The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-07
Fair Enough
Nv WEsTBROOK PEGLER
(Conyrieht. 1916 BY King Features Syndic

By WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916 BY King Features Syndicate)
Those soldiers and sailors who have been
angry at the big brass whom they accuse OF
luxurious self indulgence and other offenses
against the ranks are mistaken If they think
this sort of thing will not continue IN CIVIL
life, under the new DEAL
The city of New York always assumed that
the mayor would find his own quarters ana
paw his own rent until the year ls42. IN the
ara of the common man, when the office was
occupied by Fiorello La Guardia. Then the
Oracle Mansion, of Is rooms on plot OIL 10
acres on the East river, site tnat no rich
man would be allowed to monoponze 1or MS
personal comfort and pleasure In tnese oays
of congestion. became, by action OF the Board
NJ Estimate. the official residence OF the
mavor 1, is beautiful estate, luxurlously
furnished. adorned by priceless antiques from
the museums of the city and library re-
QUESTIONED from the public library ana Is
maintained by the department OF parks. 1t
could rent for at least $4,000 a year.
This perouisite of a public office paying a
salary of S25 900 was established IN the reign
of one who never tired of processing ms sreal
selfless devotion to the common man Dut was
momentarily spurned by william OD"yei'
when he succeeded the little dandellon Mr.
modest two-family house on the FAR sloe OIL
the East river, but temptation GRABBED MIN
by the wrist, and with a quick, firm tWst
threw him violently. 1t was then announced
that his little home was for sale, an altrulstlc
sacrifice, no doubt, designed to relieve tne
housing problem by just that much. Waltlhg
only until the Department of Parks could ell
face the wear and tear left by his predecessor
and re-decorate the mansion to his taste May
! or ODWyer and his family moved
| As supplement to complaints Of troops
who have had to wait long in formations for
reviews by inconsiderate generals, memory,
| and the record, recall an incident at Fort
| Des Moines, the original headquarters OF the
! WAC's, then known as the WAAC's, when the
young patriotic pioneers of this corps were
| turned out in bitter winter weather to be re-
viewed by a distinguished visitor. The dlstln-
guished visitor had no more right to review
the corps, no more right to this honor, than
your own Aunt Hattie and she arrived late on
government plane on which she had no right
to fly. Growing impatient in the cold, the
WAC's presently began to chant. according to
a contemporary account in the Des Moines
Register, to the tune of "the Old Gray Mare: "
Here we stand, freezing and shivering, wait
ing for Eleanor"
If these resentful soldiers think regimen
tation will end when they come home, let
them listen to excerpts from letter from
Charles L.. Sheehan and Joseph D'Ambrosio,
Boston teamsters, who had made certain
charges against officers of their local union.
Sheehan is Marine veteran Of Two Jima.
D'Ambrosio served in the Navy.
Last Oct. IT, their letter says. they visited
the union office to confer with P. Harry Jen-
nings, the trustees appointed by Dan Tobin, the
international president, to run the local Under
such trusteeships, local autonomy is suspend
| ed, in some cases for years and the local
members became wards of the international
big brass.
| Jennings was out but Frank J. Halloran,
the business agent is quoted by the two vet
Grams as having said to Them "You ex-service
men are a dime dozen. You think you are
going to run the country" Sheehan and DAM
brosio state that Halloran is married to the
granddaughter of John Gillespie, the secretary
treasurer of the international, whose head
quarters are in Indianapolis.
Alleged to have socked Mr.. Halloran the
two veterans were arrested. In court on ap-
peal, they were acquitted Of assault but, by
way OF a Christmas present from old Dan
Tobin, the monarch of the union, who enjoys
a winter palace on Miami Beach at the ex-
pense Of the good old common man, they
| were fined $3.50 each by the union, and sus-
pended for one year which means that they
can't work as teamsters during that time
The union trial was conducted by. one man
who owes his job to Tobin and the rest of the
unions big brass and Tobin made the final
decision, having assumed jurisdiction I'M
der the teamsters constitution which permits
him to reverse the findings of the public
courts, inflct fines and throw veterans out Of
work, permanently, if it comes to that.
| 1t was in Boston, two years ago, that local
| bosses of the Transfers undertook to pay oil
an enormous private debt of James M. Curley,
another deserving Democrat and patron of the
common man, so that he could start a new
term in Congress even with the board. Since
then Curley has been elected mayor and since
that election, as the climax of long, stormy
career, he has been convicted OF 10 counts
of fraud in alleged promise of war contract
procurement
Old Dan Tobin, you may not know, was
host to President Roosevelt when Roosevelt
made that flippant, knocking opening speech
of the 1914 campaign in Washington, follow
ing which bunch of drunken goons beat up