The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-28

|
| (Coryrieht 1915, by King Features Syndicate)
SAN FRANCISCO, April Ex-senator Robert
NJ La Toilette, Jr.,
United States Senate,
Washington, D. c.
Dear Senator:
Not too long ago for my remembrance, you
were running one of those badgerlng commit
tees there in the Senate whose purpose was
| to punish citizens who shoUld spy on private
organizations, osfensibly voluntary but in most
cases compulsory and in many cases rackets
known as labor unions
I have been wondering why you never called
on me because l am hardened OLD oHender
and it would rejoice me greatly to tangle with
you on this proposition AS l understand your
attitude you hold that it is wrong to spy on
such outfits On the contrary, I regard this as
a publc service and in my work have had
the assistance of many unwilling members who
were dragooned into unions by the new deal
against their will and with no protest from you,
and of many another willing but rebellious
union worker who was being prosecuted by
union bosses.
1t wasn't necessary for me to seek them.
They came to me with their troubles and told
me what was going on and, as one result,
quite a few criminals have gone to prison
who would have been protected in their rae
keteering if you had scared us OFF, They
would tell me about shakedoWns IN the form
of fees and assessments, personal terrorism
and grating by union bosses who would sell
the members out to employers and we would
get busy and pretty soon we would have the
crooks wired.
Bv the way what have you ever done about
that. Senator? You don't hold with racketeering
do you? l don't think get your attitude When,
in the presence of notorious conditions, yoC
would give us a law which would make it
dangerous to investigate such dolngs
If private or unofficial individuals were for
hidden to do this, who would do it? Certainly
the Department of Justice hasn't done 1t al
though John Edgar has in his files down
there in the same building with our august
ATTORNEY General absolutely authentic police
pedigrees on hundreds of such buns. And
am sure you remember that when the House
Of Representative passed bill to forbid at
least few racketeering practises and sent 1t
over to the Senate, this reform was strangled
by Senate committee and buried in the dark
of the moon. You didn't do anything to bring
it out of committee, either, SO l draw the
conclusion that you were not interested IN the
prevention of such predatory unionism.
Why shouldn't we spy on unions, anyway?
The unioneer has right to spy on the en-
ployer, hasn't he? He can buy share OF stock
and sit in on the board meetings, for instance,
and tell the wide world all that everybody
said. He can plant clerk or stenographer in
the front office to fitch carbon copies OF init
mate business correspondence and sell the
employer out to his rivals and by this espi-
onage can anticipate any move that the COM
pany is contemplating, such as reduction OF
the force or change in the managing staff
How do you suppose l ever learned about
the big insurance shakedoWn IN the boiler
makers union by which the son of the union's
president got an income greater than we pay
the President of the United States derived from
premiums paid by the members who had to
buy this insurance to get their jobs building
ships for the government in this war? Do you
think l got it from the Department OF Labor
or the War Labor Board? But you know bet
ter than that. You know they protect and per-
petuate such rackets l got it from members,
from one-time, horny handed boilermakers and
ship-builders who just couldn't get any relief
within the union and were tossed around Tor
trying. We didn't stop the racket but we did
get the old man out of there, although boosting
him into the title of president emeritus the
mob gave him a sweet raise in pay which
certainly was inconsistent with the little steel
gag. Maybe, though, in another year, We will
bust the insurance racket, too These Things
do take time, especially under a national adj
ministration that connives and cooperates with
racketeers at the expense of the workers on
the daily jobs.
One of the most interesting little jobs OF
espionage in my experience was done by a
nice young fellow in New York who went to
meeting of local union whose boss had been
convicted of stickup in which the victim was
Mrs. James Forrestal, the wife of the Secre-
tary of the Navy. This gangster was strictly
an underworld bum and he wanted some mon
ey to pay for his defense and his appeal and
he was going to shake down the poor suckers
for it. My young friend walked into the meet
ing and acted like bolshevik sounding OFT
with denunciations of the employers and hint
ing of a ruthless plot to railroad line labor
leader to prison because he was improving the
condition of his fellow man. 1t took quite lot
of nerve but he had what it took and ne came
out with a fine report of all that took place.
Our labor spy later lost his life in the war
and the people who hoisted Mrs. Forrestal,
at last reports, were alive and well IN prison
Thesmost important result that can see OF
forbiddance against espionage on unions would
be to make it even harder if not impossible for
the victims in the unions to get publicity and
eventual relief Because you know that Depart
ment of Justice won't do thing and you,
yourself, have never lifted your voice to pro-
mote new laws which would give them
chance within the unions.
Why don't you cite me for spying on thieves
and racketeers? Do me something.
WESTBROOK PEGLER.'
EDITORIAL COMMENT