Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-02-23
Whats
New!
By
Edudrd Duck
On Leave
With The
Army
"SIX DANDIES"

S/Sgt. A. X. (Ray) sampson,
of the Willys-Overland Unit.
You might remember Ray as
being one of family of track
stars, baseballers, and tennis
players whose names have
made local sport history over
the past fifteen years.
The letter didn't amount to
much-just short note. But
the enclosed clipping was
something to warm the hearts
of those who have yearned for
just one punch at Labor's
Number One Enemy-West-
brook Pegler.
No less than six contribu-
tors to the Letters to the
Editor column of LOOK
magazine had simultaneously
leveled their literary barrages
at Pegler in this one issue.
Listen to what these people
think of him!
Navy Commander Eric o,
Johanson, of Lakehurst, New
Jersey, wrote as follows:
"Your article, Westbrook
Pegler: Tonic or Poison?
LOOK, Oct. III, is vitamins
and a rare tonic to me, as
knew him intimately during
our childhood and adolescent
years. Peg was a vociferous
champion of 'Fre e d o m of
Speech'--for Peg only--a self
ordained arbiter on all sub
jects and the final judge on
all matters. Never content
with the existing order or sc-
cepted rules-alWays tearing
down and never rebuilding
Peg could fight violently with
words but was only mediocre
with his fists.
AS a boy, Peg had a one
track mind-m n e (which
he worshiped. Well, Peg has
travelled fast and far in his
chosen profession, and the boy
must have something to be
able to extract siZable chunks
of dough from his publishers.
Long may he rave, and
rave ne will as long as the
cash rolls in"
PLAIN SKUNK
James J. Klein, of Seattle,
Washington, was brief and to
the point. He wrote:
Replying to the question
Westbrook Pegler: Tonic or
Poison?
Neither-just plain skunk.
mot being a griper," wrote
j. w. Cheney, of Manchester,
Connecticut, Il must pass
Pegler up, lest | become dis
couraged and hate the world.
He offers no suggestions to
help men use their unions for
greater good"
Evelyn M. Stuart, of Chi
cago, Illinois, told him off:
You are quite right in
stating that Pegler is an in
stitution. He is that all right
AN institution for the feeble
minded, who, having no
brains, wait for their daily
paper and their favorite col
umnist to find out what they
think they think. Because he
has gotten into the big-money
class he has lost the human
touch entirely. Meanness and
a literary style like an oxcart
that needs greasing are all
there is TO Pegler."
Here's part of what DR..
Alexander A. Brown, M. D.,
of San Antonio, Texas wrote:
"He and his poison-pen
articles will long be forgotten
when many of the people he
SANDERS will be remembered.
And Robert c. Black,
patient of the United States
Veterans II os pital, Oteen,
North Carolina, put Pegler in
his place as follows:
when a ma agazine of
LOOKS high standard will
glorify a man who says, L
don't think much of this
democracy, / don't think
much of the magazine. l have
a right TO grippe. I'm veteran
of this war and have already
spent a year in hospitals.
have given much for this
democracy and don't like to
see some two-bit mud thrower
say it is no good"
These people expressed the
sentiment of millions of
American people who under
stand Westbrook Pegler for
what he is-a man who writes
for money, whose articles are
destructive rather than con-
structive, and who relies more
on innuendo and literary
glibiness than on truth, in car
rying on his fight against the
countrys organized wage
earners.
Thanks to LOOK magazine,
to the authors of these letters,
and to Sgt. Sampson, for en-
abling 10000 of us TO enjoy
these appraisals of Peg"
Volumes could be written in
opposition to his writings, but
these six individuals have
told the story in nutshell. 1t