The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-14
AsPeglerSeesH
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1947, By King Features Syndicate,

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1947, BY King Features Syndicate,
Inc.)
NEW YORK, July 10. To demonstrate
the abuse of the power of the purse, as applied
to the press in the field of unionism, I offer
some pages of the International Teamster of
editor. His DEGREES have the tone Of royalty in
the olden manner as when the monarchs real
ly believed they ruled by divine right and
spoke for God Almighty.
In the 1914 campaign, old Tobin flung a
blowout for President Roosevelt at the Stat
Ter hotel in Washington following which two
young naval officers were outnumbered by
DRINKS and badly mauled. The officers said
they were minding their own business when
some toss-pots challenged them as to their
political faith, one word led to another and
the fight was on.
Obviously, the officers hadn't a chance in
the world because, after all, these men had
been hosts to the Commander-in-Chief, as he
never tired of calling himself, and moreover,
they were representatives of labor" They
were accredited members of Roosevelt's po-
"litical following and this was not only a pub
lie and a political occasion but a notorious
one.
The newspaper coverage was superficial.
1t is a bad custom of ours to pretend that no.
body fell into the base drum or pulled the box
calling out nine rigs, including a water tower,
and a fire-boat, to put out the blaze in the
chatting dish. True, in this case. the brawl
was covered and, apparently, with fidelity, but
that probably was the work of someone sent
out especially by the city desk to mop up at
ter the banquet specialist. Anyway, the regular
stories about the banquet and Roosevelt
speech to the union bosses, gave us no reason
to suspec: that Tobin's goons were all saucer
ed up.
The stories of the fight did, however, make
the unioneers look like a lot of stick-up men
on the order of Bove and Fay and all the now
familiar standard gorrillas of the hierarchy.
So in the next issue Of Tobin's personal
propaganda magazine, the international Team
ster, old Dan fed a strong dose of propaganda
to the 900, 600 MEMBERS Of the union, most OF
them unwilling members and many Of them
dairy mixers, little girls in bobby sox work
ing in offices, neWs-boys and retail clerks, all
classified as teamsters. They paid for this
propaganda because they had to belong to the
union and had to pay dues or lose their Jobs
and the Teamster is sent to all members every
month to spread old Tobin's message. They
have to pay for this pontifical old mans rub
Dish and they can't answer him back because
he is the editor.
In tbs issue, for November, 1914, under
the title Here's the True Statler Story To-
bins magazine said the naval officers were
drunk, that they provoked the brawl and that
they were "cursing the President and modest
ing women All that failed of proof later, but
meanwhile, the members had to pay their
money to provide a press medium through
which Dan Tobin could deceive them and
make himself and his drunken gang seem in
nocent in the row. The alibi was followed by
seven affidavits of partisans of the Tobin
side. All said the officers were the aggressors
md norn rI"yN %h~ 1s~L-- a. ~.
any OF Tobin's people were drunk, although
one OF the ~affiants, a Mrs. Helen Rowland, said
she and another %affiant, a Mrs. Frank Lee,
were or our way to the ladies' room from
the cocktail room."
Ladies drink cocktails in cocktail rooms
and cocktails have been known to stimulate
ladies who mess with them. Mrs. Rowland said
one Of the officers asked her, who are you
for?" and that she answered, II am for
Roosevelt. same as you" to which he replied
with the permissible opinion that Roosevelt
was no damn good.
The stately elegance of the language of
the buck affiants, all impeccable gentlemen
consecrated to the cause of labor and the
fourth term. is too long, unfortunately, for nv
space, else I should quote it for the education
OF my clientele. A delicious sample occurs in
the statement of Peter ]. Hoban, of Chicago.
who represented his local Eat, this Junction.
Mr.. Hoban says 'the only time that any re-
llollStldtlou was mace towards the officers
was when they continued using the most vile
and abusive language directed toward the
PRESIDENT OF the United States as Commander
in Chief"
Now we refer to the impartial memoirs of
Merrlman Smith, who covered the White
House for years for the United Press and
covered this banquet and Roosevelt's speech
The President accused the Republicans
OF nemg liars, cheats and swindlers," Mr..
smith wrote. "And the teamsters went wild.
One excited teamster-Democrat showed his an.
proval OF Roosevelt's nastily-sharp lines by
oeatlng a silver tray with a soup ladle. The
noise was terrific. Two tables away from me.
another loyal teamster applauded by smash.
ing glasses with a wine battle, taking a full
swing for each Of the Presidents punch lines
and sending a shower Of glass over nearby
tables. The President reveled in this thunderous
ovation, bread trays and ALL"
Such were the more or less house-broke,
pigs Who were brutally assaulted by two young
STRIPPING naval officers and subjected to the
horrible ordeal of profane language. accord
ing to the gospel of Dan Tobin, as preached
under a subsidy paid by the members.