The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-22
Fair Enough
Bv WEsTBROOK G

oenate. Mlllard Tydlngs, of Maryland, held
out Tor a Phrase forbidGing coercion of work
ers by union organizers and professional ter
r%orists, as well as by employers.
The very suggestion that labor meaning
the Roosevelt political union movement, might
persecute the %faceless nonentity whom the
propagaadists of the new deal called 'the
common mar" was scoffed down.
The defect was Immediately exploited in the
most brutal way by the professionals of John
L. LeWis's following, including combat teams
of trained comrlunls' terrorists. Workers were
beaten at their jobs and on their way to and
from work. Women employees were mauled.
Rocks and objects too foul for naming in print
were thrown through the windows of homes
at night. Workers automobiles were turned
over and wrecked and their tires were stabbed
with lce-picks Phone calls in the night warned
reluctant workers thai they would be killed.
Gangs blockaded factories and the children of
unwilling Americans were ostracized by sys-
tenn or organized persecution deliberately
planned to strike the parents through the suf-
ferlng OF these u1comprehending little victims
Of the terror.
Shortly after this period of violent ~insurrec-
ton, l compared the professions and outward
character of Haywood Broun, then president
of the Newspaper Guild, wi h the cruelties
that were being executed a~ainst other re-
porters by his followers and with no
remonstrance from him. Broun's personal
propaganda, the work OF a claque, depicted
him as a gentle, milky friend of man and
yet, in the pursuit of his ambition to be boss
of the profession, he drew no line at any suf-
fering inflicted on other men, as good as Broun
and certainly no less respectable in their way
of life, to compel them to do Broun's way
and 60 BroLn's way even though they must
abandon either their freedom of decision or
their livelihood.
The cynicls u of this was illustrated to me
in a conversation with Dave Beck, the satrap
of the teamsters' union in Sc e. Broun and
his clique had decided that they must have a
strike against the Post-Intelligencer to attra act
attention and adorn their record with a VIC
tory. So they made a pretext and called their
strike.
Damn these amateurs" Mr.. Beck said,
They didn't need a strike but they made it
anyway and they were losing it because they
were amateurs and its takes a professional to
run a strike. So they called Oh me to pull
them out and l sent nv pickets down and won
their strike for them"
So the benign. gentle BrouEn who could write
and speak with persuasive love of the under
privileged ana challenge their oppressors with
glaring fury, had called en- the general Of the
goons to erect the memorable living WALL
to prevent other newspape" workers from 60
ing to their jobs and make them yield their
free will to his own arbitrary notion of what
was best for them So, also, this living soul
of the Wagner Ac' had turned friend against
old friend, planting suspicion and hatred in
the hearts of thousands of those for whom he
protested his love, in newspapers plants across
the country, to impose his will and ambition
on men whose rights and peace of mind and
heart he held inferior to that will and that
ambition.
Our people and our Congr IS were bewitch-
ed in those days and couldn't believe that the
men who were pl aiding the liberties and dig
nifty OF labor could ever be guilty of c~rueIties
as heartless as any that they denounced. But
in those days we had not sufficient acquaint-
ance with these people. 1t took time for them
to reveal themselves.
And so, in the 1912 convention of the CLIO.
In Boston We were given a clue to the real
character OF the pious Phil Murray, who had
succeeded his old comrade, John Lewis, in
the presidency, and HAD now turned against
him IN an issue involving some pieces of sill
yer. Lewis had advanced money to the CLIO.
In its formative days from the miners trea-
sury. Murray was the.l one of his vice-presi-
dents, and therefore this was done with Muir
rays consent and connivance, although the
money was not theirs TO lend or give but be-
longed to the miners solely.
And now behold Phi. Murray. comparing
himself to Jesus Christ and his sordid politi-
cal troubles and his aches with the passion
of the Savior.
Il doubt" Murray toli the convention of the
lC.1O o., That it would be wise of me to para
phrase anything that happened in Biblical his
tory and compare IN ancient condition with the
condition I wen, through in 1941. But John
denied me after he had held my hand and said,
I Shall always acknowledge you as my presi-
dent, and president OF the C. I. o.
"You remember where Peter, in conversa-
ton with Christ, said he would never deny him
and Christ said he would, he knew ne would.
And l told Lewis that in all likelihood he
would make me 60 through my Garden of
Gethsemane. 1 knew ne would. He and his
agents drove me to G sick bed. He deserted
me. While 1 was lying on my sick bed. his
director of organization of district so told his
followers, You have got to keep after this
fellow Murray until yoG kill him. Such was
the compassion OF this brave man to a sick
friend"
Yet, the C.IO., under Murray and before
that under Lewis, ana with Murray's diligent
help, rounded up American workers like wild
animals, employing methods of terror and fear
and denial of human dignity and right, and
since Their under Murray has wrung from mil
the political candidates OF Murray's party IN
der penalty of unernploy ment and poverty for
refusal.
Such were some Ct the characters imposed
on American citizens as selfless, humble SER
wants of the underprivileged and altruistj
friends of MAJ in the struggle for the more
abundant life