The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-02-09
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK,-Some of Tom Dewey's friends
and neighbors are beginning to mutter he
owes it to them to say now. somehow, that
he will accept the nomination 50 they will
have something to offer the Republicans
around the country in competition with Mr..
Willkie.
agree that this bashfulness can be over
done and has just about served it's purpose,
but take it for granted that Dewey will not
only accept but put up fight for the nomi-
nation because to his kind Of Republican,
Willke is just an imitation Roosevelt and his
policies plagiarized new DEAL 1t has got to
be Dewey or Willkie for no other Republican
running against Mr. Roosevelt would be worth
the investment in train fares, wire tolls and
printing. Moreover Dewey is so sore at Will
kie for cutting him down in 1910 that you
may be sure he would be very happy to &C
cept if only to square matters. OF course he
should be grateful because Mr.. Roosevelt was
bull for strength that year and would have
knocked the brash young man right through
the skylight, but politicians are peculiar and
he thought he had good chance and was
cut off by an inter1oper.
But if Mr.. Dewey is being coy, I submit
that brother Willkie also is simperng on an
ings and pelting himself with compliments
at close range.
How stands brother Willkie on labor? That
is one of the greatest domestic issues and
grows graver day by day. 1t is not a mere
matter of wartime strikes which may abate
under the pressure of public opinion COM
municated to Congress and the bosses of the
big organizations, and, in some cases I'M
doubtedly have been provoked by dumb and
Stiff-necked or incompetent industrial man.
agement. It involves fundamentals, the right
of the citizen to join a private lodge, his
right to not pay an income tax to a political
organization as Sidney Hillman has had the
effrontery to propose that he should. His right
to bargain through the agent of his own choice
as proposed in the Wagner act and not through
an agent thrust upon him by either his en-
ployer or the government. These rights have
been flouted in the most cynical way for sew
eral years and will wither away if they are
not reestablished soon. Another four years of
Mr.. Roosevelts policy would cancel them en-
tirely and if we can assume his adnlinistra-
ton would continue it's creeping encroach-
ments on the freedom and dignity of the in
dividual we can also foresee convincing inn
itation in the country of the labor controls
which Mussolini founded in Italy and Hitler
adopted in the land of the chosen, but face
less people of the master race.
| l will concede that Mr. Dewey has not de-
clared himself strongly. But for one thing,
not being candidate thus far, he hasn't
had to and, for another, he did prove as
prosecutor in New York that he is at least
opposed to criminality in union leadership and
that he has wide knowledge of those union
practice" which are not criminal but are anti.
social. And Notwithstanding his prosecution oil
crooks in union office the intelligent labor
men have been glad to admit that he was
fair and not in any sense the enemy either
of unions or labor. In politics he has had the
support of many such men.
Wlllkie's thoughts on taxes and the Ameri
can standard of living which he would debase
though reluctantly, in the interests of war eff
forts, and his foreign policy have been very
bold and interesting. He will be accused of q
number of sinful ideas against that which we
call the American way but it will have to be
allowed that he has not trimmed on those
politically dangerous issues
Therefore it is hard to understand why he
Ignores the whole great problem of labor and
unonism as though it didn't exist It is there
II all right as prominent something extreme
lly dead and l can assure him on the basis
of should say at least 100000 letters from
-|laborers and other American toilers in the
last few years that it is no minor concern
|, These people and many more are thinking o.
some very precious liberties that have beer
: taken from them at home by government
lwonted and, in some areas, unwanted free
doms everywhere, else in the world
I V
i Every time the enemy produces new form
: of aerial torpedo or rocket gun. a differen
! model airplane, a new type of tank, or :
finer lens for aerial photography-they cal
!, lit a secret weapon.-Air Forces Gen. H. H