Detroit evening times., 1945-05-08
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PeeIer

deep the humiliation of a poly
glot group of professional union
eers from several lands, who
have been trying to attach
themselves TO the United Ma
tions conference.
The host, SO to speak, is the
CIO and the guests include Sir
Walter Citrine of the British
federation who once thought
that an eminent American gang
ster must be a very important
labor leader because when he
went 10 London as a delegate
of the American Federation of
Labor, he took nine SECRETARIES
with him.
The fraternal delegate vas
Tommy Maloy of Chicago. long
since waited TO his reward in
the purifying flame of a blast
furnace or sawed-off shotgun
and the secretaries were mem-
bers Of the mob which later
became the invisible govern
ment Of the movie employees
union under George Browne and
Willie Bioff.
IN ANOTHER occasion. dur
~ ing a visit TO New York,
Sir Walter was honored by a
tea at the Waldorf given by
William Green.
He had the pleasure OF meet
ing under these stately auspices,
Mr.. Green's friend, colleague
and cohort, Joe Fay, another
underworld magnifico of the
labor movement who recently
was sentenced 10 two terms in
prison for using his union office
10 practice extortion.
That time. brother Dave Du-
blnsky. who had been socked on
1.-THE jaw by brother Fay during
national convention in New
Orleans for proposing that
criminals be excluded from
union office, Withdrew from the
tea party IN a seven-passenger
huff and later was discovered
on stool at Joe's Lunch. growl-
ing into his borscht over the IN
dignity OF il all.
Sir Walter comes here this
time under the patronage Of the
Go, for the AF'L has placed a
hex%nark on the door OF the
international union conclave be-
cause the Communist union
stooges OF the Soviet govern.
ment are present.
The AFL takes the view that
the Soviet union movement Is
not a free labor organization,
inasmuch as il is a subsidiary
Of the government and run by
the government. not the men,
bers.
THlS is a very pious position
4 considering that the AF'L in
the United States has encour-
aged the national government
10 take over and perform most
OF the important duties for
which unions exist.
Nevertheless. the little group
Of serious thinkers is proceed
ing under conditions which
amount almost 10 a political
blackout.
In the matter Of publicity.
which is the breath Of life and
the wine and toddy on which
unioneers the world over stimu-
late their vanity, the silence Is
almost total.
They haven't received official
credentials or even official tick
cts 10 the peace conference,
their status is no more august
than that OF regional meeting
of the Elks and TO the mortifi-
cation OF the american
unioneers, they have not been
invited TO present their archi-
tect's dream of thd unioneers'
wing of that palatial new world
of the future.
MR.. SIDNEY HILLMAN and
NA Mr.. Phillip Murray are
bearing the burden of the em-
barrassment. They were unable
10 get quarters for themselves
and their foreign guests in the
San Francisco hotels and so had
10 put up their friends in Oak
land, a condition emphasizing
their loss OF prestige in their
own land.
And when they were going 10
hold mass meeting 10 adver-
tiSe their presence they had TO
appeal TO their cherished old
enemy, Mayor Roger Lapham, a
ship owner. who beat the union
bosses at the polls in the fall OF
l943. 10 utter some cordial
words of welcome and say any
other kind remarks that he
might find in his great heart
after many a fight with their
disciples in the days of the
terror in San Francisco.
Mr.. Laph a m was mildly
amused at this request.