The Wilmington morning star., 1945-01-16
By WESTBROOK PEGLER
wright. 1915, by King Features Syndicate. J

movement who tells me / have been doing
great work for labor and unionism since !
began running temper over the presence
of a lot of porch climbers in their sacred
cause but then says "but, of course, this is
just between us because if I were to say
so publicly I would give aid and comfort to
our enemies"
BY enemies, they mean the employers and
all organized industry and those members of
congress and the state legislatures who want
to pass laws which would paralyZe the unions.
They also consider the racketeer to be an
enemy of labor and are pleased to see them
fall, one by one and in punches. but what
they say on that is that rousing them out
is my business and not dull or unde-paid
business, either. They figure that 1 so
thoroughly committed now that 1 just can't
quit and therefore, they see no reason to
waste any word of cheer on me. In fact
they don't mind calling me an enemy of
labor, as Will Green did few years back
and often since because, after all results
alone count and all they want is that the
underworld gorillas and buns who muscled
in after prohibition should be run out and,
where possible thrown into prison, but, any
way taken off their necks. They also enjoy
revelations of such outrageouSly regal status
as that which old Dan Tobin, of the Transfers
has conferred on himself, with his luxuries
and prerogatives provided by his prlvy coun-
Gil, and feel that ridicule OF such self-lm-
portance and ostentation will eventually dis
credit such individuals and their practices by
appealing to the ambition and ideals of better
men and arousing the rank and file against
their rules That have no doubt because men
are proud and greedy and young ldeallsts do
grow into fat headed monarchs.
But still, I say, they don't even let
themselves be seen having friendly word
or dram with me, with the exception of Jim
my Petrillo, who is very broadminded and
with his great powers, can afford to take the
social and political risk.
On the CLIO side, things are different. Those
Communists are kiver-to-kiver haters and the
only complaint I have ever received from
any of them was a remark by a press agent
for Harry Bridges, the Australian Communist
adjudged to be an enemy of our government,
who said he detested me but wished he had
me doing my stuff with the same conviction
and vehemence on their side. But even the
A. F. of L., men who loathe and have fought
the CIO-Communist thing for years and years
still pretend publicly to regard these bouts
with the bolos attacks on labor with a
capital l., again figuring that any results
achieve in this line will be clear profit for
them in their contest with the cockeyes So,
again, why should they pay something even
IN mere words of recognition for something
that | will have to give them for nothing?
Quite lot of these older, more intelligent
and unselfish ones who are not in it for big
salaries like Tobins and royal honors and win
ter palaces and wellpaid easy jobs for their
relatives, are seriously afraid that the whole
cause OF unionism and labor is suffering with
the fighting men in this war. They insist that
the strike record has been exaggerated, a con-
tentlon which I will not argue just now, but
they know that the fighters, nevertheless, be-
lleve the unions have laid down on them and
are coming home sore which, of course, would
be very bad for the soldiers, sailors andsma-
rlneS, themselves, when they get back to CT
william work. The result might be government
control of unionism which would amount to an
American equivalent of the Nazis' labor front
tell them in honesty, they ought to admit
that the guy has turned a few tricks that
they should have done themselves but were
afraid to tackle until the buns had been soft
ened up by long hammering and had been
Unanswered over near the door where one
quick shove would boost them out
But nope, they won't let on These people,
and l mean the good Ones let these dirty
conditions develop by moral and physical cow
ardlce and neglect during years when they
were respected and even honored as worthy
spokesman OF labor and paid to keep the
movement clean. Their practice is to move
along behind and mop up, installing the best
successors they can find as the vermin are
eliminated and to take credit to themselves
for the reforms.
Well, I don't much mind, at that. 1 am
beginning to understand that, historic ally,
when bad condition has been corrected the
people usually just write off the bye-gones
and go on forward. The cose-rubbing that fol-
lowed the Civil war and the Bolshevik mas
sacres which took place after the Romanoffs
had been slaughtered and Kerensky's moder-
ate government had been chased out are great
exceptions In the A. F. of L., when crook
has been driven out they try to forget him
and help the union back to it's feet for the
sake of the cause and the members although
must say they usually put the cause ahead
OF the members forgetting that without mem
bers the cause couldn't exist They don't even
bother to sue on the bonds of their corrupt
and discredited officers or attach their riches
to reimburse the members.
There are still some of their unions that
need de-lousng such as the Maloney-Fay thing
known as the Operating Engineers, the Boiler
makers, whose rank and file are good people
but largely inexperienced in unionism, the
Moreschi shakedown of the poor common la
borers and the teamsters. think Joe Padway
the general counsel of the A. F. of L., should
be repudiated because of his notorious asso-
citation with some of the vilest of the crooks
in the role of attorney and that Green should
be deposed for his failure to take the often
sive against the racketeers, although soberly
doubt they will ever 60 that far with Green.
Then. maybe, we could have decent A. F,
of L. fit to represent the fighters in that
brave new world of the future But time is
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