The Wilmington morning star., 1945-05-22
Fair Enough


Editors note.-The Star and the News
accept no responsibility for the personal
views Of Mr.. Pegler, and often disagree
with them as much as many OF his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people think.)
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1s45, by King Features syndcate.)
One of the great pleasures of my long and
rowdy scrap with the criminal underworld of
the American Federation of Labor and their
pietistical fellow travellers is an occasional
opportunity to spoon-feed one Of these apol-
gsts a dish of his own hypocrisy or incom-
petence.
I have at my elbow just now resounding
editorial in a weekly paper calling itself the
Lab News, published in Worcester, Mass,
and dated Friday, April 1910.
I should like to quote from this essay just
enough to establish the attitude OF those peo-
pie, including William Green and Joe Pad
way, the president and general counsel OF the
A. F. of L., toward disclosures OF criminality
in their own organizations Invariably they
have denounced the revelations as labor-bat-
ting and union busting, and the excerpts
which I shall give will show how savagely
such impostors have nisled the workers who
reposed confidence in them.
Freeman NJ Saltus is named in the mast
head as the editor of the Labor News OF Wor-
cester. Mass. 50 l assume that he either
wrote or approved the editorial which says,
in part:
THAT his lying pen is doing considerable
damage, not only in couraging labor's enc
mics to carry on their infamous campaign
against labor, but is poisoning the minds OF
many who because Of lack Of knowledge con-
corning the labor movement, actually believe
what Pegler says is Gods truth. That Pegler
is big asset for those who, for many years
have turned heaven and earth to discredit
union labor is fully realized.
"Of particular interest to Mr. Pegler Is one
Mr. Bioff an official in the amusement in
dustry whom he charges with being CRATER,
a crook, racketeer and God knows what
'His particular plea is that, having been
convicted of a minor crime some 20 years
ago, he is unfit to hold his present position
"Pegler is now paying his respects toI
George Browne, president Of the International
Alliance OF Theatrical Stage Employees and
Moving Picture Operators. Browne, although
considered a splendid executive and highly
regarded in the labor movement as able, hon
est and conscientious, has also been placed in
Pegler's category Of grafters and racketeers
because he is not doing his Pegler's) bid
ding. by discharging Bioh.
Reading between the lines, who is a
close observer Of men like Pegler, whose
principal stock in trade is persecution, usual
~ are correct in their conception as regards
this kind as person, and usually come out
right when they characterize them as fakirs."
On March a. three years later I went. to
Worcester, and, between trains verified in Mr.
Saltus' own editorial jurisdiction, state of
affairs which either through shocking inccm-
petence as union journalist or deliberate for
bearance, I cannot say which, he had failed
to publicize and remedy. By the simple, jorr-
nalistic method of consulting the police files
and interviewing policemen, I was able to
prove that one Amos Cote, convicted brothel-
keeper, prohibition bootlegger and gambling
houce operator. a notrious drEnkard and
thug, with a police record Of three prison
terms and a number Of fines, had recently
been installed president Of the Central
Massa chusetts Board of the Textile Workers
Union Of the CLIO at ceremonies attended by
Saul Wallen, the regional director Of the War
Labor Board and Emil Rieve the national
president of the union Entries in the police
records declared that young woman ar
rested in flat in company with Cote had de-
clared that she halved her earning with him.
The office to which Cote was elevated under
the stately auspices of the War Labor Board
of the Roosevelt administration was not
mere local presidency
He wa made president of joint board
embracing numerous locals in the center OF
the textile area. Hugh Kingsley president OF
the Worcester Newspaper guild and thus
CLIO official employed at public expense, as
press agent for the War Labor Board, deplor.
ed the expose and refused to cooperate with
me-
To the faint credit of Mr.. Rieve, 1t may
be said that after this rascal had been ex-
posed by independent initiative in casual
turn on the police run, he threw Cote out OF
his job.
AS to Mr. Saltus the fact needs no pointing
out that he sat in Worcester denounclng as
labor batting routine newspaper work which
called for doing under his own nose. Nor IS
it nc cessary to dwell in detail on the story ct
Bioff and Browne vicious criminals, since dis
owned even by the A. F. of L.. OF which
Browne, "a splendid executive, able, honest
and conscientious was then vice president.
They have been driven out now and when
Green, Padway and the likes of Saltus have
been epudiated and removed, the A. F. OF
L.. may begin to aspire to public recognition
as somewhat reformed if not necessarily
moderately decent organization
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