The Illinois standard. [volume], January 15, 1949, Page 8, Image 8

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

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LIBONATI WOULD HOUND
YPA, NOT O.L.K. SMITH
Elliodor Libonati, chair
man of the American Legion’s
Americanism commission for
Illinois gave the tipoff this
week on what to expect if the
“little Mundt-Nixon bills”
pass the state legislature.
Top on Libonati's list for
hounding, and eventual banning
from the schools, is Young Pro
gressives of Illinois, he indi
cated. The Legionnaire told The
Standard, however, not to ex
pect inquiry into Illinois opera
tions of Gerald L. K. Smith or
Elizabeth Dilling, peddlers of
anti-Semitic and anti-Negro hate.
Libonati is credited by Sen.
Paul Broyles, chairman of the
seditious activities commission,
with having blue-printed the
witchhunt bills. He is the broth
er of Sen. Roland V. Libonati,
associate of A1 Capone in the
’30s.
Brother Roland is a member
of the seditious activities com
mission, which will sponsor the
bills in the legislature.
A Standard reporter asked
Elliodor Libonati this week
what groups he had particularly
in mind when the bills were
drafted. He replied:
“You take the Young Pro
gressives of Illinois. They are
nothing but the American Youth
tor Democracy with another
name. That's an example.”
The AYD was barred from the
University of Illinois as well as
other campuses in the nation in
the past two years after a series
bf witchhunts. Young Progres
sives grew as an independent
youth group in support of the
election campaign of Henry
Wallace and the Progressive
Party.
Libonati denied that the com
mission would conduct a head
line smear campaign.
‘ After all,” he protested, “you
have got to have proof before
you call someone a Communist.”
EXAMPLES OF “PROOF”
The Americanism specialist
then tipped his hand on his
style of “proof” in branding
“subversives,” when he was
questioned about his prominent
role in an inquisition last year
against Emilie Noack, civics
teacher at Senn High School.
“I wasn’t out for her job,”
Libonati declared. “I just want
ed to draw attention to her and
put it into the hands of the
Board of Education. Ten stu
dents said she taught Com
munism and ten students said
she didn't.”
Result of his investigation
was a series of headlines and
wide scandal around Miss Noack,
followed by dropping of charges
as unfounded.
LAY OFF HATE PEDDLERS
As for Gerald L. K. Smith and
Elizabeth Dilling, whose hate
literature is circulated among an
increasing number of Illinois
ians, Libonati predicted that the
commission will “play it smart”
by not investigating them at all.
“They’re always trying to
pick a fight with me for pub
licity,” the Legion spokesman
said. “We will handle them the
smart way by laying off.”
Midwest P.P. heads
set Chicago meet
A planning conference of
Midwestern state directors of
the Progressive Party Jan. 22
and 23 was announced this week
by C. B. Baldwin, national party
secretary.
Representatives of Illinois,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri,
Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa
and western Pennsylvania will
meet at Chicago headquarters,
187 N. LaSalle St.
BOWL.NG BAN hits ace kegler Miss Marilyn Polley (above) who
s'arred in a New York CIO bowling tourney a year ago. Being a
woman and a Negro, she will be barred from participating in
the annual American Bowling Congress tournament in Atlantic
City unless pressure by unions and other organizations forces ABC
to drop its infamous "male whites only" clause.
National CIO sues
for 800 at U. of C.
National CIO entered a con
tract fight between 800 mem
bers of Public Workers Local
568 and the University of Chi
cago, when it filed a “friend of
the court” suit this week against
the university in Cook County
Circuit Court.
The contract battle has been
raging since October 11, 1948,
when the workers voted 5 to 1
in favor of the United Public
Workers as their bargaining
agent, rejecting an AFL union.
The union claims possession of
a written agreement with the
university, signed prior to the
election, in which the employ
ers promised to deal immediate
ly with the winning union.
After the CIO victory, the
university refused to bargain on
grounds that the Public Work
ers have refused to sign the non
Communist affidavits required
by the Taft-Hartley law in or
der to use the services of the
National Labor Relations Board.
The union points out, however,
that the pre-election agreement
recognizes this case as being out
side the jurisdiction of the
NLRB.
In his brief, CIO General
Counsel Arthur J. Goldberg de
mands enforcement of the uni
versity’s obligation in view of
its agreement.
“Any notion,” he argued,
“that such an obligation ... is
not subject to judicial enforce
ment threatens . . . generally ac
cepted standards of employer
obligations and therefore carries
serious adverse implications for
the CIO and its affiliated un
ions.”
Circuit Court Judge Harry
Fisher set arguments for Jan
uary 27.
Fact You Didn't Know
In 1800, in pre-machine farm
ing, around 370 hours of labor
were required to grow and har
vest a hundred bushels of
wheat. By 1940, with the use of
the tractor, about 45 hours were
needed to produce 100 bushels.
