Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-16
FAIR
ENOUGH
-ByWestbrook
Pegler
THOSE olAstyle American
L Democrats 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
of their decision.
They voted to Jimmy Petrillo
and to all other professional
unioneers of the Roosevelt fol-
lowing a Fascist power to collect
sales tax on our food. our CLOTH
ing, on every article OF COM
merce produced by workers who
belong to unions, whether vol
untary or under Roosevelt's COM
pulsion.
II is true that Tom Dewey
had made no fortnight declara-
ton against this private taxing
authority. but those who voted
for Roosevelt had no excuse for
doubt.
He had repeatedly demon
strated and declared that he
would confer this power on these
private individuals, practically
all of whom are members of his
political following and most OF
whom dipped into union treas
uries under their control or
mufcted their subjects Tor spe-
cial contributions 10 Roosevelt'S
campaign fund.
THERE will be some flippant
l. and thoughtless individuals
among the marginal group OF
voters who supplied Roosevelt
with his plurality who will scott
away this and other presenta.
tons of an ominous development
with taunts of hard loser" and
poor sport"
That is a pity, of itself. be-
cause this was not game or
sporting contest, but an issue OF
fascism or the American way
and they knowingly voted for
fascism or Hitlerism minus only
the racial and religious oppres-
sion.
II is a pity, too, that some OF
those who fought hard, though
not quite well enough, against
Rooseveltian Hitlerism in the
campaign, have Indicated that
they did not mean all that they
said IN the excitement OF the
contest and were indulglng
their emotions in that which
Wendell Willkie, 10 his historic
embarrassment and discredit.
described as only Campaign
oratory."
AS ONE who meant every
"A word OF il IN those days. I
insist that the victory of Jimmy
Petrillo, the president of the
Musicians Union, is just as
subversive and dangerous as /
said IL would be. that Roose-
welt planned IL 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 en-
tertainment and TO load the air
with propaganda for the party
TO which he is politically COM
mitted and indebted. namely
Roosevelt's.
To 90 as far back as we need
10 explain the case, Petrilio de-
manded from the big broadcast
ing and recording companies a
royalty 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 10 distribute these
royalties among members of his
union whose work is abolished
or curtailed by the repetition OF
canned music and there is no
excuse TO believe that he will
put il TO any such use.
Already he has said he in
tends TO build up the unions
treasury to S100,000,0OO, all UNI
der the hands of himself and a
few other unioneers of his
council.
THURMAN Arnold. when he
L was assistant attorney gen.
eral prose cuting antitrust
cases, in an unsuccessful action
against Petrillo and his council
in this same issue. swore in his
court petition that the unions
total membership was only
100000 and that not more than
half of there were full time
musicians.
BY revising Sis contracts
with the moving pasture indus.
try when the present agree
ment expires, as he intends to
do. Petrillo will help him, elf TO
another sales tax on the con-
sumers, meaning the move
patrons. and may raise his
treasury TO an immediate goal
OF 200,000,000.
In that process, the basic
membership doubtless will drop
because, as he has contended
through his argument, mecha-
nization drives musicians out Of
the trade. or art, so the dispro-
portion will grow.
Jimmy might boost his,l