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The Chicago star. (Chicago, Ill.) 1946-1948, August 21, 1948, Star Edition, Image 5

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Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062321/1948-08-21/ed-1/seq-5/

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SPORTS
r
rt* FAN'S CORNER
BY AL VAUGHN
FE 108's sports
By JOHN TOMME. JR.
(Gu«si columni»t)
KEEPING a pace which is probably typica of all
organized sports programs throughout th labor
unions, Local 108 of the United Farm Equipment Worke s (CIO)
each year carries on its four-sport schedule, two each for the
winter and summer.
During the past winter the local sponsored a basketball
team in the Sears-Roebuck YMCA Industrial League and car
ried on a six-team bowling league within itself. For the warm
weather season, FE 108 has outfitted a baseball and a softball
team with uniforms and equipment and has entered each in
industrial leagues.
To support all this, a high cost is involved. Last year
Local 108 spent approximately SI,OOO for an adequate sports
program, thus showing the union’s regard for organized sports
for the workers.
* * *
IN THIS SEASON'S activity thus far the baseball contin
gent has won three and lost four for a third place standing,
while the softballers have managed to keep even more in the
thick of the championship race.
Each team representing the local is headed by a captain
and in turn, if the team is part of an FE 108 league, a manager
is selected to keep things straight.
Hilmon Simpson is now sports director of all the local’s
teams and league, replacing Victor Weber, who organized this
year’s program.
Simpson is now in the process of more fully developing the
program, taking the affair up with the executive board.
Victim of police brutality reveals
politicians' shake-down racket
Feeling ran high this week
among the working men and
women who are members of
the 42nd Ward Civil Rights
Congress, as the group fer
reted out the facts in police
brutaltiy aimed at Negro
people in the neighborhood.
They were digging out the
facts in the beatings of Fred Hall.
George Smith and Fred Sanders
—in preparation for possible
legal action against police and
city officials.
Last week The Star reported
the brutal beating two years ago
Torture payoff
Eleven cops charged with
"torturing and beating" Desere
Smet. 37, one of two janitors
arrested in the Susanne Deg
nan kidnap-murder, tacitly
admitted police brutality this
week when they settled out of
court with Smet for *5.250.
Smet had filed > $50,000 dam
age suit against the cops. Re
cently, the cops silenced the
other janitor. Hector Ver
burgh, with $20,000. Cops did
not reveal where they got all
those greenbacks 525,250 in
all. The average cop is paid
$3,100 annually.
of George Smith, 39, a watch
man, of 1150 Cleveland, and Fred
Sanders, 34, auto repair shop
owner, of 1130 N. Clybourn, at
Racine av. police station—a beat
ing so severe that Smith has been
under a doctor’s care ever since.
He was only able to resume
working last June.
• * *
SMITH and Sanders were
picked up while walking down
Chicago av- Although they had
committed no crime—their case
was dismissed in Felony court
three days later, with no trial—
they were beaten by police and
held incommunicado for three
days.
The key to the arrest, it has
become clear through facts un
covered by the neighborhood
CRC, is a vicious shake-down
racket.
Willis Smith, 26, of 442 W.
Elm, brother of George Smith,
holds that key.
* * *
WILLIS told a Star reporter
that he had gone to the Racine
av. police station that night in
March, looking for information
leading to the whereabouts of
his brother.
“They (the police) told me that
George had been arrested,” Wil
lis said, “they said they had
some charges against him- They
wouldn’t let me see him.”
Almost instinctively, Willis
Smith sought out his precinct
captain. He didn’t know then
that there are groups—like the
CRC, the Progressive Party,
trade unions that stand up
against police-political machin
ery for human rights. Then he
knew only that politicians “can
fix things” with police.
* * *
I WENT to a tavern where I
met Eddie Gantner (I’m not sure
if that’s how the name is spelled).
He’s the precinct captain. I told
him about my brother and he
told me to come back in a half
hour.
Lithuanian
Grant Oakes, president of the
United Farm Equipment & Metal
Workers of America (CIO) and
Progressive candidate for gover
nor, will speak at annual picnic
sponsored by the Lithuanian
Daily Vilnis, Sunday, Aug. 22, at
Justice Park Gardens, Justice,
111. Also on the program will be
Lithuanian and Ukrainian choral
groups.
'lt was Satchel
Paige all the wav'
By SAM KUSHNER
Big league baseball history
was made last Friday night
as a record-breaking crowd
in Comiskey Park saw the
fabulous Satchel Paige pitch
shut-out ball, holding the
White Sox to five measley
hits. Cleveland won, 5-0.
More than 51,000 fans taxed
the capacity of the South Side
ball park and more than 15,000
hopefuls couldn’t get in to watch
the immortal Paige pitch his first
full nihe innings of big league
ball.
It was Paige all the way. In
an easy-going manner, unruffled,
using a variety of pitching styles,
Paige calmly pitched the nine
innings without walking a single
man.
* » *
