The Wilmington morning star., 1946-11-20
As Pegler Sees It
BY WEsTBRoOK PEGLER

against Vito MarcantOn1o, the canolodte VI IHe
communists, in the 18th congressional district
of New York, was beaten to death on electlon
day. That is, he was beaten so badly that ne
died a few days later. Marcantonio was elect
ed by a close margin after an angry campaign
in which the republican workers repeatedly
complained OF fascist terrorism.
Governor Tom Dewey called on Scottorlgslo
in the hospital the day after election and an
nounced that justice would be done. IL was
the standard mo stone will be le1t unturheo.
statement appropriate to such situations, but
the death of Scottoriggio has changed matters:
Now we have a celebrated case.
Marcantonio, whose votes in Congress are
consistently agreeable to communist polcy' re-
piled that his organization had had no part IN
the crime.
For light on the political methods OF the
communists in this district and Tor guidance
in evaluating Marcantonio's startling denial, l
turn to an authorized biography of Fiorello La
Guardia, by Lowell M. Limpus and Burr W..
Leyson, published by z. P. Dutton, IN Ne"
York, in 1888.
The biographers write that, after La Guar
da opened a law office in New York, in 1927
an ambitious Italian youth came seeking a
place and obtained it when he explained to
L. Guardia, described as "a quiet. reserved,
soft-voiced mar with paln-seared eyes > Wat
he wanted to be a lawyer.
It was the beginning of the career OF Vltp
Marcantonio, later congressman and a power
in New York politics." they tell US.
Now, developing the close relationship, we
read that a few years later, La Guardia
was literally the idol Of the New York Italian
colony, and always received an uproarlous
ovation from its members His entrance into
an Italian speakeasy was the advent OF royal
ty. He had. acquired a number Of p%roteges
whom he chided in fatherly fashion. Chief
among these was young Marcantonlo, on
whom La Guardia lavished his attention. Mar
%cantonio was now practicing law and La Guar
dia was proud of the boys success. He care
fully supervised Marcantonio's legal training
and worked him into the well-olled little polltl-
cal machine which he was gradually evolving
in Harlem. Atterward, he founded a law firm,
admitting his protege to partnership. Seven
years later, he had the satisfaction o. seeing
Marcantonio take the very seat he had occu-
pied in the house"
This discussion of the idolatry refers to a
sad political situation into which bewildered
immigrants were drawn for political exploita-
ton by padrones or wise guys who pre-
tended to be their altruistic friends and by
petty generosities wrought them into a faith
tul political following. Exactly the same meth
cd had been used for generations by Tam
many racketeers downtown whom La Guardia
had condemned for preying or the ignorance.
fears and political p~liability of the greenhorn.'
This was organized segregation Of the under
privileged by an ostensible friend for his own
advantage.
Now, the authors tell us, the ghibonnes
"came into being in La Guardia's campaign
o. 1924.
They explain that 'ghibonne'' is an Italian
word meaning about the same as ''swash-
buckler." But they are naive. Actually it is
the Italian word for gibbon, the lowest o. the
anthropoid apes, and it means g~angster. Our
uyorJ fnr III. k,01 - 4rAr;nos3 ~o4.~;-- ->n-
ster, hoodlum, COON, racketeer or underworld
terrorist.
I'm the ensuing years" Limpus and Leyson
write, 'the ghibonnes were to increase in num-
Der until they had 1900 on their rolls. 1900
idealistic hero-worshippers, led by the brilliant
Marcantonio."
So in La Guardia's authorized biography,
which he edited and censored, we have the
unchallenged statement OF friendly historians
that his protege. Marcantonio, was the leader
OF La Guardia's gangsters. "They were all
young and madly devoted to La Guardia."
the biography continues. They gathered to
do battle for their idol and each of them
took a secret oath of allegiance, promising
to follow his leadership unsWervingly. This
secret fraternity included young lawyers, pro-
~fessional men, war veterans and youngsters
just out of college. They were crusaders and
they followed their leader blindly, they were
the vanguard of a youth movement which
swept the district. They modified around La
Guardia and were true to him. This organi-
cation, Of which most of New York never
heard, was a secret fraternity. The members
took an oath OF personal allegiance to La
Guardia."
Again we read that Gas the election of 1926
drew near" LaGuardia "kneW the value Of
the ghibonnes. The ghibonnes saved him by
a ~last-ninute canvass on election day. La
Guardia won by 81 votes"
In 1923, "the ghibonnes modified behind
him once more and his machine functioned
perfectly"
In 1880, ""the ghibonnes did their work we'll
and their idol again achieved a very salts
factory victory. And, in 1882 che modified
the ghibonnes again and marched them out
to battle, with Marcantonio and Corsi as his
lieutenants."
A recent issue of the New Leader. the New
York socialist weekly, under the head,
Alert dedicated to an expose of all totali-
tarlan enemies of democracy, cities criminal
records OF members of Marcantonio's init
mate personal following. They include prosti-
tutes, drug ~peddlers and brothel keepers.
H has pleaded the cause of anti-fascism
and chosen for his lieutenants some of the
most notorious underworld figures and fascist
sympathizers." the New Leader says.
With La Cuardia's retirement, perforce,
from electoral public office, Marcantonio be-
came his heir. He received La Guardia's en-
dorsement in the recent violent campaign in
Harlem. The oath-bound, secret fascist socie-
ty, which followed La Guardia as an organ-I