Page 86 - William H. "Bull" Marah - Still Fighting

ISSUE : Issue 72

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1997/6/1

that. You don't take that from anybody.... But (that day) I went over and I belted it. I pretty near broke the top of it in about 77 pieces--I came onto it. But he respected it. See, people are suffering from delusions, that you get educat? ed today, and you go do jobs. They don't take into considera? tion the fact (of) the physical psychology of it--you put peo? ple over there that are physi? cal on you. Do you know what I mean? They're trying to put fear into you physically. Now Gordon was a boxer. And I was an old street fighter. I'd go outside with him in 10 sec? onds, and he knew it, eh. So, all right. You put a lion in a cage, and a lamb in the cage with a lion, the lion eats the lamb. You put two lions in there and what do they do. ARRRR! They growl at each oth? er. Not too anxious to fight, are they? One of them's going to get killed. See, it's that simple.... Now, my philosophy was simple. With the men, I told them the truth. They were pay- AFTERI GOT ELECTED, (someone) sent a letter to the Inter? national, to John L. Lewis, told him I was a communist. So I got called to Washington by the president, John L Lewis. First time I was ever on an airplane in my life. I flew to Washington. I didn't even know what I was going up for. So I went up, and I was there for three days, four days, i was wondering what was going on. I was meeting every day with John L. Lewis (and others). See, I was up there on trial, and I didn't know it. And they were asking me all kinds of ques? tions and i was answering questions. I didn't know what in the hell was going on. But I was smart enough • see, John L. Lewis was so intelligent. He was asking me about the steel industry and he was asking me about the fishing industry and farming industry. And I didn't know the first thing about it. All i knew was coal • all I studied was coal. I was...side- stepping him, eh? But any questions on coal, well, i was like a steel trap.... But • what the heck was it that Lewis said to me? Oh, did I ever get mad! What the hell was it now? Weil, he said some? thing to the extent that I thought I knew everything. Oh, yeah, my age • I was 36 at that time, which was young. (He said) I thought I knew everything, and I knew nothing. So i put that there. (At the back of your mind?) Yes.... But finally at the end of it, he put his arm around my shoulder • I'll never forget it, God bless him. He was a kind man. He said, "Now, listen. I'm going to tell you something." He said, "I want you to go home, and use your brains," he said, "to help the men down there. And I'm going to make you a pre? diction." He said, "You're going to be the finest little president that ever came out of District 26." That's a fact. And me looking at him, you know. I started to laugh. He said, "What are you laughing at?" I said, "I want to make a request, Mr. Lewis." He said, "What's that?" "How about letting me stay here another couple of weeks?" He said, "Why do you want to do that?" "Well," I said, "I come in here," I said, "I was nothing but a God-damn fool. Now," I said, "after three days, I'm the finest thing ever came out of District 26." I said, "Another week and I'll have your job!" Bill laughs. Well, he started to laugh. And he loved it. I wasn't bootlicking, and he loved it. John L. 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