PRICES 'LEVELING OFF'
i^a
, THE ILLINOIS
The Fan's Corner
Vaughn offers sage advice to
bowl losers, fans in general
By Al Vaughn
THE 1948 Bowl games may be over but they are certainly
not forgotten. Two weeks later they haven’t stopped
gabbing about them. It must be the season for crying towels
and second guessing.
It is impossible to convince West Coast fans that the
California Bears deserved the 20
to 14 defeat they received from
the Wildcats in
the Hose Bowl.
VyfTvTS Missourians
still believe that
their Tigers
would have de
feated Clemson in the Gator
Bowl if the officials had been
more alert. And they don’t mind
telling you so.
1 Oregon fans jump at the
chance to point out that they
out-gained and out-first downed
S.M.U. in their 31 to 13 defeat
! in the Cotton Bowl. Just try and
convince them that S.M.U. had
the best team.
North Carolinians are dazed
and dumbfounded over the way
Oklahoma’s powerful line
I stopped their one and only Choo
! Choo Justice in the Sugar Bowl.
; They swear it couldn’t happen
again, s
As far as this column is con
cerned these games are history.
The best teams won and the
losers and their fans should just
forget it and wait until next
year.
But there is one bowl game
which should not be forgotten
and every true sport fan should
give it a lot of consideration.
True, it only attracted 3,000
fans and received hardly any
publicity, but it was as impor
tant as any of the other major
bowl games, if not more so.
We refer to the “Shrimp
Bowl” which was played at the
Washington Park Armory New
Year’s Day. Four Chatam Youth
Club teams in the 95, 110, 135,
and 155 pound classes came out
of the bowl with a record of
three victories and one tie.
Of course, who won the games
is unimportant. What is impor
tant is that we are slowly realiz
ing the importance of organized
sport participation by our youth.
We in America have more or
less been content to have our
youth learn their favorite game
without supervision until they
are of high school age.
When they reach that level
we become interested in those
individuals who seem to have
superior ability and they are
given special attention. The
other kids, who may love the
game and participation in it, but
are just average in ability, are
forgotten.
As we have said many times
before, the real purpose of
sports is to build strong bodies
pnd clean minds while at the
same time teaching individuals
teamwork and an understanding
of one’s fellow human beings.
Our sport system has been
built on the idea of developing
star performers who will at
tract large crowds, thereby
bringing in the green stuff for
institutions and promoters. We
have forgotten the purpose of
sports.
We would do well to take
after our Canadian neighbors, in
forming organized leagues in all
our sports from the midget class
on up and then seeing to is that
our entitfe youth is given a
chance to participate.
Who wins the game is unim
portant but giving all young
sters a chance to play in it and
learn the spirit of teamwork and
getting along is important. The
“Shrimp Bowl” is a step in the
right direction. Let’s keep pro
gressing.
THOSE who were wondering
whether or not George Halas
would actually sign George
Taliaferro need not wonder any
more. George has been signed
by the Los Angeles Dons of the
All-American Conference.
AVe suspect Taliaferro didn’t
quite trust Mr. Halas and you
can’t blame the guy when you
consider that the owner of the
Bears got around to drafting
Taliaferro, the best halfback in
the country, as his 17th choice.
Although the Indiana star
signed up in the rival league it
is quite possible that the Dons
and Los Angeles Rams might
combine and become part of the
National League.
If this does happen we sus
pect Taliaferro is going to
make Brother Halas mighty
sorry he ever let him get away.
* * *
AS WE go to press the Chi
cago Stags are fighting it
out with the Rochester Royals
and the Minneapolis Lakers for
first place in the Western divi
sion of the B.A.A. These are
three of the finest basketball
teams your writer has ever had
the pleasure of watching. Going
to be mighty interesting to see
which one has that little extra
something to put them on top
when the final gun of the sea
son sounds.
* * *
MIGHTY glad to hear Black
ha w k left winger Gaye
Stewart’s head injury is not as
serious as was first announced.
Our boys couldn’t go far with
out him, especially if Bert Olm
stead who replaced him in the
lineup is an example of the re
placements the Hawks have at
their Kansas City farm club.
Wallace calls for 'civil
rights assembly' in capital
Mobilization of a nation-wide
Civil Rights Assembly and rally
in Washington, Feb. 11 and 12,
was c .lied for this week by
Henry Wallace and a group of
i,he nation’s outstanding citizens.
lae assembly will be devoted
to two days of lobbying to
demonstrate support for the pas
sage of FEPC, an anti-poll tax
bill, a.iti-lynching bill, and
abolition of Jim Crow in Wash
ington.
will follow by less than a
month a gathering la the capi
tal called by the livil Rights
Congress for Jan. 17 and 18.
Among the callers of the as
sembly, who will take an ac
tive part in it with Mr. Wallace,
is a group of outstanding Nego
leaders.
The group includes Dr. J.
Finley Wilson, Dr. W. E. B. Du
Bois, Dr. Benjamin F. Mays, Dr.
William H. Jernagin, Bishop O.
Ward Nichols, John Wesley
Dobbs, and Dr. William H.
Borders.