The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-17
By WEsTBROOK PEGLER
downright, 1915, by King Features Syndicate.

| Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate.)
NEW YORK, Sept 16-The Supreme Court
recently decided that labor union, hitherto
empowered to act in restraint of interstate
| commerce, even by resort to false and de-
famatory statements against innocent business
| firms, and by highway robbery, loses that
privilege when it acts in concert with non
labor group.
Even a corrupt and criminal band. dis
guised as labor union, may prey on the
public if it acts solely in its own interest, but
if one or more legitimate business firms, pay.
ing taxes and abiding by all laws, should be
forced into partnership with the union, the
restraint of trade then becomes illegal.
The case was an injunction suit by group
of manufa cturers of switch boards and other
| electrical equipment residing outside the city
of New York. The plaintiffs charged that Local
3, of the international Brotherhood OF Electro
cal Workers. of the A. F. OF L., had agreed
with certain manufacturers and contractors
within the metropolitan area to exclude their
products from New York.
1t was argued that this combination was a
boycott against many large nonresident man.
ufacturers excluding them from the greatest
single market in the country. Had the union
imposed this boycott by itself, simply by de-
claring the plaintiff manufacturers to be ''un-
fair these companies and the public would
have no relief In previous cases, the Roose-
welt court had ruled fatty that union was
the sole judge of its own interests and of the
means that it might use to advance those in
terests provided it acted by itself or in con-
cert with other unions, but not with tax-paying
employers or other non-labor interests
The plaintiff manufacturers contend that, in
the postwar building business in New York,
where vast numbers of new apartments will be
needed, the restrictions created by Local 3
would add heavily to the cost of construction
and thus to the rents.
It is not here represented that Local is
disreputable or that its important offices are
occupied by criminals, with one exception
The reader may form his own opinions as to
it's character.
William A. Hogan, the treasurer of Local
8 for many years, was sentenced to Sing Sing
on July II, 1922, for grand larceny, first de-
gree, to serve from IL to three years. In
July 1923, Governor AL Smith COMMITTED his
term to the time served. Governor Smith said
the Communication did not suggest any doubt
as to Hogan's guilt. Hogan was released be-
cause his family needed his support The peo-
pie proved that he had missappropriated $751;
CTS from the rank and file benefit funds.
After his release he was restored to the
position of trust in which he had been unfaith-
full and the parent or international brotherhood
made him international treasurer.
The business manager Of Local is Harry
Van Arsdale. He has been convicted of as
sault, first degree in shooting case. in which
two men were wounded, and of melting to riot
in strike. Both convictions were reversed
and the indictments were dismissed thereafter.
In the first case the sentence was from
six to II years. In the other, the sentence
was one to two years.
The shooting occurred in the local union
hall on Feb. "a, 1888. William Sorenson, a
union member, was shot in the shoulder and
stomach, and Frank Dooner, also member;
was shot in the hand Within an hour, Soren-
son made statement to the district attorney,
saying: ivan Arsdale pulled a gun. He fired
at me and the first bullet hit me in the stom-
ach. He fired another shot at me-
At Bellevue hospital Dooner said Van Ars-
dale had no gum but he later said someone
had threatened him with injury if he did not
keep his mouth shut
Henry Godell, another member, who had
been with Sorenson and Dooner was not avail
able to testify. He was murdered near his
home four months after the shooting. No ar
rest was made in the murder case.
Adelbert Letscher gave testimony at the
preliminary hearing of the charge against Van
Arsdale on May 81, 1888. That afternoon acid
was thrown in his face. He testified at Van
Arsdale's trial and his mention of the acid
was stricken out. However, in summing up,
the prosecutor referred to this testimony and
this reference was. in part, the basis of the
reversal.
On April 80, 1885, the district attorney, NOV
ing dismissal of the shooting case, told the
court that Sorenson and Dooner had received
between them, out of the unions funds, $4,000
in settlement of suits against the union on
account Of their wounds Therefore they no Ion
ger desired to prosecute Van Arsdale.
In July, 1941, the New York Police Depart
ment found one Albert Ltscher on a Local
3 picket line and reported that, on questioning,
he admitted that he was Adelbert Letscher,
the victim of the acid
Van Arsdale, powerful he has been in Local
8, insists that the decision to pay Sorenson
and Dooner $4,000 was freely taken by the
membership. At one of the general member
ship meetings, however, his popularity, II that
is the correct word, was shown when. by
motion from the floor, he nominated for
reelection and then reelected by acclaim.
Usual procedure calls for ballot election on
day other than the day Of nominations. Van
Arsdale has visited Russia as an American
unonsts
Local 8, with 10000 members. is believed to
be the largest local in the entire American
union movement Most of its members how
ever. are in Glass B. This means that one
skilled electrician with Class caro-, has
vote equal to that of entire local union OF
'sB'' members who do monotonous unsklHed
work in factories. Moreover b Class unions,
whatever their size have each only one rep
resentative at the international conventions
A Cr.,a ,,a;,.. howe one delegate for each 100