The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-08
As Pegler Sees 1t
Nv wEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, BY King Features Syndicat

WeStcleSter and miner I6IlllSy dIlld anu NOIl-
necticut. AS to the rest of the country, he is
important merely as a personification of the
rottenness which the American Federation of
Labor has encouraged in violation OF every de-
cent theory and principle OF unionlsm. His
equals in viciousness and effrontery exist else
where, of course, but never have l encounter
ed his like. He is unique.
The gall of this inveterate crook, in expos
ing himself to attention by posing as an honor
able 'success' who made it the hard way"
is as fascinating as any other phase of his re.
voting character.
The Beverage Times, a trade journal of the
liquor industry, presents an example OF this
in its issue of Jan. 81.
The head on the story says UNIV. Settle
ment and Runyon fund benefit from BENZ. F..
Pross dinner"
The reason for the interest of the Beverage
Times is that this rogue is the executive bust
ness manager of Local 1 Of the Wine Liquor
and Distillery Workers. Union and ct the
Wholesale Wine SaleSmen's Union, Local 10. He
has the power to call strikes at will against
distillers, wholesalers and retailers OF all kinds
of alcoholic beverages in his great jurisdiction,
and in his trial in the federal court at Newark
it was shown that he used this union to compel
Schenley to allot 10, 800 over-quota cases of
whiskey which later were sold to American
oO10iSio LII tiS oAoSh 1iIoA Ia tiS oOul
Another official of Local l testified that the
union constitution gave Pross no right to i'm
pose such conditions on Schenley as the price
of peace with the union and that Pross never
did report these terms Of settlement to Local
l. 1t was a private deal; the whiskey was
sent directly into the black market. the sol.
diers were robbed by racketeers, the union
members got nothing out of it, Pross was &C.
quilted and, after a lapse of time, bought a
-
New York.
The story in the Beverage Times carried a
picture of Pross and begins: Both the univer-
sity settlement and the Damon Run
yon memorial fund were the beneficiaries of a
testimonial dinner rendered to Benjamin F..
Pross, on Jan. 20, the Times learned last
week. Pross was honored because of his sin
cere and tireless efforts in bringing about i'm
proved economic conditions among the whole
sale wine salesmen.' The affair was attended
by rank and file members, industry leaders
and other distinguished guests"
T would point out that, as rum dunn Joe
Fay, of the operating engineers, often demon
strated in his bloody social career, rank and
filers and Industry leaders, are damned well
advised to buy tickets and give personal al
tendance to pay tribute to thieving criminals
who control A. F. of L. unions. If they don't,
and particularly if they don't buy enough
tickets, the rank and filers may be laid off or
even laid up with broken legs. and the 'indus-
try leaders, may have to contend with picket
lines Of angry wretches of starvation who have
TO voice in the calling of strikes but have
to picket on orders from such as Pross and
Fay. I specifically do not undertake 10 say
that such considerations were persuasive here.
but that this is common practice in such I'M
ions as Pross' and Fay's. The article does
not say who organized this Testimonial 1t
was possible for Pross to do it himself.
'The success of the event. the Beverage
Times story says, was highlighted with Pross
statement that, while he was deeply touched, >
the dirty crook, with the honor paid him.
its gesture had added significance because
through this friendly gathering, we were en.
abled to contribute our share to the worthy
endeavors of the university settlement and the
Damon Runyon memorial fund.- "
Meaning no insinuations or implications as
to others, I would point out that one of the
~nastiest aspects of organized philanthropy IS
the abuse of it by utterly despicable men 10
suggest that they are actually good in heart.
The Runyon fund has been exploited to a
spectacular degree by such parasites.
'Pross told the assemblage," the story con-
tinues. that the work of the university settle
ment was particularly close to his heart be
cause of the hardships he encountered in his
youth.
4 was born on the East Side he said,
il which case he was a liar under oath when
he testified in a federal court proceeding in
New York on June %, 1947, that he was born
in Russia and did not come to the United
States until he was IL years old. This was one
of five bankruptcies involving Ben and other
members of his family, in the course of which
Ben got two prison sentences. one of three
years and four months in Atlanta and the
other of 60 days in New York for swindling
creditors In January, 1912. his application for
restoration of his right to vote and hold office
denied by the Department of Justice on
the ground that he had not yet shown that he
was fit to walk among citizens of their equal.
Nevertheless for more than ten years Pross
has been an officer and notorious racketeer
in the union movement.
"What we do for those youn gsters (on the
East Side, where Pross was not born will
come back to us in blessings and self-satisfac-
tion,' brother Pross said. They need our care
and a lift to better things
This from an unregenerate jailbird whose
only example. to chose youngsters has been
that of an uncommonly disgusting criminal
sneak without even the sordid virtue of physi- !
cal. rough-and-tumble gangSteriSm to incite
their childish admiration.
The Beverage Times said that Joe Morreil,
president of the university settlement, IN 'ac-
cepting the contribution from Pross,'' announc-
ed that it would be used to build an infirmary
and said this was "another example Of the
thinking of men who have come up the hard
CT know,' Mr.. Morrell is said to have
said, g That Pross has his heart and soul in
this drive to help others "
I dislike to fault a colleague on the trade
journal press, but nowhere do I find any men
ton of the amount of money given to either
fund nor any explanation of the process by
which it was raised. Specifically. l see not the
slightest i1timation that this filthy thief him
self gave anything, although the general tenor
of the story might give a careless reader TO