Fraternity-Testvériség, 1953 (31. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1953-11-01 / 11-12. szám
IN PLAIN AMERICAN A monthly page conducted by Edmund Vasvary The I WO (International Workers Order), branded as a subversive communist organization by the Department of Justice and the courts of New York state, would like to line up a number of loyal, well-meaning, but unsuspecting Americans, asking them to send their protest to the Supreme Court against possible liquidation of this “fraternal” order. They naturally have a “policy-holders protective committee” which, as their circular says, welcomes expressions of opinion from indivuals and organizations. In our last issue we ventured to express our opinion in Hungarian: now we would like to say a few words in English. The circular says: “For 20 years, from 1930 to 1950, and 20 annual reports, 7 thorough examinations by the (N. Y. Insurance) Dept.... nothing was found to be wrong with the IWO.” In my office on one of the bookshelves there is a long row of neatly bound, large green volumes, annual reports of the N. Y. State Insurance department. Years ago I spent much time studying the reports of the many different fraternal associations, paying special attention to the expenditures of the then hardly a few years old IWO which commenced business only in 1930. I was much intrigued, for instance, by such items as in 1931: Press $2406.02, Education $ 3978.14, School $3159.18,—because the IWO spent large amounts for advertising and official publication at the same time, besides these expenditures. In 1934: School books, etc. $ 4687.63, organization of new branches $24,775.23. In 1935: School fund, etc. $5760.48, organization of new branches $24,775.23. In 1936: New branches $57,199.64, school fund, etc., $ 10,960.94. In 1937: Organization and education of branches, $65,617.04, National School Committee $ 14,603.71, Donations $ 10,297.68. In 1938: National School Committee $ 13,965.00, Education and organization of lodges $ 99,790.17. In 1939: ‘National School $ 14,200.00, Education and organization of lodges $ 134,840.27. And so on. The reason for my curiosity was the then already well defined general opinion that the IWO is a Communist organization. I wanted to compare these strange sounding expenditures with those of other fraternals and it was easy to discover that something was going on in this “fraternal” that would never be tolerated in any bona fide fraternal organization. It was easy to point out even from the very condensed reports of the Insurance Dept., that large amounts, paid by many unsuspecting members, were channeled to Communist propaganda. In those days, wondering about these strange findings, I asked myself many times: How is it possible that the N. Y. Insurance Dept, does not choose to notice these practices? How is it possible that the membership, which after all, has the conventions at its disposal every four years, permits or tolerates the furthering of communist propaganda? Or was it possible that the majority of the membership was no better than its leaders? The protective committee now boasts that during 20 years “nothig was found to be wrong with the IWO.” But the committee is mistaken. Something was found to be wrong with the IWO, and, due only to the notoriously slow process of American justice, nobody said anything about it for a long time, until the Department of Justice found that it was time to act. I am convinced that the N. Y. Insurance Dept, recognized much better the true nature of this phony fraternal than I or any casual scru- tinizer of its annual reports was able to discover. They knew it all right that the IWO was a through-and-through Communist outfit, but owing to the unfortunate international orientation of the United States nobody thought that the time to crack down would be appropriate during those years of unnatural friendship with the communists. The characteristic American attitude of “we can afford to wait” gave an unprecedented,—but let’s hope, a never to be repeated—opportunity for the communists to break into the fraternal field, which for generations was deservedly known as a real stronghold of loyalty and patriotism, built up by God-fearing and truly democratic people, who in more sense than one saw in it one of the few remaining hopes of a future free world. For 20 years we have been ashamed of this communist organization which soiled the good name of fraternalism, which could usurp the name of “fraternal” only because the cold letter of the law permitted it to do so, but with which no self-respecting fraternal had anything in common. The IWO circular says that the protective committee welcomes expressions of opinions. We are hereby submitting ours!
