Fraternity-Testvériség, 1954 (32. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1954-06-01 / 6. szám
IN PLAIN AMERICAN A monthly page conducted by Edmund Vasvary THE I WO is still with us. I hope our readers still remember that these three letters stand for the “International Workers Order”, a so-called fraternal which appeared among the more than 200 real fraternals in the United States a little more than 20 years ago, offering life and health insurance for very small dues, which, however, grew every year. The public realized soon enough that it was a through and through Communist organization, but in spite of this fact many thousands of dupes became easy victims of the smooth talking bolshevik agents, several thousand Hungarians among them. For these Hungarians a separate “section” was formed, with “secretaries” and other officers, who, in every case, were well known Communist agitators. Our readers know that the decent Hungarian press for many years warned our people to keep away from this traitorous organization and urged those well-meaning people who joined it through ignorance, to leave it without delay, if they wanted to avoid possible serious consequences in the future. These friendly urgings became especially grave when it was known that — what seemed to the public very late — this fake fraternal was placed on the subversive list by the Attorney General of the United States. Later the organization was dissolved by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, on request of the N. Y. Insurance Department. This decision was subsequently upheld by the United States Supreme Court. Thus routed, the comrades ever since have been trying to get into other real and patriotic fraternals, hoping that if they secure a foothold in them, they will be able to continue their boring from within. The fraternals, however, are well aware of this and hasten to slam the door in the face of their unwanted and traitorous hordes. There was a notable example of this lately. The Workmen’s Circle, a 54-year-old fraternal with about 75,0000 members (mostly Jewish people of Jewish origin), at its recent convention reiterated its pledge to fight all forms of totalitarianism, whether Communist, Fascist or Nazi. “Communists have not and will not find a haven in our organization” — reads an unanimously accepted resolution of this fraternal. “The Workmen’s Circle will not tolerate infiltration of Communists into its organization, whether individually or en bloc.” They emphasize that all applicants will be carefully screened “in a democratic fashion”. They emphasize further that the fraternal already has expelled in the past years more than 9,000 persons with Communist leanings. In fact, a number of these expelled members formed the first cell which founded the IWO. The Workmen’s Circle is warning patriotic and democratic organizations to be on guard against a concerted effort of Communists to invade them. We might add that our Federation always has acted in the spirit of this attitude. No subversive elements will ever secure a foothold in our own organization. ★ ★ ★ LET’S PURSUE this subject a little further. There is a most recent news story about it, with a very serious, probably tragic, lesson. Seventeen years ago an Austrian-born Jersey City, N. J., janitor, Andrew Yadlowsky, took an insurance policy of the IWO for his small son, who was six years old at that time. As he tries to explain now in his broken English, he hardly knew anything about “membership” — he took the insurance because it was cheap and was praised by some members of the IWO. The boy naturally did not know anything about it. The son grew up and eventually became a midshipman in the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. In the first days of June he graduated with 851 of his classmates — but was not commissioned as an ensign, because security checks had to be completed before he and two other graduated midshipmen could be commissioned. (Ten days later the midshipman received his clearance and was commissioned.) The father says that he dropped the dubious insurance at once when the Government began its check on his son — but evidently it was too late. “I didn’t know anything; I just took the insurance” — wails the father in helpless desperation. Was he careless, stupid or defiant? Who knows? There always will be people who blindly walk into danger and try to repent only when it’s already too late. (continued to page 5)
