Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495050a51525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534536537538539540541542 of 542

but just semi-political or personal factions among the automobile workers.

Byrd proved almost from the beginning to be a queer duck. He was peculiar. Nobody has ever been able to prove or even to offer any evidence that he wasn't strictly honest, as he understood it, but there was continual doubt about him in the minds of some of the working men. Certainly Coe Kelley early came to the conclusion in his own mind that Byrd was looking for something for himself, but he never had any evidence of it, anything that you would call real proof of it. Wolman took the more sensible view and said, “He's an odd duck. That's all. He's just as queer as they make them. He has no real place in the labor movement. He doesn't know what a trade union is. He's an unstable personality. He doesn't think the same thing two days in succession. He shifts around. I don't believe that he shifts from one position to the other in an attempt to serve the employers one day and make himself solid with the workers the next day. I think he shifts around because he just doesn't know the difference. He's just one of those mixed-up, confused minds and a very mixed-up personality.”

He began disappearing for days at a time and wouldn't turn up. No business could be done. The grievances couldn't be heard. Wolman would send out somebody to try and find Byrd. I seem to think that he had a family and that his wife was confused as to where he was. He would just