BEDLAM IN CHICAGO.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 18 May 1927, Page 8

BEDLAM IN CHICAGO.

ELECTING THE MAYOR. MACHINE GUN SIDE PLAY. SAN FRANCISCO,; April 8. Chicago, the home of radicalism and the criminal element par excellence of America, attempted to “lick creation’’ in the way tnat vast centre of population went about the earnest task of electing a Mayor to rule the W indy City. For several- days the most sensational reports had* been broadcast from the Illinois city aneitt the criminal element’s participation in the campaign, and, in order to repress outbreaks of machine-gun fire which the ■ gangsters now resort to as side play, the military in large numbers were drafted into Chicago, and! representatives of the crime ring were rounded up and placed l in “durance vile” until after the votes had been counted. By the time the day of voting had arrived the whole nation was worked up into a frenzy, expecting a veritable war to be staged as a wind-up of the fiery campaign, the like of which has never been equalled' in the. Windy .. City. William Hale Thompson was elected by over 80,000 plurality over William M. E. Dever, the present Mayor of Chicago. Over a million votes were polled, but out of that immense n unifier Dr. John Dill Robertson, the “smash crime ring” independent candidate, only polled 48,562 votes. It was the largest vote ever polled in an election • in Chicago. Unprecedented interest, stirred by the wildest, most belligerent campaign in the city’s history, aided by excellent weather, blue skies'and sunlight, brought out almost 90 per cent of the total registered vote —in some areas nearly 100 per cent of the registered voted. * Dr. Robertson was backed by unlimited funds, and supported by the ‘ ‘highbrows” of both parties. He was Health Commissioner when Thompson was Mayor, and Fred Ludin, the political leader, who was the closer adviser of Thompson, was overwhelmed by the great victory recorded by Thompson, for both Ludin and Robertson turned against him, and did all in. their power to defeat him. A HECTIC DAY. Chicago, accustomed to colourful elections, never experienced anything as hectic as the one this April, and the campaign that preceded it. Never in its history had the city been so thoroughly aroused. For practically three weeks the streets had been a bedlam day and night with oratory, bands, steam callopes, parades, flamboyant posters and banners. The theatres were given over to noonday political meetings . Religious and race hatreds were - dragged into the campaign opeiilv. The Dover forces charged that if Thompson were e'ected he would reopen 10,000 saloons anil other places closed by Dover, and that negroes would be appointed to all city offices, put on the police force, and be . used to break up the street-car union. Despatches we re published from points in Southern States indicating that Chicago would be overwhelmed by negroes if Thompson became Mayor, and pleaded with the voters to defeat him and thus prevent the depletion of the labour supply in the South .It was charged that, with Thompson as Mayor, negroes would dominate the city. However, there are about 80,U<JO negro voters in Chicago as against nearly 900,000 whites. Thompson posters charged that the Dever administration had taken office with 1,500,000 dollars surplus in the city treasury, and this had been speedily squandered and the Dever administration is covering up a deficit of six and a half million dollars. Notwithstanding the general fear that the day would be marked with violence and bloodshed, the unusual precautions against hoodlumism tore fruit. The police promptly smothered anything that gave a hint of trouble, and the knowledge that troops could bo thrown into the fray in large numbers served to hold " the would-be rioters in check and restore confidence among the voters. BUSY BOMBING. However, ‘in the faoe 'of alii preparations, gunmen and terrorists appeared eariy in the 'day on the north, and west sides of the city. Two Democratic strongholds were tombed early in the morning, a polling place was shut np, end, an goring t>be lives of several women voters and officials, and a servicemen’s club was raked with 'machinegun fire. A State legislator was kidnapped and there were the usual number of minor outbreaks, fisticuffs 'and melees, but these were quickly put down by strongarm methods. The principal danger zones swarmed With policemen and police riflemen, and were constantly .patrolled by machine-gun squads in fast automobiles, with orders to shoot first and explain on the following day! In a wordj Chicago voting to elect a Mayor resembled a great armed camp in w,ar time. The killing on the night prior to polling day of “Schemer” Drucei, a notorious gangster, bad a quieting effect upon the: other gangsters, anil they were conspicuous by their absence on polling day. Whenever a known gunman or a isuspect appealed, he Was taken into custody by the police, and. if armed, was hustled into a 1 cell.