Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-04-05
FAIR
ENOUGH
By Westbrook
Pegter

DEMOCRACY is a concept
~ which had the benefit of a
great patriotic and emotional
propaganda i'm the first World
War when the majority OF the
best young men went out 10
fight a tyrant ruler or a brutal
breed in the thoughtless belief
that democracy meant freedom.
They fought under the polti-
cal management of the Demo-
cratic party and the slogan.
make the world safe for
democracy" They thought
democracy was beautiful.
Indeed, il could be beautiful,
too. if men were perfect. but its
fatal defect is that il provides
no protection for the minority
against the will, the envy. the
prejudice Of the majority.
II is absurd 10 say that
democracy and slavery or de-
mocracy and race prejudice are
incompatible. In democracy.
If 81 per cent Of the people de-
eide TO make slaves of 40 per
cent, that is the will Of the
majority and the prevailing RUE.
If the 81 per cent vote II
outlaw religion and religious
teaching, that is the will of the
people and the law OF the COM
munity.
IT is not by examining theory,
Il however, that we discover
the practical meaning of de-
mocracy in the minds and plans
of those who are the loudest ad-
vocates of democracy in the
United States at present.
No single group In the Roose-
welt political household makes a
greater show OF its devotion TO
democracy than the Electricians
Union of the American Fedora
ton of Labor Nevertheless, this
organization has subhuman or
robot type Of membership, estab-
lished by the democratic process,
whose members possess only
tiny fraction of the voting power
4 OF the Class A members.
The Class A members decided
that the unskilled factory work
ers turning out electrical devices
must Join their union. But they
foreSaw that these unskilled
Z workers would outnumber and
/ therefore outvote them, so they
protected their power by re-
strainlng the unskilled to fac
tlonal votes.
TNHIS was the viii Of the ma
lority. expressed by the dem
oCratic process. a robot MEM
Der is not whole man. He is
1/lO0th Of "A man. He can never
be more. In some localities, the
I locai electricians decided III the
most democratic way 10 restrict
full membership 10 the sons Of
full members.
Thus. case occurred IN
which a young electrician who
had married the daughter OF a
full member. formally petitioned
the public court to be declared
the legally adopted son of his
father-in-law so he could quail
iiy for "A card
The court perceived that this
would complicate the young
mans relationship 70 his wife
and for this and other reasons
rejected the request
TiE National Maritime Union.
COmmunlSt-front organiza.
ton. is another vociferous adj
vocate Of democracy and. for
the time being of the RooSe-
Welt administration.
This organization is savage
opponent Of lynching and the
poll tax. yet commonly employs
both Of these institutions IN it's
own internal affairs and would
put them into general operation
throughout the country If IL
could. Lynching is punishment
without trial on a presumption
Of guilt
As recently as last December
30. tho president of this New
Deal organization. one who calls
himself Joseph Curran. said
1--WE don't need n trial com
mittee for racketcers. 4 rack
eteer II not member Of this
union, even though he NAV
carry book. He is not going
to get any trial In this union
II he II known 10 he racketeer.
If he il proven To be rack
eteer he will he kicked out
without trial"
In other words. any anti
Com muniSt is automatically
guilty Of. racketeerlng and may
be lynched.
l would point out, further.
however. that President Roose-
Welt Mrs. Roosevelt and the
entire administration are ardent
poll takers because they stoutly
protect unionism as IL is and
without change, and all unions
employ the poll tax.
In their view, IL is fine, demo-
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