The Wilmington morning star., 1947-10-18
AS Pegler Sees: It
BY WESTBROOK ,PEGLER
Copyright, 1917, by King Features
Syndicate. Incl

the sport side lave been arguing hat it
isn't right to punish a man by some spe-
cial law of baseball or pugilism for an
act which is not illicit in the view of the
already expiated in the public clink. That
would be double jeopardy, wouldn't it?
Yup, it would and it is supposed to be
repugnant to our delicate sense of justice,
but that is just what we say. 1t really is
not %repugnant at all.
The miscreants or martyrs here con-
eerned are Leo Durocher and Rocky Ora
ziano. Both are good but both were bad.
Happy Chandler, the commissioner of
the baseball industry, gave no reason why
he suspended Durocher for the season of
1947. In my opinion, which is never humble
or erroneous although it often stands
alone, this was a whimsical, personal
judgment of a man who had been touched
off balance by a confusion of events. Al
| equal effect might lave been wrought by
a briefer suspension or just some loud,
public wigging. However, NO injustice was
lone because Durocher is an old baseball
man and clubhouse lawyer and he knew
all along that when he signed articles with
the professionals he submitted to a special
mess Of law and angers. Like a sailor
in the old days. He knew that a man who
gave scandal could be whispered out of
baseball totally. But he knew this w a
most unlikely to happen to anyone of fair
1y decent behavior. He knew that public
opinion would protect such a man from
a cruel and wanton sentence.
Graziano is a gu~ttersnipe. But anyone
who tries to argue that his environment
was responsible for his police record and
his misconduct in the Army must explain
away AL Smith and the late Cardinal
Hayes, who came from the same neigh
borhood, and explain the overprivileged
sons of the Park avenue branch of the
Jeeter Lester family.
I could write a persuasive plea, although
not a defense, for Graziano. The Army
took him just when he was beginning to
pick up money for fighting, SO he just
went AWOL and made some fights and
got some of that easy money. The fights
all were announced and reported in the
papers and although Rocky was using a
pseudonym the town was craving with
ARMY Intelligence and M.P.s and they
should have picked him up.
However, in entering his profession under
certain beneficial conditions, Rocky sub
mitted himself to a special code OF laws
read the boxing laW. l covered tights IN
New York for many years and l haven't
read it yet. He probably didn't memorlze
the regulations and learn specifically that
he could be suspended TOR lite II ne 1aueo
to report to the prizefight commission an
attempt to bribe him to take a dry dive.
Blu anyone who has had as much friction
as Rocky with the cops and the courts
knew that he was taking a chance when
he kept his mouth shut. These alley kids
are smart and Graziano knew 1t was up
to him to blow the whistle on the man VINO
propositioned him.
He not only failed to report the propo-
sition but he lied when he said he just
didn't know Who the man was. Rocky
elected to leave this fellow IN clrculatlon'
free to fix more fights, knowing that the
commission could lay him up 1or goou;
possibly he was afraid the mob would
bump him off for squealing. Still he OBJ
served the gangster's code SO he certainly
was no victim of injustice when ne was
SUSPENDED. The ensuing suspension OF Via
ziano in Illinois because ne had mlSpe-
hayed in the Army and served a sentence
for it was sanctimonlouS business. 10 soch
him here as a gesture toward the veterans
who were honorably discharged was pam
patrioteering.
The practice of cramping the behavior
of the members Of certain trades ana pro,
fessions bv special rules was not started
bv the sport Industry. In baseball 1t goes
hack to some fixed ball games In the
EIGHTIES or nineties and some monkey busl-
ness later by owners who isisted on pick
inc their pet umpires. After the expose OF
The historic mockery of 1919 in which most
of the White Sox laid down to the heos'
there was a clamor for a "czar" OF pase-
hall. This was only four years after the
fau of the Gar of Russia and you would
not have thought it would lie in the mouth
of the free American to boiler for a car.
But we asked for one and we got Judge
Lands. Later, the movie business
oned a ripe and gamey stencil and the
public acclaimed Will Hays as the car
of the cinema.
But our lawyers and doctors operate
under special codes enforced by their pro-
fessional societies and even the clergy nave
to observe UNCONVENTIONAL rules OF conouct'
failing which they are free to go 1ree-
1anc;ng to he sure. but without the benefits
that come from organization.
For years I nave been sitting on the
curb down by the courthouse baWllng my
ewes out because the unions enforce on
erous conditions on the American working
stiff This is different. The difference is
that the unions, unlike the clergy, won't
let a loner 60 ~free-lancing. They VIII way
Law him at night and break his leg.
I know what is the matter with some OF
NV colleagues of the sport side, though.
Thev have been playing around with the
criminal scum, the shySters and gyps OF
the rackets, for many years and treating
them as harmless and amusing charact-
ers. They are caught absolutely dumb ana
without an excuse when some energetic
public official such as Frank Hogan tne
district attorney, invades the sport beat
I'D I'D shows up George Raft, Durocher and
Graziano. and a fix in professional foot
Gaa1s So they II belittle Hogan and one journa-
let wants to know why he didn't tell them
What was what and another says it was
wna If him to grab Graziano in the
middle Of the night and question him
A reporter is supposed to TX Know o,sh Wn ta
sooon the district attorney, not hang
s sro,;nd for handouts. And whenever, it
49, 70 taking sides men who appeal to