Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-07-17
FAIR
ENOUGH
By Westbrook
Peqler

II Nol' have no better use Tor
Il The next few minutes. let me
bend your car with an cXplana-
lion Of another sly and UNDER
handed trick of that govern
ment OF this country which
Francis BlddlC. the attorney
general. has called "a political
party tied up with the labor
movement
The political party is, Of
course. Mr.. RooScvclt'S New
Deal which runs the govern
-r4etat --atA- he tt5+leeF-aa ete--
mcnt' is the union movement,
composed of workers, or. as he
says. labor '
To call these unions "the
labor movement is a piece of
demagogic political dishonesty.
Biddlc knows that this move
mcnt is governed almost en-
troly by diCtatorial groups and
individuals. including under
world raScalS and anti-Amerl-
can Communists.
In its entirety. it is an anti
labor movement under our
present laws.
He knows that large
proportion of tt1r Americans
constituting labor are not
members Of the unions IN the
common meaning Of tho word
but .captiveS driven into the
fold by the CovernT Mt.
He knows that millions Of
them have been robbed of hum
dredS of millions Of dollars by
crooks and licensed union grait-
erS who also have preyed upon
and collusiVcly combined with
employers 10 cheat the workers
and the government.
If Mr.. Roosevelt, himself
doesn't know all this, TOO. and
more of the same, then he ism I
onc-tenth the man that he and
his party represent him 10 be.
y rCaCilO 10 lflc luiIlt> a. -
/ ing from the 300 million dol
lar Delaware aqucduct ioh and
many other government Jobs OF
The war construction on winch
Americans were charged big
fees for the right 10 work,
Congress last winter decided
that henCcforth the unions. al
though remaining exempt from
tax on their graft and their
statutory income from rental
properties, securities and the
like. must at least make what
they cali international m
come tax returns.
The idea, frankly. was 10 pre-
sent to the public the enormlty
Of the union income and warn
the people. including labor Of
the mcnaclng financial power of
these over-privileeed organlza-
tons and their bosses.
The uniOnecrS hOllercd that
this congressional proviSo was
but the beginning of a campaign
10 expose union business affairs
10 government inspection and,
although some of its proponents
blandly denied any such pur-
pose. I see no excuse for such
hypocrisy and agree that this
was the purpose and insist that
1t was very good purpose, too.
Mr. ROOSEVELT vetoed the
NI bill in a message that finally
aroused his old friend, Senator
Alben Rarklcy of Kentucky. TO
fighting words and the PreSl-
dent. himself being thus ptIbllcly
stood up to and realizing that he
had over-Spoken himself, quit
cold The bill then passed over
his veto.
At the time there were those
who said the Presidents real
objection did not lie against the
tax rates which ne deplored on
the ground that they favored
the greedy. not the needy, which
was copy desk phrase reflect
ing the literary counsel Of one
Of his SclflcSS assistants and a
silly bit of flppancy.
Anyway need and greed arc
As often found together as greed
and wealth.
The suspicion inStjnctivcly
arose that Mr.. r. was actually
trying to turn a trick for his old
friends. the unlonccrS. and might
get rid of the dlnCbat con-
corning International returns
from unions If he could throw
the whole bill back into confer
enCe and debate.
However. that hope was lost
when the bill went through over
the veto and ii then became
necessary for the political
part t-t4ed- ,ip-n-itl4 he labor
movement TO whip UP another
Of It's clever little schemes. hav-
ing the color. though not the
odor OF legality.
That scheme has now been
effected.
The unions won have 70 do
as Congress SAID they must
Mr.. r ) Internal Revenue has
ruled that HE hiss parent unions
shall make international re-
turns but that tho little. COM
poncnt unions need not tell how
much they Get or whore or how
or what they do with II.