The Wilmington morning star., 1944-08-03
BY wEsTBROoK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
PITTSBURGH, Aug. Gov. Tom Dewe,
came over here from New York during thu
night with Mrs. Dewey and a lot of others
bound for a conference. In st. Louis, of q
Republican governors, including, OF course
himself and John Bricker of Ohio. For som,
obscure reason, possibly of political delicac,
or through intent to deceive the Democrats
some one has tried to create an impression
that this is not campaign trip, which it i.
nothing else but, and that the train of nine
cars on the Pennsylvania Railroad, which i.
waiting in the yard at this writing, is not a
special but just another section of a regular
train.
In some technical meaning. known only tc
railroad men and the Interstate Commerce
Commission it may not be special train but
in all other respects it is. However, it is not
so very special, at that. for the equipment
with the exception of the conventional private
car on the stern rented from the Pullman
Co., it is just ordinary To rent ? private car
you just pay 10 fares. You might want to try
it some time.
There are IS reporters and photographers
along, for newspapers, press associations and
news magazines, each Of whom pays his own
way and picks up his own tabs for his meals
and drinks, and one who can speak from con-
siderable experience will say that political life
is austere by comparison with travel on the
world series specials which in the prewar days
at Amy rate, were luxurious and very gay.
Own Labor Wing
Mr. nowov cpent LARGO dow r,ooetin0 pepp.
sylvania Republicans, including a number Of
professional unioneers of the opposition, OF
anti-CIO Communist movement, and it ap-
pears that the Republican party is gathering
rather substantial labor wing of its own
whose speakers will cry up various grudges
against Mr.. Roosevelt These include a charge
that he is an enemy of free labor because
he has been partial to the CLIO which, in
turn, has become holding corporation for
his own Democratic party. They are saying
he created this CLIO arrangement as a shrewd
and deliberate plan whereby the labor move
ment would become device for collecting
campaign funds to keep him in office with
the eventual intention to strip it of its original
guise and run it, himself, as a party, as
Mussolini ran the Fascists.
This fight will develop as the ign
warns up and should be very interesting be-
cause the professionals of union politics all
know one another of old, having been allies
in various kinds of dirty work in the past
and have plenty on each other. Unlike the
machine politicians of the conventional type
they call each other crooks, murderers, rack.
eteers and communists out loud when they
get going, instead of keeping their old bust
ness secrets to themselves. Mr.. Dewey is in a
unique position as candidate because he
sent lot of boss racketeerS to prison during
his spell as District Attorney and he knows
the background of many of those who are still
at large, including the relationship between
the union of Sidney Hillman, the boss OF MIR
Big's CIO-Communst wing, and the late Mr.
Lepke of New York and his team OF profes
sional murderers.
The conferences of hot and busy day IN
Guided meetings with businessmen and rep
resentatives of the servicemen and women S
organizations of the last war and this one
Then late in the afternoon, the DeWeys toed
a line in the ballroom of the William Penn
Hotel and for an hour and 40 minutes, without
a break. shook hands with a passing line Of
visitors, Republicans, they dared nope who
filed by at the rate OF 40 minute Ihls was
a serious physical ordeal and Paul LOCKWOOD
Mr.. Dewey's handyman, hurried downstairs
after an hour of it to get them salt tablets:
The Deweys came through it with their right
hands in good shape, thanks to trick which
now seems to be common property among
statesmen of using quick, firm grab in shak
ing hands and letting 60 quickly This gives
me subject command of the situation, for he
has taken his hold and let 60 before those
energetic clear eyed, clean lmbed, firm
jawed, 90 getting bone crushers can take
the initiative.
The Deweys say Elbow do you do?'', 'How
are you?" and mice to see you," varying
the repertoire SO that seldom are two sue
cessive individuals given the same greeting
# seems hell of way to choose presi
dent
On baseball trains usually there is some
thing to speculate about in the press cars al
night. such as pitchers sore arm or hang
over or a heavy hitter's split finger which
| prevents his taking firm grab on the stick
On this little journey, however, the head mar
seems to be in good shape for his conference:
with the other governors in ST. Louis and thu
visit to the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, II
SPRINGFIELD Ill., neither of which should be
any great physical trial. 1nasmuch as it il
not speech = making trip, it comes unde1
| the head of strange business in the expert
ence Of most Of those on board. The meaning
Of it all may not dawn for days and days