NOT ONCE was he in real
trouble.
He always had the ability to
force the Sox to hit into the
hands of the fielders. Some
pretty long ones were hit off the
Satch’s fast one, but he always
bore down and got the side out.
The crowd paid tribute to
Paige every time he appeared on
the field. He was cheered time
and again.
* * •
THE CROWD seemed to want
to convey to Satch that they were
for him and that they would
rather have seen him pitch on
the White Sox side.
When I come back, a lawyer,
Frank Loverde. was there. (Lov
erde is a well-known criminal
attorney-) Gantner and the law
yer told me to get S3OO and
they'd get my brother out.
“On March 25, 1946, 1 went out
to the court at 26th and Cali
fornia. I paid Loverde the S3OO
—I had to borrow from by boss
—and when George’s case come
up he was let out.
* * *
GEORGE was beaten up pretty
bad. I said I would take him to
a doctor. The judge asked me to
bring him a report on what the
doctor said.
"But one of the cops who beat
him up and the precinct captain
said 'don't bring no reports in
here-' So I was scared to bring
the judge the report. They said
if I brought it back it would be
too bad for me."
See next week's Star for more
facts in the brutal police shake
down worked against George
'Repeal draft/ demands
Taylor at State Fair
SPRINGFIELD—Sen. Glen
H. Taylor of Idaho, Henry
Wallace’s running mate,
called for repeal of the peace
time draft, which he charged
is designed to drive the U. S.
toward war and enrich “fas
cist-minded Wall Street mo
nopolists and militarists.”
Speaking to a rally during
Progressive Party Day ceremon
ies at the Illinois State Fair, Tay-
' WKm ■ '
SATCHEL PAIGE
Chicago's fans are for Paige,
but it is the owners of the Sox.
in whose park he pitched dozens
of times before breaking into the
big leagues, that let him go to
Cleveland. On that Friday night
Smith and Fred Sanders. An
other case, that of Fred Hall, 34,
905 N. Hudson, comes up in
court, Aug. 31.
Mine-Mill 808 wins
15c at Allith-Prouty
DANVILLE—Members of Lo
cal 808, Inti. Union of Mine, Mill
& Smelter Workers of America
(CIO), agreed at an on-the-job
meeting this week to accept a
15-cent an hour across-the-board
wage increase from Allith-Prouty
Inc.
Acceptance of the contract,
retroactive to July 5, was rec
ommended by the local’s con
tract and wage committee, com
posed of Vincent Giacone, Har
old Rohrer, Warren Cancil, Ju
venal Delanoix, and Charles Har
den. Robert Holowwa, interna-
lor said that the Russians want
peace, because they feel that they
can achieve a higher standard
of living only in peace.
Curtis D. MacDougall, Progres
sive candidate for U- S. senator,
attacked the “Red” scare, taunt
ing the Democrats and the Re
publicans with “vying to see who
can out-shriek the other in de
nouncing the Communists.”
Taylor was introduced by
Mayor Harry A. Eielson of
Paige was truly Chicago's favor
ite son.
Lou Boudreau, Cleveland man
ager, had lots of confidence in
the old-timer. He must have been
tempted more than once to re
move Paige for a pinch hitter in
the tight game.
* * *
CLEVELAND scored once in
the fifth and again in the eighth
and three times in the ninth. But
Satch went all the way.
Cleveland went into the lead
as a result of the Yankee defeat
of the Philadelphia Athletics the
same night.
Paige pitched the Indians into
first place as Chicago fans
watched their own Sox flounder
ing in last place because they re
fuse to place Negro ball players
on their team. Such irony. At
least 51,000 fans who saw Paige
pitch will never be able to make
sense out of such a policy.
* * *
(ANOTHER NEGRO was on
the field for Cleveland that night,
by the way. He was Larry Doby,
center fielder, who scored in the
fifth after a three-base hit.)
As the great crowd headed for
the exits, a white fan was telling
his companion:
"They should have let Paige in
15 years ago . . . He would prob
ably have been the greatest
pitcher in major league history."
Price rallies
The 45th Ward Progressive
Party club has scheduled an
anti-inflation rally for Tues
day, Aug. 24, at the UE Slew
art-Warner headquarters. 2787
N. Clybourn. with Zal Gar
field, county PP director, and
Dorothy Bushnell Cole as the
featured speakers. A similar
rally will be sponsored by the
441 h Ward club at its 2610 N.
Halsted hall, Tuesday, Aug.
31.
tional representative, and Jess.
Van Camp, international board
member, assisted in negotiations.
The agreement, ratified by the
membership two hours before a
strike vote was to be taken, pro
vides further that no incentive
plan shall be introduced by the
company without union approval.
According to Charles Harden,
secretary of the Vermilion
County Industrial Union Council,
only one more contract —between
Mine-Mill Local 209 and Hegeler
Zinc Co., Inc., remains to be
settled in the county this year.
Springfield, independent who has
been supported by progressives.
He welcomed Taylor to Spring
field as “one of the many good
things that come out of Idaho.”
Other speakers included Oscar
Brown, candidate for state rep
resentative from the Ist senator
ial district (Chicago); Harry
Diehl of Gibson City, candidate
for lieutenant governor; and
Grant Oakes, candidate for gov
ernor (see story elsewhere in
this issue).
5
THE CHICAGO STAR, AUGUST 21. 1948

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