Detroit evening times., 1945-11-21
FAIR
ENOUGH
By Westbrook
Peg er

hliANi litslitHl hooScNelt Uo-
livered him into the power of
gangSters, thieves. sluggers and
racketecrs, operating under
union charters, he may think
that-that is an exaggerated
statement.
However, this is literally true
and the department of Justice
did consult the wishes of Joseph
Padway, a lawyer and counsel.
lor and friend of some of the
most loatheSome underworld
criminals Of our time. in notify
ing the language Of the anti.
racketeering act.
This modification made il
possible for union gangsters 10
continue TO prey on the public
and 1t still protects them.
DADWAY is the general coun.
sci Of the American Fedora.
tion of Labor.
For a long time he got awav
with role Of spokesman for
American labor and statesmen
were afraid to cross him.
Padway was general counsel
for the dirty Biof- Browne un.
der~orld gang in the movie in.
9ustry and did some legal work
Tor George ScahSe. of the
bu!ldlng Service Workers I'm
ION racket, who. like Willie
Blof began his career as A bar.
gaming agent by sharing in the
wages OF prostitution.
A. least he SAYS he did soma
lcEai work 10 Justify foe o,
$1,000 from Scalse. Both OF
these rackctS were operations
OF the Capone gang.
N THOSE carly days. and bc.
4 fore the facts Of his practice
and clientele We're known. Pad.
Nay coald walk N on the al
torncy general of tho United
states 10 lay down demands in
the name Of labor
In tho particular case ra-
fcrrod 20 here the flaw in the
an'i-r7Ck'ecrlnC act is still pre-
served enabling cangstcrs q,
the fear1StcrS' Union 10 prac-
'lco highway robbery against
the owners nf trucks freichting
food and other consumer goods
across state lines.
Thus was The celebrated
fCaIstnLS- CaSn-4a- -uh4eA Local
SQT of tho Tcameters and Is
individuals were convicted of
shaking down tho owners ot
trucks entering New York from
tho south by way of New
Jersey.
They charged Ssii 10 let a
small truck enter tho tunnel
and S9i2 tor free passage for
a hig truck
4 number ~ tho individual
defendants We're ordinary police
characters with FBI records
and weren't even eligible for
drivers licenses. and therefore
couldn have been hired
~ THE appeal % tho Su-
" prcme Court Justice James
BNrnCs. now our Secretary ~
state. wrote the majority opin-
ion affirming the Cnur' n ap-
Ye7's which had reversed the
district court
lie admitted that tho gang
s'ers did use violence to obtain
thc money and n some cases.
refused 10 perform even tho
nominal work which was the
prcjoN for tho holdup namely
driving or merely riding the
truck. under The river
Justice ByrrcS held that the
laW against raCkcteerlnE IN
Interstate cnmmegce aeNeepieis
any person who attempted -
Obtain wages from a bona fide
employer 10 a bona fidc en-
ployo
This was the exception which
VA, Inserted IN the law before
us final passage by Congress. AZ
the demand OF Padway and
William Green. president Of the
i + Of / Congress gave way.
never imagining that IN few
years. the court would hold
that this language offered as
an honest and legitimate pro-
toCtion 20 labor, gave immunity
10 criminals who got tho money
by Violence and threats and
then refused 10 do any work.
CIilEF JUSTICE STONE for
y The minority wrote. that
when Congress was considering
the act no member and no
labor leader had tho tcmerity
to suggest that such payments.
made nnlv Ia secure immunity
- 4LnnlAlnIenGn-En4l4l- -ha-peeardeA-
rs tho payment of wages
padVay tried to disoWn his
old friend ScnliSc. after these
dispatches revealed SCalise's
criminal record and Tom Dewey
uncovered the rackctccring of
the Caponc gang in tho guise
Of tho building service workers
union
But finally ho was con-
frontod with a letter that he
had Written 10 Scahse. promis-
lnC 10 in'crceie for him with
the attorney rcneral in Wash
-inCton and closing with the