The Wilmington morning star., 1944-08-29
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK.-The endorsement of franklin
D. Roosevelt for fourth term by the state
convention of the New York Federation of
Labor is an appropriate act of homage and
appreciation by an organization heavily in
tested with public enemies. 1t is, at the same
time, delicate, if unintentional, compliment
to Tom Dewey who, in his career as a pros
ecutor in New Work, sent to prison a number
of prime dgntares of this licensed racket.
Any other action would have been a shocking
violation of the underworld code, and an
undeserved smear against man, who, like
Roosevelt, we'll knows the criminal characters
and methods of predatory unionism but, I'M
like Roosevelt, and to his honor has never
joined in their oppression Of the worker or
their outrages against the whole public in
terest.
To ignore or try to dignity the fact that, for
IL years the administration has been a helpful
partner in the appalling brutalties operated by
the American Federation Of Labor, is to serve
the public ILL., The relationship has been shown
in the plainest detail and, from early indigna-
ton and denial, all parties to the conspiracy
have turned to defiant acknowledgment. The
fact that the presidency Of the last relatively
free great nation on earth is involved in this
business cannot be remedied by popular re-
fusal to believe it. To be sure, decent citizens,
including millions of workers whom Roosevelt
has delivered over bodily to his crooked part
ners, do wish in their hearts that the highest
office within their gift has not been so debased
But the remedyies not to cry lese majestic at
the very truth, itself but to throw out of office
the regime which has so debauched free gov
eminent.
Roosevelt's Supreme Court has mad the cyni-
cal effrontery to hold, in sonorous language,
that his cohorts in these rackets have right
to bear false witness, that is to SANDER and in
jure by deliberate lies, innocent members Of
her all 41~41
berry is special right of his partners in the
EXPLOITATION of the people. His Department of
Justice has violated its trust by it's tolerance
OF national system of loot, operated in many
ways and in all communities and his shame
less flunkeys on Capitol Hill, by tricky
strategems in committees have frustrated
all proposals TO abate the menace.
The rogue's gallery of criminals exposed by
private effort and initiative, mainly that OF
American journalism, contains the portraits
of four presidents of national unions of the
American Federation of Labor and of one
member of it's executive council, the national
governing body 1t contains pictures of two
national treasures and OF lnnumerable region
al and local criminals. Its general counsel,
Joseph Padway the guide and intimate friend
of William Green the president, while postum
ing before Congress and state legislatures as
a friend of labor has taken the money OF
union crooks so foul that not even admins
tratlOn patronage
son. And Roosevelt, nevertheless, sent Padway
to England year ago as spokesman OF
j American labor, a gesture deliberately insult.
ing to American and British labor.
The basic wrong, the most defiant and tragic
offense against the freedom of the American
workers has been Roosevelts protection of the
system which makes it possible for union
. racketeers to shake down both workers for
Jobs and employers for protection against
strikes called, not by any vote of the workers,
but by order of the criminals. Dictatorships
have arisen, notably in the Pacific Northwest
where the teamsters' union, one of Roosevelt,s
favorites established working model OF the
D Hitlerian scourge and men have. been beaten
and killed, terrorized and starved, all for the
lack OF few fundamentally decent laws to
: restrict the powers of the goons
: That the New York state organization nj
y this vicious sytem endorsed for a fourth term
the one man who stands between it and the
!, pubic interest therefore. is not so much news
K as scandal.