The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-13
As Pegler Sees 1t
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright by King Features Syndicate, Incl

NOOPJAA 6"V W AAAh6 -'
1 want to tell you some more about the
internal politics of the teamsters' union, which
has 900, 900 subjects and spread-eagles the
United States.
1 was saying yesterday that Dave Beck, O.
Seattle, seemed to have the inside position
in a scramble for the presidency in thi!
years big convention until suddenly he go
credit for ending the terrible general strike II
Oakland, Calf, last December, when old Oar
Tobin, the president, had already sent a wire
from his headquarters in Indianapolis, calling
it off. Beck was photographed at the tele
phone, shouting his orders to the local Dos!
unionecrs in Oakland and the old gents tele
gram ran back among the want ads and les
ser obits in the papers. Tobin had been per
suaded to hold up the release of his wire anc
telling the world that Beck had ordered al
end to the anarchy and sent the teamsters
back to work. Dan was fit to be tied.
MIR. Tobin is old and not too well and he
could easily pass a big pension for himself,
step down and let Beck have the job. But
since that Oakland thing, the old man has
got his back up and another Of the old guaro
of giants in Washington was telling me a
little while ago that, whatever else happens,
you can bet your sweet life that if Beck
should now try to move up in. the American
Federation of Labor he will think the ROOF
had fallen in on him. Those old boys f!9h1
and wrangle but they stick together against
the young Turks and upstairs, and Beck JUS,
got brash and made a false move.
I doubt that Dan will let him become presi-
dent of the teamsters now because Tobin
knows that there is a fierce enmity between
Beck in the northwest and some Of his own
loyal household in the main office in Indi'
annapolis. If Beck got the. job a lot of Tobi'i's
people would be looking, for work, because
this change would be, pretty much like a
change of administration in the national gov
ernment Beck has his own political. following
and the patronage, or jobs, is what a presl-
dent Of a big union uses to keep his organiza-
ton intact.
wrote Mr.. Tobin about this and he wrote
back: II want to assure you that l am not
at all disturbed or alarmed about Beck
aspirations. II have been 40 years in this pc
sition, which l accepted for one year in the
beginning, and no one has ever been a candl-
date against me for this office"
In Seattle. Beck is king. Business men fawn
on him and the public politicians obey him
like f%lunEeys. He can regulate competition
however he likes. boycott products even III
interstate whenever he likes and
bestow or withhold priceless fa"ors at his
royal pleasure, all according to law under
the enactments and policies of the new deal
and the union constitution.
You should have read some of the SLAYER in
the Seattle Star ana the Times. when Dave
Beck beat Mr.. Tobin's time in calling off the
Oakland anarchy. The Star said Beck's ac-
ton demonstrates a high degree of labor
craftsmanship and the Times said "echoing
ove7 the nation today (asterisks' is announce
ment from Seattle that Dave Beck, once a
stormy petrol of olden-day labor strife, has
made the first move that will result in break
ing Oakland's general strike" and so forth
until YOU want to be ashamed for them. They
gave no indication that the old man had called
off tn strike. The fact meant nothing to them
tina; this whole violent insurrection against
popular government began when the Oakland
police gave protection to Some war veterans
who were delivering merchandise by truck
and were threatened by union goons on a Sec
ondary picket line. at premises where the
teamsters union had absolutely no grievance.
These outfits have grown too big for solidar-
ity and harmony. Jobs, the livelihood of fam
lilies. are at stake in their r~ivalries, and fell
lows who have been in the game for 20 or 80
years naturally dread political turnovers
which will dump them at an age when they
cam. hope to start over. 1t was the same in
the White House and the departments under
Roosevelt. They are human. One fine patriot
bent old man Tobin's ear during the war with
a PROPOSAL that they suspend the monthly
publication, The International Teamster,
which has been the old fellows organ of per.
sonal propaganda for years and years. The
object was to save paper for the good old
war effort. But also, the mailing list Of The
International Teamster was the old boys only
sure roster of the rank and file membership.
Without il, he would have lost. his contact,
bee ause he then would have had to rely on
locals, many of them controlled by his secret
rivals OF enemies, for membership lists and
you know what they would have given him.
Pages out of old phone books. Rosters from
the graveyards. And, even deeper, there was
the purpose of getting rid of Lester Hunt,
the editor. an old neWspaperman from Seattle,
who hates Beck's tripes and vice versa.
Dan didn't fall for it. l want to tell you
one thing more. Last winter L suggested thai
Beck might persuade old Dan to retire On a
pension and let him be president. Beck let
out a horrible yell in his own provincial pa.
per, The Washington Teamster. You would
aave thought I had accused him of offering
candy to little girls, the way he carried on,
All l said was he wanted to be president,
surely a laudable ambition. and the only
trouble was that it came too soon after the
Oakland thing and tipped his mitt.
But the funniest thing was that this paper
blew up Dave Beck the. way Mussolini's pa.
pers useo to rave over the bum of buns.
(Asterisks) "There is not even a trace of the
migrate in Beck it said. would not know
how to double-cross. His word is good. Once
given, it is never broken"
Guess what name is first on the masthead
of this organ of the free American worker;
1t is Dave Beck, president
You wouldn't think they would have the
gall, would you? Or that the free. American