The Illinois standard. [volume], September 18, 1948, Page 8, Image 8

About The Illinois standard. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1948-1949

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
Cermano gets O.K.
of Truman—or else
By STAN
Climaxing two days of
Director Joseph Germano, and
Van A. Bittner — plus a plato
Annual Conference of Distric
America (CIO) indorsed Harr
“his good labor record.”
Called ostensibly for the
purpose of discussing pressing
problems of USA-CIO’s vast
membership, the real business
of the conference, it became
clear after the Truman indorse
ment. was to give steel leader
ship an opportunity to try to
rally steelworkers behind Tru
man
The Truman indorsement was
pushed by USA-CIO’s big brass
toward the end of the confer
ence. w hich ran Saturday morn
ing through Sunday evening at
the Morrison Hotel, after the
“better part” of the 800 dele
gates — disgusted with their
leaders- unabashed praise of
“Injunction Harry"—had pulled
out and left for home.
While indorsing Truman, steel
leadership assailed the use of
injunctions (issued by President
Truman) to break strikes; union
busting by NLRB Administrator
Robert Denham (a Truman ap
pointee), and the President’s
loyalty purge of government em
ployees.
As anticipated, brass-knuckles
appeared at this conference, too.
Late Sunday afternoon, a 10-man
detail of Germano's private ar
my of goons followed Hugh Mc
Gilverv, editor of the “Labor
Sentinel” (official biweekly
newspaper of USA-CIO Local
1010. Indiana Harbor), as he left
the conference, and gave him
a going over.
Longshoremen,
shipowners
in showdown
SAN FRANCISCO—The strik
ing International Longshore
men's & Warehousemen’s Union
(CIO) put its cards on the table
this week.
While the Waterfront Employ
ers Association and the Pacific
American Shipowners Associa
tion—spokesmen for the power
ful shipowners group—pointed
to the West Coast tieup in ship
ping overseas Army supplies,
charging “Communism,” Harry
Bridges, ILWU president, wired
President Truman:
“West Coast shipowners are
stalling Army on handling car
goes while George Killian of
American President Lines and
Frazier Bailey of National Fed
eration of Shipping are in Wash
ington trying to persuade you
and Defense Secretary Forrestal
to handle Army cargo .from East
Coast ports.
“Our anion notified Army sev
eral days ago that it was pre
pared to handle cargo necessary
to overseas supply. We urge
that in fairness to Western busi
ness, farmers and working peo
ple you reject the shipowner
schemes and insist that they act
in good faith with the Army.”
Meanwhile, shipowners stub
bornly refuse to meet with the
ILWU to settle strike demands
until the union complies with
optional provisions of the Taft
Hortlev Act by filing non-Com
munist affidavits. This, despite
the expression of ILWU mem
bers, voiced in a recent secret
referendum ballot, to reject the
affidavits, by a vote of 10,740
longshoremen against 376,
MACEK
canned speeches by District
Vice Presidents Thimmes and
Dn of top-ranking brass — the
t 31, United Steelworkers of
y S. Truman on the basis of
Sam Taylor, USA-CIO staff
representative from So. Chicago,
who captained the slugging de
tail, overtook McGilvery and his
companion a few steps from the
Morrison exit. McGilvery knock
ed two of the gang down, and
was working on a third, when
two of the goons pinned his arms
from behind while their buddy
boys closed in with fists and
feet.
Reason for the attack was be
lieved to be “offences" commit
ted by the “Labor Sentinel"
against the Germano bureauc
racy — which is deeply commit
ted to the Democratic machine
in Lake County. Namely the
Sentinel's consistent support of
Wallace and the Progressive
Party.
Vice President Van. A. Bitt
ner, who gave the conference’s
main address, sought to convince
delegates that President Truman
was compelled to ,ciush the
strikes of railroad workers,
miners and seamen by injunc
tion.
Typical of the Germano brand
of democracy extended confer
ence delegates, no comment was
permitted from the floor before
adoption of resolutions. Vigilant
sergeants-at-arms patrolled the
aisles, coldly eying any dele
gate who might be suspected of
committing such an untoward
act.
Three resolutions, adopted by
Local Union 1010—whose Pres
ident, Harry Powell, is chair
man of National Committee of
Steelworkers for Wallace — and
submitted to the conference Res
olutions Committee, were ig
nored.
The resolutions called for (1)
no indorsement of a Presidential
candidate; (2) criticism of USA
CIO’s Wage Policy Committee
for its failure to demand retire
ment pay, double time for Sat
urdays and Sundays, and ratifi
cation of all contracts by the
Local unions; (3) an end to the
“'Red witch-hunts’’ in the USA
CIO.
