The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-29
Fair Enough

Editors note.-The Star and the News
accept no responsibility for the personal
views of Mr.. Pegler. and often disagree
with them much as many of his read
ers His articles serve the good purpose
of making people think)
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright 1945 by King Features Syndicate.)
NEW YORK, - About seven years ago l
deliberately picked a fight with the union
movement and the Roosevelt political group
which had imposed on American labor and
the whole community the hideous corruption
which was the inevitable and plainly foreseen
product of the Wagner Labor Relations Act
Now, for the first time, am encouraged to
believe that Congress will summon the man.
hood to smash the indecent alliance which
has made the national government the partner
Iof communist traitors, union racketeers, reck-
less political opportunists, common under.
world gangsters and bumbling old ignora-
muses. who practise Fascism even while they
denounce it.
The Hatch-Burton-Ball bill is the first re-
form proposed in the Senate which has a
shameful record OF cowardice in dealing with
an evil that has become more serious than
prohibition ever was. In the past, two good
bills passed the House of Representatives but
were put to sleep in committees of the Senate.
Senators Hatch, Burton and Ball have pre-
sented program which would correct many.
although not ALL of the evils
When this fight began, most OF US, in our
ignorance believed that the union movement
truly represented labor. BY a negative pro.
cess, l became a member of the newspaper
Guild without the formally Of applying for
membership. Through this brief association
and by careful reading of the Guild Reporter,
the official publication, I perceived that union
methods OF dealing with quite decent newspa-
permen who would not join were harsh unfair,
and, to may minds dishonest. l saw COM
munists siding into positions of control and,
i the Guild Reporter, l detected a bias which
seemed to me to misinform the rank and file
readers. l heard high officer of the Guild
declare that if a strike were called against
his paper he, too, would strike in violation of
e personal service contract. l then concluded
that contract that he might sign on behalf
OF the Guild would be any better than his
personal contract
The denunciaton of such scoundrels as
Browne and Bioff Scalise, Fay, Bove and
convicted burglar in Mr.. Lewis executive
board of the mine workers and a renegade
policeman who had turned bootegger, in the
role of treasurer of the iron workers, were
incidental developments. Dozens of other
racketeers were exposed but not always en-
positions OF power in unions of the American
Federation of Labor.
More important to me was the discovery
that the labor relations board, was in fact, Or
ganizing Unions, recruiting membership and
actually encouraging strikes where strikes
would cause civil commotion in accordance
with the communist program for revolution.
Throughout this time, l have insisted that
the only proper role of the government in
labor relations should be that OF umpire and
moderator. 1t should try to head off disputes
and prevent strikes SO that industry could pro-
coed productivity and men and women could
remain at work.
The new act, presented by Hatch, Burton
and BALL. belatedly admits that, under the
Wagner Act the professional Unioneers them
selves engaged in unfair labor practises at
the expense of the workers. In the original
debates on the act, Senator Wagner fought
down efforts by Senator Tydings, of Mary
land, to forbid coercion Of the workers by the
union agents. Later the Labor Relations Board
itself joined the union officials in this coercion
The new bill now would forbid unions. as
well as employers, to interfere with or coerce
workers. 1t would forbid Unions, as well as
employers, to spy on individual workers as
unions often do. 1t would forbid employers to
pay brides or tribute to the familiar A. F. OF
L. type Of racketeer. 1t would compel unions,
by force OF law, to keep their contracts
employers always must. And it would rectify
number of utterly immoral decisions Of the
Roosevelt Supreme Court by forbidlng unions
Ito boycott or blacklist employer in re.
tal!ation for any exercise Of his own legal
rights.
AS between the unions and industry these
provisions would bring the law close to an even
balance. The hitherto helpless mass of inno-
cent by-standers in great strikes also would
be given new protection
Labor however, would remain exposed to
some of the old outrageous practses. There
is still no limitation dues, fees and assess.
ment or the taxing power of unions; no lmi.
tation of the uses of Union money to forbid
looting or political contributions; on require.
ment of honest internal elections or fair I'M
| ion laws.
Still this move, occurring in the Senate, is
recognition that the Roosevelt labor program
was vicious in its denial OF rights and its
support of corrupt bosses and menace to
the whole nation if continued into the post
| war period.