Detroit evening times., 1945-05-23

now n reSOunulnR eullOTldl- IN
weekly paper calling itself
the Labor News. published in
Worcester. Mass, and dated
zfrida.ApriI 5J,9a0s|
! should like TO quote from
this essay just enough 10 estab-
lish the attitude of those peo-
pie, including William Green
and Joe Padway, the president
and general counsel Of the AFL,
toward disclosures of criminality
in their own organizs tions.
FREEMAN NJ. SAErtS II
named in the masthead az
the editor OF the Labor News
of Worcester, Mass. so l as
sumo that he either wrote or
approved the editorial which
says, IN part:---
That his lying pen Ia doing
considerable damage, not only
In encouraging labor's enemies
to carry on their Infamous cam
paign against labor, but IL
poisoning the minds of many
who, because of lack Of kpowI-
edge concerning ~>tbe labor
Nv Yemen I, actually believe
what Pegler says, Is Gods
truth. That PegIer Il big
asset for those who. for many
years have turned heaven and
earth To discredit union labor,
is fully realized.
"Of Particular interest 10 Mr.
Pegler IL one Mr.. Bieff. an off
cisi In the amusement Industry,
whom he charges with being =
CRATER. a crook, racketeer and
God knows what.
His particular pies IL that.
having been convicted of
minor crime some 20 years ago,
he Is unfit 10 hold his present
position,
"Pegler is now-paying his
respects io George Browne,
presidenLnEthe@ international
Alliance Of Theatrical Stage
Employees and Moving Picture
Operators.
Browne. although considered
= splendid executive and highly
regarded In the labor movement
ss able. honest and con>cien-
.tiouS.-has- Also heea =piaeed=in
Pegier's category Of Krafters
and rncketeers because he 10
not doing his tPcglers 81 bidding,
hy discharginx BioG.
Reading between the lines.
one Who IL close observer of
men like PegIer. whose pribci-
pal stock In trade il persecution,
usually are correct In their CON
ception as regards this kind of
person. and usually come out
right when they characterize
them a. fakirs."
~ MARCH 8. three years
" later. | went 10 Worcester
and. between trains, verified IN
Mr. SaltuS' own editorial juriS-
dictIon state of affairs which
either through shocking incom-
petence as union journalist or
deliberate torehearance. cam
not say which. ne had failed 10
publicize and remedy.
BY the simple. journalistic
method Of consulting the police
files and Intervening police
men. | was able 10 prove that
one Amos Cote. convicted
brothel-keeper. prohibition boot
logger and gambling house op-
orator notorious drunkard
and thug. with police record
of three prison terms and a
number of fines. had recently
been installed as president Of
the central Massachusetts board
of the textile workers union of
the Go at ceremonies attended
by Saul Wsllen. the regional
director Of the War. Labor
Board, and Emil Rieve, the ma
tional president of the -,fnior---
Entries in the police records
declared that young woman
arrested in fat in company
with Cote had declared that she
halved her earnings with him.
The office 10 which Cote was
elevated under the stately aus
piceS Of the War Labor Board
of the Roosevelt administra ton
was not mere local presidency.
lie WAS made president of q
iOint board embracing nu-
nerouS locals IN the center Of
the textile area.
Hugh Kingsley. president ~
the Worcester Newspaper Guild.
and thus CIO official al public
expense. as press agent for the
WLB. deplored the expose and
refused 10 cooperate with me.
To the faint credit of Mr..
Rieve, il may be said that, after
this rascal had been exposed by
independent initiative in a casual
turn on the police run, he threw
Cote out Of his job.
As 10 Mr.. Saltus. the fact
needs no pointing out that he
sat in Worcester denouncing as
labor-baiting routine newspaper
work which called for doing
under his own nose.
Nor is 1t necessary TO dwell in
detail on the story of Bioff and
Browne. vicious criminals, since
disowned even by the AF'L, OF
which Brown "a splendid
executive, able. honest and con-
scientious." was then a vice
president. DA
They have been driven or
now and when Green. PadWay