The Wilmington morning star., 1944-01-21
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK,-Having told you of certain
relations between number of corrupt union
GERS and important politicians of the new deal
household will play the other side of the
record today.
This piece concerns some leaders of the
Republican organization in Westchester coun-
ty, and James Bove, a vice president of the
VIGOROUSLY corrupt hod-carriers union and
proprietor of local go; privately held West
chester local.
Mr. Bove, who is now under indictment in
New York county on charges of extortion, paid
$2500 to former Supreme Court Justice Will
liam F. Bleakley, one of the most powerful
men in the Republican organization in 1912,
for legal services rendered. the nature of
which I do not know He also drew checks on
the unions treasury for total OF at least
$500, ostensibly as contributions to the 1910
campaign fund of William F. Condor, a Re-
publican state senator and chairman Of the
senate committee on labor and industry. The
checks were so represented to the member
ship.
Other interesting data exists which could be
brought to light by an official inquiry, strong
ly indicating that leaders of the Westchester
county Republican organization had other re-
lations with Bove and with two other unioneers
now under indictment with Bove in New York
Martin Parkinson and William J. McGeory,
rulers of local 1877 of the operating engineers,
another crooked and ruthless national racket
operating under charter from the AFL but in
the regular course of events, such an inquiry
would be conducted by Ebert T. Gallagher,
the district attorney, or prosecutor of the
county, who is a member of the same Re-
publican organization and the political friend
Of Messrs. Bleakley and Condor 1t is peril
nent also to report that Livingston Plat, Mr..
Bleakley's law partner in the firm Of Bleak
ley Plat and Walker. with offices in White
Plains and New York, is chairman of the
WaSfphecter COl1ntv Repub1can cOnonoitteo
Mr.. Bleakley is at present serving as a
commissioner investigating alleged frauds in
the administration of the Workmen's Compen-
sation act. He was appointed by Governor
Lehman and reappointed to continue his work
by Governor Dewey. He has confirmed the
fact that he did perform legal services for
Bove's union and did receive compensation
without volunteering to state the nature of
the services or the amount OF the fee.
An investigation of racketeering by local
II of the hodcarriers in Orange and Ulster
counties across the Hudson river, in the con-
struction of the 300 100000 Delaware adue-
duct, by Edward C. ONeil, a Democrat of
Governor Lehman's. administration, begun in
March 1872 was wound up last December.
Two strong-arm grafters, underlings of Bove
and Joe Fay of the operating engineers, a
notorious thug and union racketeer, were con-
victed and sentenced to prison. This inquiry
was confined to localized places and matters,
however, and could not cross the river into
Westchester county although much evidence
was turned up incidentally indicating that the
depradations of the mob at the expense of the
rank and file and the taxpayers were at least
as grievous in Westchester, if not more so.
It could be of course that Mr. Bleakley, a
former Judge, now full of local political honors
and still man Of great political influence in
the state Republican organization, did not
know the character of Mr.. Bove or his union,
or his associates, Parkinson, McGeory and
Fay, who also is under Indictment in New
York However, he is a very alert and in.
telligent who knows a great deal about
the neighbors in Westchester and their activi.
ties and interests.
Moreover, he was present as speaker at
a racket dinner run for Parkinson at the
county center in White Plains in November
1910 with McGeory as POSTMASTER, which cost
$3.50 a plate and broke up in row because
many of the sand hogs, handbook men and
other toilers on the aqueduct job didn't gel
even the 75-cent token blue-plate special usu.
ally served at such demonstrations of rank
and file loyalty to boss unioneers. There were
about 1000 diners present and many other
tickets were sold to the contra citing companies
by the traditional shake-down process, but
were not used. At the time it was reported
on the aqueduct job that Mr.. Parkinson had
received, with the affectionate respect of his
subjects, a gift of the kind usually described
as handsome testimonial.