The Wilmington morning star., 1944-03-06
By wEsTBROoK PEGLER

NEW YORK The National Maritime Union,
favored child of new deal and true sec
tor Of the communist front in our country, is
now going through that process which it calls
an election of officers. This make-believe is
governed by elaborate provisions which pur-
port to encourage every American civilian
sailor to run for office but, in reality, exclude
this organization made common cause with
the anti-American Hitler bunds and picketed
the White House and various New York ship
ping offices and British consulates under the
slogans 1.-The Yanks aren't coming and "No
| conveys up to the day Hitler marched against
Russia. It was an appeasant group and CO.
operated with the Nazi agents in their efforts
to obstruct and delay this country's attempts
to prepare for war, until Russia was attacked.
I shall hurry over the qualifications for Of
flee in the NMU and then explain how they
bar most of the young Americans now going
to sea on the transports and cargo boats
from holding office.
To be eligible for office a sailor must prove
that he has been member in good standing
for one year, that he is citizen or has filed
notice Of his desire to become citizen. that
he has had two years of sea service and that
he has not been ashore longer than six months
preceding his nomination, which is done by
petition He is ineligible if he has ever been
convicted of a crime but membership in the
communist party is no disqualification and
one seagoing sailor was thrown out of the
union and actually was fired off an Army
transport for offering resolution condemning
communism. The new deal government refus-
ed to take the sailors part even though he
was employed on a government vessel,
The first qualification, one years continuous
membership in good standing disqualifies,
first of all, practically all of the new sailors,
young Americans recruited and trained by the
government to man the ship. Most of them
have been going to sea no more than a year
and many of these who have a years serv-
ing or little more are men who did not rush
into the union but succurnbed to pressure from
the communists, their heckling, threats and
propaganda only after period of resistance.
The third qualification, two years of service
at sea, also operates to exclude this new ele-
ment OF young and loyal Americans as dis
tinguished from the communists, including
the Caribbean islanders who constitute con-
siderable portion of the old rank and file.
These young Americans are the hope of the
country to regain control of the operation OF
the ships paid for by the tax payers, after the
war.
The provision that anyone is eligible who
has filed notice of his desire to become a
citizen, was designed to make it convenient
for foreign communists, notably Latin-Ameri-
cans whose labor movement is violently revo-
lutionary, to attain office.
By this rule, foreign communist preaching
civil war in the United States and the seizure
of the ships by. force of arms after the world
war; becomes eligible because anyone may
file notice of desire to become a citizen.
This gives the enemy of the American govern
ment an advantage over the patriotic young
sailor who hasn't accumulated enough sea