The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-09

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, 1915, by King Features Syndicate)
NEW YORK, Aug 8.-An army captain in
the Pacific has written to ask whether it is
true that in that brave new world of the
future, should he live to see it, he may be
compelled to join a union or go without
job l have sent him a note telling him that
he will but I feel that he and few million
other service men would like to know more
about their status as citizens and veterans
of the war in relation to the unions
These men have an idea that when they
come marching home they will stand for no
restrictions on their right to work imposed
by such political bosses of their sub-govern-
ment Sidney Hillman, Dave Dubnsky, jim
my Petrillo and old Dan Tobin.
Well, am sorry to have to say that they
are wrong.
In the first place, the minute a soldier
takes off that uniform he is just another ci-
william. That little gilt button in his left lapel
doesn't mean 4 thing. Of course the unoneers
will try to WOO him in with little concessions
such free initiation but if he gets tough
and insists a job without joining, they
can be tougher because they are organized
dividual civilian.
But when you tell people that they say
what do mean they aren't organized?
Haven't they got the American Legion and
the Veterans of Foreign Wars and this new
deal Trojan horse thing which bobbed up at
the San Francisco conference, claiming to
protect the discharged fighting men?
Well, I will tell you what about thenn too
They will lobby through many cash benefits,
some of them disguised as loans, and Sub
sides to help the veterans start lunch-Wagons.
but they won't tackle the unions For one
reason, the unions will plant lot of smart
political manpulators in these organizations
to bore from within and either take them
over or neutralize them. And any veterans
organization that honestly tries to establish
for its members the right to work without
joining will be smeared as a fascist move
ment with all the standard dirty implications
such as JeW-baiting, jim-croWism and union
busting
These people have been siphoning off about
one thousand million dollars year in war
profits and as they have often said them
selves, in attacking the soulless corporations,
money in such amounts is tremendous pow
er in politics. Already they print a lot of
weekly papers and they are now talking Up
among themselves a national daily propa-
ganda paper, to be published in New York
of course, and an alternative idea of several
regional dailies which would build up the
union bosses with constant publicity and abuse
all opposition. =. -
thus far they have found that Hitler's method
works well with their subjects. The teamsters
monthly magazine is almost exclusively de-
voted to the personal glorification of old man
Tobn who actually occupies royal status
above his subjects, with his sons, the princes
of the house, planted on the payrolls. And
any number of the Pilot, the official organ
Of the National Maritime Union, is mis-
print that doesn't contain at least six photo
graphs of Joe Curran, Who hollered for a Sec
ond front but could not take time off to be
there.
Do you think the boss unioneers would
hesitate to call a veteran a dirty fascist for
insisting on his right to a job without union
card, even though he should wear a medal
of honor for bravery in smashing fascism at
Anzio or Casino? You wait and see.
You have heard a lot about the CT Bill of
Rights but you will not find one word which
recognizes any right of discharged fighting
man in conflict with the privileges that were
granted these unions by the CTS late revered
Commander In-Chief. The Unions come first.
They get first chop at your pay because
if you don't pay up on time you can't earn
any income on which to pay tax to Uncle
Sam. They come before the church because,
again, if you don't keep Up in your owings
to the union, you can't earn dime or quarter
for the collection plate.
They come before your family in the same
way and unlike the treasury and the church,
they don't carry delinquents Old Sam will
not blackball you out of your job for de-
linuuency and the church always carries a
load of dead-heads. But not the unions.
Or suppose you do make borry from Old
Sam and start that lunch-Wagon or a little
trucking business and hire some of your old
comrades from OkinaWa to fry two or move
little cargo around your home county.
If you don't make those fellows join up
and shower down to the unioneers they Will
picket your greasy spoon with signs stating
| that the food is full of ptomaine; they Will
expel from other unions any of your customers
who refuse to boycott you and they will strike
the plant of any neighborhood business man
who goes through their pickets to trade With
YOU Or if you are the one with the Little
trucking business, they will pull strikes
against any firm that hires you 10 denver
cargo and any firm that accepts it.
That certainly is noble little gilt button
in your lapel and your fellow citizens salute
and honor it and the man who wears 1t.
Eq1t don't flash it the unions, your LABOR
hating rag-Waving poll-taxer.
go