Detroit evening times., 1945-10-17
WESTBROOK
PEGLER
Fair
Enough

I TELL you honest, just went
i into this hotel because | had
a date for lunch with an old
friend, a supreme court justice,
who had flown up for his dane
ing lesson, and l was just wait
ing there in the lobby, causing
no disturbance, when the mana
ger he come up with half
brick in his hand and he said,
BE absent" he said, be miss
ing he said, because we
haven't got any rooms and we
aren't taking any reservations
and l am getting sick and tired
of people coming in here try
ing 10 rent rooms and Offering
us S25 a night for little $3.50
fies-bag and a hundred dollar
bonus for our kindness because
it is buns like you throwing
money around who are making
life miserable for honest hotel
men and it is nothing but in
fation and you ought 10 be
patriotic and stay home"
Honest" l said, II wssn't
even thinking about . room.
My old friend the justice 10
coming up for his dancing los
son, so ! asked him to lunch
and he WAS going to meet me
here and then We were
going"
That IL . new stall" he said,
"and have heard plenty Of
good ones especially Since We
Day and then Eisenhower Day \
and NimitZ Day hut we have
got YOU covered and you mako
one move toward that registrs-
ton desk or you try Ia pull .
sneak up the back stairs and
the house dicks will he all over
YOU and moreover I had TO hire
90 of the most insulting,
crooked, nasty-talking leece
that 1 could find and spread
them around for room clerks,
teleph hone operators and
walters"
EXCUSING himself. he put ort
IL his foot and deliberately
tripped an old lady so that she
fell against pillar and got 9
black eye.
moth feszes them,
though" he said. spill soup on
them or chicken king, lose their
laundry. II makes no difference.
You cant insult them. Why
those 20 new employees are
practically ready TO commit sui
eide because here for more than
two weeks they have been snsrI-
Ing and sneering at the custom
ers, balling up their phone ealls
and waking them up in the mtn-
die Of their sleep with wrong
numbers, and instead ~ being
sore why when their Ave DAYS
are up you ought to hear them
whine for just few days more
what for do you do the Gus
TONERS that way. anyway" !
asked him "You used Ia treat
customers real nice here"
Because why don't they stsy
home where they belong instead
of everybody coming To New
York and crowding up things so
YOU can't get = taxi, and 8opIe
walk all tho way from Grand
Central carrying heavy baggage
and wa have tn spread cots In
the dining rooms, and not u
night goes by hut a dozen watV
veterans and their little wives
and sometimes baby, even,
and their home-folks are bunk
Ing In the chairs In the lobby
That II why. In Bryant Park.
too, until II got too cold. and
some Of them flop on the
benches In Grand Central and
Penn station, and three old
ladies drove M from Georgia
expecting rooms because they
were old customers. and they
slept the night In their car right
out In front. and II served them
right for not staying home.
IS Nd now" he said the
"A feet 10 coming up from
the Pacific and starting this
week We are going In have
5000 sailors and marines loose
on tho town and their families
coming on tn see them first time
since they went away 10 the
war and that IL going To last
anyway two weeks and already
the jam has hacked up as far az
Newark and Stamford and even
there the hotels are turning
them away and so you come
tripping gsyly In wanting a."
Il don't want no such thing"
I insisted II told you my
friend the supreme court justice
was coming up for his dancing
lesson 10 I made a date"
Well" he said, "you look like
you want q room and all these
buyers in town and they can't
get any merchandise 80 they
hang around using up space and
business men are great hands tn
talk, talk, talk before they can
reconvert and 10 IL the same all
over town and the only way l
can see why anybody wants q
room well you have tn he NOM