The Wilmington morning star., 1944-08-18


responsibility for the personal views Of Mr.. Peger
and often disagree with them much many Of
bis readers. His articles serve the good purpose Of
making people think
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
| NEW YORK, Aug 17.-From time to time,
earnest and sincerely puzzled American pa
triots who have heard the words of commu-
mist and fellow-traveler applied to many in
dividuals in the Roosevelt government write
to inquire what these terms mean They are
loath to believe any President of the United
States would knowingly encourage enemies or
opponents OF the American system of govern
plent and the inner security of the nation,
Tor anyone in sympathy with them.
| communist, of course, is a believer in
communism who proclaims his membership
in the movement. The fellow traveller is one
who associates with communists and gives
them aid and comfort, but does not join the
party in it's guise of the moment and declare
himself openly. The reasons usually are lack
of courage and selfish unwilingness to do
nate a private fortune large income to-
the movement. Some however, remain fell
low-travelers because they can command more
attention and public respect outside the party
In that status they can pose as liberals"
and "progressives.
Felix Frankfurter, born in Austria, has been,
throughout the new deal, one of its most in
fluential personalities AS teacher, at Har-
ward, he impressed his beliefs and ethics on
many young American lawyers and many of
his more precocious, witty and cunning stu
dents soon found their way into influential
positions in the new DEAL Largely because
of his political beliefs, Franklin D. Roosevelt
put him on the Supreme Court.
Complicated Details
Back in 1917, Frankfurter was sent to Bis
bee Ariz., with commission appointed by
President Wilson to investigate the forcible
mass deportation of more than thousand
men by citizens deputzed as sheriffs who
loaded them into freight cars and aant them
over into New Mexico. The details q the Sit
uation are to complicated for full statement
in this space
Frankfurter denounced the deportation and
sympathized with the deportees. Bsbee was
producing large part of the copper which
this country and her allies needed for the
First World war The IWW, communist Or
ganizaton of terrorists, had been obstructing
the war effort in Bisbee and many other
places just as their successors did again dur
ing our so-called conversion, or tooling-up Pc
riod in 1910 and 1941, right up to the hour
when Hitler attacked Russia The menacing
element included Mexicans who were believed
to be veterans of Pancho Villas guerrilla
army which earlier had attacked Columbus,
N. j., and aliens from Europe. All commu-
nsts, or Wobbles, as the communists then
were called were opposed to this country's
war effort Russia had quit the war and their
mission was to extend the Bolshevik revolu-
ton all over the world.
In December, 1917 Theodore Roosevelt the
ex- president in letter to Frankfurter, wrote:
you are taking, on behalf of the admins
tration, an attitude which seems to me to
be fundamentally that of Trotsky and other
Bolshevik leaders in Russia
Roosevelt was referring to Frankfurter's
concealment of the peril of the community
which stirred to action the local American
citizens, many Of whom soon went to the war
in person
''Your report" Roosevelt wrote Frankfurter,
lis as thoroughly misleading document as
could be written on the subject. No official
>. is to be excused for failure to set forth
that the IWW is criminal organization. To
ignore the fact that movement, such as its
members made into Bsbee, is made with
criminal intent is precisely as foolish as for
New York policeman to ignore the fact
that when the Whyo gang assemblies with
guns and knives it is with criminal intent.
The President is not to be excused if he ig-
nores the fact, for, of course, he knows all
about it. No human being in his senses doubts
that the men deported from Bisbee were bent
on destruction and murder. Roosevelt erred
here, in that few of the deportees were not
Wobblies but law abiding local men who re-
sented being rounded up and refused to dis
sociate themselves from the rest.)
"And when the President, personally, or by
representative (meaning Frankfurter) rebukes
the men who defend themselves from crimi-
nal assault, it is necessary sharply to point
out that far greater blame attaches to the
authorizes who fail to give needed protection
and to the investigators Ga a n meaning
Frankfurter,) who fail to point out the criminal
character of the anarchistic organization
against which the decent citizens have taken
action.
''Here again you are engaged in excusino
men precisely like the Bolsheviki in Russis
who are rnurderers and encouragers of ,,,,,r
der, who are traitors to their allies tn DO
mocracy and to civilization as well as to tho
United States, and whose acts are nevertha.
less apologized for on grounds srbstantaI1,
like those which you allege.
"ln times OF danger there is nothing mora
dangerous than for ordinarily well.noe amin 70
men 10 AVOID condemning the Criminals hv
making their entire assault on the shortcorc,
lngs OF the good citizens who have heo,, 49,
victims or opponents of these criroin.1s ,,
-V-
Inc time has come for us to face tho d,,+;a.
snu oonsa 1'ons OF our citizenship and willingly
assume tne dlsciplines of the things we believe
~ before we are forced to accept the disc;-
Pnnes OF tyranny. Rev. DR. Peter M,rsh.11
OF Washington 9''- Wal s'"n