Judge — April 6, 1929 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JUDGE Art Editor, Phil Roma Abolish Private Cops pb before the world”, the sovereign State of nsylvania seems to be screwing up her nerve ake the action, long overdue, of the private police of the coal and iron com The last straw was the brutal murder of John Barcoski, a striker, on February 10th. The coal and iron policemen are charged with this murder as a result of the coroner's inquest, at which it was tes- tified that Barcoski was beaten, kicked, jumped on, and so tortured that he died the next dé “Pennsylva is the only State in the union which permits an army of private thags like the coal and iron police to be maintained on its soil,” s Roger Baldwin of the Civil Liberties Union. When Gifford Pinchot was governor he found six thousand of these private cops holding permits issued by the State. He revoked about. thirty-five hundred permits be the holders were criminals or doubtful. The Pittsburgh Coal Company describes its police as “a body of men of whom we are justly proud,” and has stated that “the company brutality”. Of course. And no doubt the majority of the ‘police are decent fellows, with hearts and heads like the rest of us. But when you hire several thousand men for a dirty job like that, give them guns and clubs and turn them loose, a lary portion of them are bound to turn out to be and. sadists. polishing anies. does not condone pro- thugs Even a city or State government gets a black-sheep cop every so of sible to the public, they n bre: is found out. Pri rpo sible to anybody but themselves. And any corpora- tion that maintains such working conditions th: has to have its own police is not likely to be very particular about character or their conduct. In a supposedly civilized land there is only one conceivable alternative—the complete abolition of private police. ‘This is a State, not a Federal matter, but if the Pennsylvania legislature does not move promptly, public opinion will look for action to See- ary Mellon, whose influence would be decisive both with the coal companies and the State politicians. n, but being respon- k him as soon as he ms are not respon- Sportsmanship wo storics within twenty-four hours threw con- trasting lights on the cock-eyed, clay-footed idol that we call sportsmanship. Aaociate Editor, Richard J. Wal In Peoria a fifteen-year-old boy who had failed to make the basketball team gritted his teeth and de- termined to make his track team. Out for trial, he pounded around the cinder path, and at the finish he fell dead. Overexertion, the doctors said. much courage id the coach. It's the wrong kind of sportsmanship that sets such great store on athletic competition that a boy will force himself beyond the limits of endurance. A lot wrestling and swimming in ‘00 of the running, rowing, our prep schools is en- tirely too severe for boys in their teens. On the other hand, the sportsmanship at St. A If championship was beir the eighteen-year-old girl who big tourr and unable to pl sa pretty bit of true stine, where a woman's played. Billie Hicks, recently won four 3 first round urning this, her opponent, Miss Madge Miller, 1 of accepting a default, promptly decided to default herself. If Billie had been well, Miss Miller would have gone out and taken her licking with a grin. But, as she said, “Billie would probably beat me anyhow, and it means more to her than it does to me and to those who want to see her in the tournament.” Her magnanimity en- abled Billie to take a day's rest and then go through to the finals. Recommended for the attent country club members who gleefully take every de- fault that offers, and who enter a tournament and play the first round or two even when they know that they are going to be out of town and will have to default before the finals are reached. Much as we pride ourselves on our sportsmanship, too many of us are still crass, thoughtless and un encrous, and too often the majority of us put our emphasis on the wrong thing, cheer at the wrong time and worship the wrong heroes. on of Younger Generation Notes No. 42 V iri both legs amputated, John Dollard, an | cighteen-year-old lad in Brooklyn andi- date for pitcher on his school team. He props him- self on his wooden legs in the middle of the diamond or in the Last son he pitel se ed a no-hit game for the second t Take the average grow nd cut off his legs, and you cut off his ambit But there’s some | thing in this Younger Generation that drives it on | | to achieve in spite of hell and high water. comicbooks.com