The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-04-05
Fair Enough

Ediotr's Note.-The Sta, and the News accept no
responsibility for the personal views of Mr. Pegler
his readers His articles serve the good purpose Of
making people think.
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
NEW YORK, April 4-As an example of
the dirty hypocrisy of the Liberal Fascist
movement in this country cite for you the
attitude of the radicals who damn the poll
tax in those eight states of the Southern tier
which still maintain this ancient qualification.
The poll tax is pure Democratic institution.
Democracy is anything that 81 per cent of
the people decide to impose on the other 40
pc" cent. It may be confscation of property.
1t may be slavery, which has existed in demo-
cracies 1t may be the total extinction of the
40 per cent by agents of the 81 per cent by
starvation or the firing squad
Almost all of those who have conducted
the political attack on the poll tax and have
used the term poll taxer" in savage derision
of Congressman Rankin of Mississippi among
others, are poll takers themselves and profess
sing Democrats.
The National Maritime Union protege of
the Communist party and the New Deal, uses
the poll tax in its internal affairs. And Mar
shall Field, patient of continental dream
reader, who has been promoting an evil
mixture of Fascsm and Communism in his
New Deal publications in New York and
Chicago, is not only a poll taxer but.a cumu-
lative poll taxer. That is to say, Mr.. Field
has been known to invoke the cumulative form
of the poll tax whereby the arrears pile up
against the victim until he may be unable to
buy himself out of his civic obliteration. Under
Democratic principles, the man who succumbs
to the cumulative poll tax may transmit his
debt to his children who thus may be con-
demned from birth to servitude and subhuman
status. Mr. Fields activities thus far suggest
to me that this is his intention.
I have before me the confidential minutes
of private meeting of the National Maritime
Union. The president of the union, one who
calls himself Joseph Curran, tells of an en-
counter with an old sailor who objects to the
squandering of his dues and fees on a nagni-
fcent New York Kremlin for the greater glory
of the Communist officers and the comfort of
the nonseagoing salts who gather the money.
The one who calls himself Joseph Curran de-
mands the old sailors union book and OBJ
serves that he is IL months behind in his
dues In other words, he has not paid his poll
tax.
II said: "A member who wants to see the
finest halls in the United States, that man pays
his Dues" said the one who calls himself
Joseph Curran. "a man who wants patrol
money for that 1t takes money to give you
the best and if you don't pay your dues you
don't want it.
The state of Mississippi does not go that
far In Mississippi the man who does not pay
his poll tax just doesn't vote That is all. He
is still entitled to police protection. He still
gets the general benefit of the state and nlu-
nicipal governments. He still may work at his
lawful occupation. In parallel conditions, the
1riN and hor
unions under Roosevelt patronage would put
him to death He and his family would be
thrown out of their home, reduced to nakedness
and starved.
The case in point to which Mr.. Fields was
a party, was that of newspaper reporter in
New York who quit the newspaper gild which,
like the Maritime Union, has been controlled
by re Communists from the day it was
organized. He did not know that the gild had
concealed within its constitution negative
proviso that a member was committed to
membership and the obligations of membership
for life That mantrap was devised by New
Deal lawyer with the connivance of the late
sanctified Haywood Broun. 1t was not dis
covered until the reporter in question, among
Others tried to resign.
In time. Mr.. Field, his dreams having been
interpreted started his New York cell of the
Communist front and, in due course, this
Journalist was offered a job. He quit his own
good job, accepted Mr.. Fields offer and then
was confronted with formidable bill for ac-
cumu1ated dues, or poll taxes in the guild,
and assessments and penalties.
Mr.. Field sustained the newspaper guild
against the citizen. The citizen had to pay and
his family had to make the appropriate sacri-
fees to pick up his accumulated poll tax.
That process was against the political prin-
ciples of the state of New York in which the
outrage occurred. New York has no poll tax,
simple or compound, but Mr.. Field obedient
to the influences which motivate him. &C
quiesced in the extreme degree
On the pure democracy of this practice and
of the decentralization of the 40 per cent by
the 81 per cent, even to the point of serfdom
or clavery for the 40 per cent. shall deliver
some shapely thoughts tomorrow.
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