oeell 1922 49,