Delegates to UE
convention barred
at U.S. border
NEW YORK—(FP)—Eleven
of the 18 Canadian delegates to
the United Electrical, Radio &
Machine Workers convention
which met here last week were
denied entry to the U.S. by
American immigration authori
ties.
This was revealed to the con
vention by President George G.
Aldridge of Toronto Local 521,
one of the seven who was al
lowed entry. Aldridge, who flew
in, said he and another delegate
were detained at LaGuardia
Field and grilled about their
political beliefs by the immigra
tion officials.
Among questions tossed at
him, he said, was: “Would you
condone the violent overthrow
of the government to further
the cause of the UE?" One dele
gate was barred because he had
reportedly attended a Canadian
consumers’ meeting to protest
high prices. Other delegates
were asked to reveal which can
didates they voted for in the
last UE convention.
I
I SAN FRANCISCO longshoremen massed outside the capacity
filled Coliseum bowl hear strike call by the International Long
shoremen's & Warehousemen's Union (CIO) through loud speak
ers. The strike, which came at expiration of 80-day Taft-Hartley
; injunction, involves over 30,000 workers of the ILWU and other
| maritime unions and has tied up all Pacific coast ports.
THE ILLINOIS
NEW Bear cobs Bobby Layne
and Johnny Lujack are going to
push old timers like Sid Luck
man to give their all for the
North Siders this season. But
the Bears still face a tough
season.
Fail's corner __
Prospect for Bears, Cardinals
pick up your sagging morale
By AL VAUGHN
You’re sitting in a Toronto hotel with a couple of old
cronies fuming and fussing about the heat. The weather man
says it’s 86’ but it feels like 120. You wonder why you ever
left home.
You might go to the beach but you only have enough
energy left to reach for another bottle of rfle.
Ted Reeves, coach of the
Toronto Beaches Indians
Football Team and one time
Lacrosse great, asks how the
American Pro Football races
stack up this year.
Your first impulse is to say
it’s too hot to talk football. But
then you remember the Rockets
are well along in their schedule.
The Cardinals open against Phil
adelphia Sept. 24; the Bears two
days later at Green Bay. And
when you consider how Chicago
teams let you down, it gives a
great deal of pleasure to dis
cuss football. At least we can
be proud of the Bears and Car
dinals.
After exacting a promise that
there will be no bets based on
our selections else somebody else
goes to the poor house, we tell
Ted just what we think.
In the All-American Confer
ence the Cleveland Browns will
come out on top per usual. True,
some of the boys are not as
young as they used to be. San
Francisco is capable of giving
some competition. The Buffalo
Bills with the aid of George
Ratterman could be dangerous.
The Baltimore Colts and their
new find, Y. A. Tittle, could
cause trouble. The New York
Yankees, as long as they keep
Buddy Young whole, are always
a threat.
But as it stands now you have
to go along with the champs.
Graham and Motley, and a big
and powerful line with two fast
ends in Speddie and Levante
should be enough to see them
through. The Rockets? They’re
improving slowly, but too slow
ly to be a threat this year.
The National Pro League is
a different story. It’s a tossup
between our own Cardinals and
Bears. The Eastern section win
ner is unimportant. All the real
power is in the West. Green
Bay, who lost a number of one
point heart breakers last year
is coming back stronger than
ever.
The Western race should be a
lulu. To pick the winner one
really must have the luck of the
Irish.
The Cardinals lost two of
their finest players when de
fensive ends Bill Ivy and Clar
ence Esser gave up the ghost,
but Bob Dove and Bob Ravens
burg could fill the bill. Charlie
Trippi is back hotter than ever.
Pitching Paul Christman should
be belter than ever behind a
still powerful Cardinal line.
Ventan Yablonski, last year’s
Columbia fullback, could be the
surprise package of the year.
Mai Kutner is still the best end
in pro football. If the Cardinals
can keep their first team intact
they’re going to be tough to un
seat as champions.
The Bears could be just the
team to do it. Sid Luckman.
pushed by the acquisition of
Johnny Lujack and Bobby
Laync, should have one of his
best years. The line is still as
powerful as ever and the back
field, with George McAfee show
ing signs of being his old self,
is certainly adequate.
The Cardinals had to get in
shape a little too early for the
All-Star game. It could tell in
the last part of the season. That,
plus the fact that we are died
in the wool Bear fans, will make
us pick our favorites as the final
victor. But it would just be Chi
cago’s luck to have Green Bay
come out of the North and steal
the title and take away the last
thing the Windy City fans have
to be proud of.
Whitney in reverse
CLEVELAND—(FP) — A. F.
Whitney, president of the
Brotherhood of Railroad Train
men (unaffiliated), who, follow
ing the breaking of he 1946 rail
strike, pledged himself to spend
“millions" to defeat President
Truman, announced here that
the union’s state legislative rep
resentatives had unanimously
indorsed the President for re
election.