Milford chronicle., 1948-04-02
By WestbrOOk PegIer
Released BY WNU Features


AS SOME OF US RECALL, Frank
"A S. Hogan. the district attorney Of
New York county, slipped on a gas
mask, popped his head in the door
at the recent annual dinner Of the
New York boxing writer's, reiterated
his low opinion Of the fight racket
and popped out again.
Eddie Eagan, chairman Of the
prizefight commission, is an old
Olympic and intercollegiate heavy
weight champion and a former as
sistant to the U. S. attorney in New
York. He ran a temper and sassed
Hogan back. He said that if Hogan
knew so much evil about the prize
fight racket, the thing for him to do
was prosecute. Specifically that was
rather well put and some Of the lead
ing journalists on this seamy run
took their pitch from Eagan and
gave Hogan another going-over
AS a group. with individual exc
ceptiOns, the boxing writer's have
been down on Hogan for about q
year since he turned up some cor
ruptiOn that they should have
known about and started the exc
pose Of the sorry army career and
police record Of Rocky GrazianO,
the present middIeweight cham
piOn. GrazianO is now a king with
out country, for after he won the
title in Chicago writs Of Danish
ment were issued in many juris-
dictiOns because he was a bad sOl-
dier.
Before the expose fully broke,
Eagan argued with sweet and genu-
inc charity that society could be big
enough to waive his past and let
Graziano gather the rewards Of his
talents and opportunity.
HE is A GOOD ROY SCOUT
LEADER AND WOULD BE A GOOD
PAROLE OFFICER BUT HE is NO
MAN FOR THE GUARDIANSHIP
OF THE BOXING COMMISSION IN
NEW YORK BECAUSE IT WOULD
BE HARD TO IMAGINE A FELL
LOW AS NAIVE AND IGNORANT
OF ALL THAT GOES ON AROUND
HIM AS EAGAN.
When he snapped
hogan back that Hogan
Is ought to prosecute in
IT, c., stead Of just talking
~ about crookedness he
was leading with his chin because
his job as chairman Of the COM
mission includes the duty Of know.
ing what's what and keeping crooks
out. This he can do by the arbitrary
powers given him by the legislature.
But by his instructive and perhaps
political reaction to Hogan's charges
he let Hogan maneuver him onto the
side Of the rogues and put him in
opposition to law, order and the good
society which he is sworn to uphold.
The jOurnalese reaction pro.
Eagan and anti-HOgan aroused .
virtuOus resentment in the d. A.
He had his suspicious Of some Of
the writer's motives, judged by
their cOngenial association with the
vermin of the racket. To be sure,
a writer of boxing should know the
personalities of the business and
their home phone numbers for
emergencies. But he needn't have
social truck with them and Il he
| does he can't complain when others
form a certain opinion Of him.
Some time after this episode, Irv-
ing Cohen, one Of a triumvirate
which operates Graziano as a prop
erty, discovered that his name had
been forged to a check for $500, ap-
parently by someone familiar with
his office. Cohen said "Oh well,
easy Co." in the philosophical way Of
a fellow who is insured against such
moral error by fiduciaries, and the
bonding company made him whole
and started its routine inquiry. In
this process, Cohen was asked to
give samples Of the handwriting Of
all persons in his professional, as il
were, household for comparison with
the writing on the check.
Almost an Of the New York writ
ers on the priEefight run are on this
list, together with those little fig
ures, and these individuals have
been allowed to hear the news, In
directly. Il would be presumptu-
Gus to peer into HOgan's mind and
say that he Is enjoying the Situa-
tiOn, but since when has presump-
ton been felOniOus?
Donald Day. " b o
II This lived in FiiroYe MANY