The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-10-26
Fair Enough
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1915, by King Features Syndic:


(Copyright, 1915, by King Features Syndicate,
NEW YORK,-Now that the communist in
vasion Of the New York waterfront has been
repealed for the moment, let US consider the
questions of dictatorship and racketeering
which were the basis of the so-called rank
and file rebellion
Is Joseph Ryan dictator in the Internation-
al Longshoremen's Association of the A. F. of
L. and does racketeering exist?
OF course, most unions of both the A. F. of
L. and the CLIO. are ruled by dictators or
royal groups with truly regal privileges and
powers. And for years some of the sub-bosses
of Ryans union have run rackets under
system, typical of the American union move
ment which gives them the position and
powers Of Tamnlany district bosses. In Ryan's
union, the local dictators dealt in liquor and
the numbers racket and applicants for some
of the jobs had to pay an initiation fee of $500.
Challenged with such charges during the
war; Ryan tacitly admitted them but explained
that that was no time to undertake reforms.
He was busy loading ships and maintaining
his efficiency which was superior to that of
Harry Bridges Pacific coast union of CLIO.
longshoremen. He knew that Bridges union
was constantly trying to penetrate his Atlantic
ports, and that Bridges was practically COM
muting between California and the Atlantic.
He knew that the National Maritime Commits
sion and the War Shipping Administration,
through the influence of social and political
pets of the Roosevelts was favoring the COM
munists of the Maritime and waterfront unions.
Ryan fiercely hated Franklin D. Roosevelt for
this and would have opposed him in the last
campaign except that he realized that the
Roosevelt propaganda had convinced his men,
bership that he was their friend.
Meanwhile, through friends in the war ship
-, p1yoy kon vat
enemies and he predicted two years ago that,
with the help of Joseph Curran, of the National
Maritime Union, which is ever faithful to the
communist line, Bridges" union would make
its move as soon as Soviet Russia was out of
danger from Hitler.
was present. not in the meeting but there
abouts, when Ryan was elected president OF his
union for life and was entertained by the blank
establishment of some Of his subordinate IN
ternational officers when he introduced me as
a friend not only of Joe Ryan but OF labor.
He knew l was anti-racket but l was anti
communist too, and it was not merely to as
sure himself life job at $4,000 that he had
elected himself president for life. He also want
ed to relieve himself of the need to fight
insurgents within his own union 50 that he
could use both hands fighting the communists.
OF course it is improper that union presa'
dent should be elected or cause himself to
some others who are not formally elected for
life have SO organized their politics that, like
Frank Hague in Jersey City, and the late Mr..
Roosevelt, they can hold office until they die.
Few Americans realize, as they should, that
racketeering in unions is legal. Suppose that
a regional boss Of Ryan's union compels the
stevedores to buy liquor at store run by
his wife or brother under penalty OF expulsion,
and charges them more than a fair price.
nm. g.. I,,,%& tho 1oy o11oxuS II Trading
elsewhere could be called 'un-unionlike con-
duct" punishable by expulsion But the boiler
makers union compelled hundreds Of thous-
ands of ship-builders to buy life Insurance
through the union on which the son OF the
unions president received fabulous commits
sion. And if they fell in arrears with their
tribute to the presidents on the first OF
the month, out they went and IN some CLIO.
unions the workers may be compelled to give
1.-THE or more for Russian relief or COM
munist propaganda or the Political Action
Committee. Those, too, are rackets.
So life tenure for Ryan and racketering,
as such, were not the real objections of the
communists to Ryan's control OF the loading
on the New York waterfront. He was offensive
because he was defending the Atlantic ports
against communism.
William E. Warren, the rank-and-filer who
led the New York revolt. has now renudiated
his own strike and announced that ne was I'M
posed on by Nathan Witt, leftwing attorney,
formerly secretary of the National Labor Re-
lations Board Not until he learned through
this column did Warren know Wits back
ground and understand the manner in which
his personal rebellion against Ryan's life-presl-
dency and the rackets was being exploited IN
the interests Of leftwing unions infested by
communists.
Reforms are overdue but Ryan's union IS
typical not exceptional. And in the matter OF
democracy" it is much more reasonable than
Curran's NM.U a candidate for office in the
NM.U. must have been a member Tor one
year and sailor for two years and these
provisions neatly exclude practically the en-
tire body of young Americans on the war
shipping fleet from opposing dominant COM
munists in the elections. In fact most OF them
are members only by compulsion of the Roose'
velts' 'partyline War Shipping Administration.
Nevertheless, without a right to vote on the
question, many Of them had to quit work under
union orders to assist in Bridges invasion For
refusing to obey they could have been reported
to their draft boards by the union for 1nduc-
ton after faithful war service in the Merchant
Marine.
QUOTATIONS