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THE ILLINOIS , V*01"*®
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• Big Pre-Election ■
A Progressive Weekly Z ILLINOIS ■
VOL. 1, NO.7 1^ed-»*6"' Chicago, Oct.23, 1948 ☆ CS^)^ STANDARD a
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Expose Legion's
'new voting bloc
By JUSTIN GRAY
The American Legion opened its annual convention in Miami this week. And the
usual happened.
Truman and a host of other politicians arrived on the scene and gave their usual
“we love the veteran” speeches. The NAM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent
their representatives. Hundreds of resolutions were passed, including the usual praise
for J. Edgar Hoover, the House Un-American Activities Committee and William Randolph
Hearst. And the expected attacks were made against the Progressive Party and the
Kooseveit tradition.
The newspapers reported all
this—in front page headlines.
But they also reported some
thing else. In an attempt to play
a new angle on the Legion con
vention. the newspaper report
The Author
Justin Gray is publicity di
rector of the Illinois Progres
sive Party. A World War II
vet—he was a rifleman in the
famous 3rd Range* Battalion,
and later, field correspondent
for “Yank”—Gray became
assistant direc .or of the
American Legion’* National
Americanism Commission at
the war’s end. What he
learned about the Legion led
him to resign and co-author
the recently published ex
pose, “The Inside Story of
the Legion.”
ere covering the convention sud
denly discovered a “new voting
bloc” within the Legion which
was out to upset the rule of
the “kingmakers” — the few
moneyed boys who run things in
the Legion from behind the
scenes.
According to newspaper re
ports “a strong coalition group”
was formed to push the election
of James F. Green, a World War
II veteran of Omaha, Neb.
I know this Jim Green and I
know the people who have
pushed him into the Legion’s
national spotlight. And by any
standard Jim Green and his
“backers” cannot be considered
a new deal in Legion politics.
James Green’s name in the
newspaper headlines as a pos
sible National Commander of
the American Legion is no mere
accident. It was the result of
careful planning and grooming.
And the planning and grooming
was not done by any “new vot
ing bloc” but by the same old
line Legion leaders who have
controlled the Legion ever since
HEAVE HO, and away! And preparations are underway for
inauguration of the next President of the United States — next
January. Here workers hoist steel framework for the ceremonial
stands in place on Capitol Hill.
it was organized in 1915.
James Green started his rise
in Legion circles in the summer
of 1946—only a few months
after he was discharged from
the army. It was then that the
Legion hierarchy picked him as
a potential national commander.
The old-tine Legion brass
wanted the World War II vet
erans to join the Legion. But
they were afraid that the Legion
would change hands with the
changing generation. In order to
offset such a possibility the
Legion hierarchy opened a train
ing school—an “indoctrination"
Continued on page 7
Dems get mail threat;
slug vet at PP meet
Political observers noted a developing wave of terror
ism this week.
A World War II veteran was slugged at a West Side
Progressive Party meeting. On the same day Adlai Steven
son, Democratic candidate for governor, turned over to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation threatening letters which
he received through the mails.
PETITIONERS TO
SEE GOV. GREEN
With an anticipated 100,
000 signatures on petitions
demanding special session
of the state legislature to put
its state ticket on the ballot,
Progressive leaders an
nounced plans for a week-end
delegation to present the
sheaf of papers to Gov.
Dwight H. Green.
Deadline for turning in the
petitions in the 10-day whirl
wind campaign wTas the meet
ing of the county central com
mittee Tuesday night at
which plans were made for a
representative delegation
from labor and Progressive
leadership.
Kelusal ol the police to pro
tect political candidates was un
derlined by Sgt. John F.
Sweeney of the Fillmore St.
police, after abou. 70 teei.-agers
had thrown stones and tomatoes
at Sidney L. Ordower, Progres
sive candidate for Congress from
the 6th district, at a street
meeting at Madison and Karlov.
“Ordower is just a rabble
rouser who’s trying to make the
front page,” said Sweeney.
The meeting, which was held
Monday night, was the third
such rally on that street corner
to be broken up by hoodlums.
The first time police took Or
dower into custody, but denied
they intended to arrest him.
The veteran who was beaten
is Fred Winsberg, of 4217 W
Van Buren. The hecklers as
saulted him after he had pro
tested against their activities.
Continued on page 7
CHA tenants form
eviction council
A council representing the 33,850 persons living in
“low-rent” projects maintained by the Chicago Housing
Authority (CHA) moved this week to stop the threat of
eviction facing nearly 40% of their ranks.
The Standard learned that a
group of attorneys were to ad
vise the elected representatives
to the tenants’ organization—the
Co-ordinating Council of Pub
lic Housing—Wednesday on pos
sible legal action to stop the
evictions.
Facing immediate eviction
are 200 project tenants who re
ceived notice from the CHA
Sept. 20 that they are no longer
eligible for tenancy since their
total annual income exceeds
$5,000.
However, the great bulk of
tenants facing eviction in the
near future—3,033 families liv
ing in the CHA's 10 projects—
who are hit by the CHA’s pro
gram to evict “high income"
tenants have an average income
of $3,394.
This group includes tenants
like Jessie Glanton, 44, Negro
metal grader at Elesco Smelt
ing Corp., 1144 W. 14th pi., and
trustee of his union, Local 758,
CIO Mine, Mill & Smelter Work
t ,, who makes about $1,939 an
nually.
Jessie can't figure out what
all this talk about “high in
come” evictions is all about. He
makes less than the maximum
income of $2,700 to make him
eligible to go on living with his
wife, V e n n i e, 40, and their
daughter, at 1260 W. 13th. in the
Robert Brooks project.
This is the catch. Jessie's wife.
Continuer on page 7