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Show ';xV;1TegLER Sees It 11 y WfHlbrooli I'vtjlvr Released by WNU Features-TJNFORTUNATELY, Features-TJNFORTUNATELY, most of the clergy who try to take a voice in union relations permit themselves themsel-ves to be lured into gaseous riis-cusions riis-cusions of economics, and as far away as the haymarket riots ami the mournful sweetness of Eugene V. Debs, a durable fraud whose faults have been painted out by layers lay-ers of cosmetic propaganda which was allowed to he because nobody has a special mission to keep the record re-cord straight. That takes work, determination and a stout contempt for the propo- sition that we must give myth a head start of 10, 20 or 50 years out of respect for death. On the whole, the reverends have been a nuisance because, be-cause, like volunteer volun-teer firemen, they like to act brave and get noticed while the pro'es- PEGLER onal. who really know, have lacked the moral gumption to tell them to stand back and learn something. With this Ingratiating flourish I I salute the Most Rev. Russell J. McVinney, bishop of Providence, Provi-dence, R. I., a cleric who has kept In mind the fact that Iar- I ceny is . truly democratic trait, more often found in poor than rich because there are more of them, and will not concede con-cede that cheating practised by a group of bricklayers entails only an academic impersonal guilt. Bishop McVinney is a real good man. He may be enveloped in fog but he isn't lost. The fog is. In recent weeks, he has gone before be-fore the state convention of the A. F. of L. ana soon afterward the state convention of the C. I. O., and told them to their teeth, shaming the paltry couiterfeits of the national na-tional government and the eager apple-shiners of both parties who have beea telling such bums how fine they are and hoW high their motives. It may be hoped thai among the Catholic clergy, at least, the mistaken tolerance of personal cheating as fair conduct in a class war will now bo lifted. I herewith lift CRITICIZED "Providence THE some text from the SLOWDOWN Brooklyn tablet: Most Rev. Russell J McVinney, bishop of Providence, criticized the slowdown in the build ing trades yesterday and charact arized its perpetrators as drones and racketeers." And the back of me hand to you. Carmody, with your whine thai ooh, your back is hur-r-rted. "Before 300 delegates to the 11th annual state convention of thf Rhode Island CIO, the prelate char ged that the man who dogs the job on a hospital, an orphanage, or an old folks' fciome is 'stealing from the poor, the needy, the sick and the infirm.' " Yes, and the chair will put in that the dirty thief is stealing steal-ing also from the decent citizen who has the charity to donate a hundred dollars to the hospital. That is robbing the tambourine and it is dune every day all over the country under the sign of the A. F. of L. through 'the slowdown slow-down and featherbedding rules. " 'I think tfiat is an unforgivable sin,' " he declared. " 'Rhode Island bricklayers (and Massachusetis ana t Yoin bricklayers and union bricklayers all over) are now laying only 400 brick a day In comparison with 1,-500 1,-500 or 1,000 laid by their predecessors,' predeces-sors,' he said. 'Meanwhile, the wage scale has largely increased.' " Recently, Bishop GAMBLED McVinney told the A. AT F. of L. state conven- WORK tion that some of the members had shot crap while being paid $2.50 an hour while working on church building projects. " 'This desreputable condition reflects re-flects on all of you, on all labor,' he said. 'They are discrediting organized or-ganized labor and organized iaDor may live to regret it.' "The speaker stressed that on diocesan building projects the slowdown prtist wasn't stealing 'from me' but rather from the hardworking people of Rhode Island whose contributi-irs to the church make the co. :e-tion :e-tion possible. The church has a number of projects pro-jects in view and he would like to feel that when these are started the men will give an honest day's work. " 'I mainUin that that is wrong; very wrong; that is unjust; that is not being fair I have knowledge of other faults that are even more gross but I think I will not mention them now. But we do know that on some buildings jobs we are being fleeced by workmen who do not have a correct cor-rect conscience.' |