Westbrook Pegler
North Adams Transcript/December 14, 1944
New York. Invited to Washington by the Special Committee to Investigate Hatred and Discrimination, George Spelvin, American, presented himself, accordingly, and the following exchange ensued:
Q.—By Senator Nilly—Mr. Spelvin, the committee understands you have some interesting views on the subject under consideration and of course, as a true American believer in our sacred heritage of liberty why, of course we may assume that you are against—
A.—I am against your bill if that is what you mean, because nobody is going to tell me I can’t hate anybody I like and that goes for you, too and a lot of other bums that play around with those Communists and put me through the wringer all the time and take my hard-earned money to pay salaries to those dirty conniving tramps that some of them talk like comedians and still they get up and make speeches about democracy and how it is un-American to hate—
Q.—By Senator Nilly—Mr. Spelvin, I may say your attitude is a distinct shock—
A.—By Mr. Spelvin—Oh no it isn’t any such of a thing and you are just shooting off your face to make some time with the Political Action committee and you would sell out the whole United States for a few votes to get yourself elected because those muggs are organized but you just wait till you come to bat again because next time we are going to organize to roust you the hell out of here the way the Big Shot organized people to hate everybody that dldn’t vote for him way back there before the war.
Q.—By Senator Nilly—Mr. Spelvin, your statements are absolutely un-American because race-hatred is the greatest scourge—
A.—By Mr. Spelvin—And don’t be giving me that race-hatred bush, either, because I am just a strong advocate of louse-hatred and it don’t make any difference what race a person is, I am going to hate them If they are my enemies and go around doing me dirty and telling rotten lies about people just because they believe in true Americanism so if you are so set against hatred you better tell those bums to lay off me and my friends because we hate real good and we aren’t afraid of wearing ourselves out hating overtime as we feel that we fell way behind in our hating and we have to catch up.
Q.—By Senator Nilly—I feel that I must warn you that you are advocating disunity at a terrible time in the history of our beloved—
A.—By Mr. Spelvin—And I don’t mind telling you I am all tor that, too, because nobody is ever going to unify me with the kind of leech that you bums had shooting off their face In the last campaign like all those Hollywood bums and after they get through telling law-abiding citizens about their patriotic duty they go helling-around some night club and get stinking and their doctor has to put them in a straight-jacket and they tell the public they have collapsed from the strain and if you ever find me unified with anybody that unifies with the Communists, I hope you will call my attention to it by wire and that goes for you, too.
Q.—By Senator Nilly—We will leave personalities out of this, please. Mr. Spelvin, because—
A.—That is what you hope but frankly, I don’t like your personality and if you don’t like discrimination well, why did you bums start it first?
Q.—What discrimination do you refer to, Mr. Spelvin?
A.—Well, I notice you discriminate against anybody that won’t join some union and kick in his money to any dirty Communist or racketeering crook of a gangster so they can turn on the power and get you elected so what about that kind of a guy and why don’t you ever put up a yell about discrimination against them? But you aren’t interested in human suffering and want like you always say and you monkeys are always discriminating against people and if they starve and their kids are underprivileged well, you just say they are dirty Fascists and it serves them right.
Q.—By Senator Nilly—I am afraid you are misinformed because my constituents all know I have fought against discrimination where a man loses his job for joining a union and—
A.—By Mr. Spelvin—Yes, but discrimination is your favorite dish if the poor guy refuses to join so don’t give me that humanity gag because if I had a business and a Communist wanted a job well I wouldn’t hire the bum if he belonged to a thousand unions and I don’t mind telling you I am going to discriminate against every moving picture that uses those bums that talked so dirty in the campaign and every business firm that uses that kind of bums on the air for entertainment like asking silly questions and it doesn’t make no difference whether it is automobiles or food or stuff to smear on your hide because I am going to buy American and be American and when it comes to that am all tor hate and discrimination and how do you like that?
Q.—By Senator Nilly—At a time when the hateful menace of Hitlerism—
A.—By Mr. Spelvin—I wish you tramps did hate Hitlerism like you say but how come you were so tongue-tied when your own Brown Shirts were belting the brains out of law-abiding Americans in Ohio and Michigan and how do you figure it hurts any worse to be hungry and cold because you are a member of some race than it does if you can’t get a job because some of your union bums put the nix on a guy? You tramps have been hating and discriminating tor years but, brother, we have just chalked our cue and pretty soon it is going to be our turn.
Q.—By Senator Nilly—The committee thanks you, Mr. Spelvin.
A.—By Mr. Spelvin—It’s been a pleasure.
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