“BIG BILL” THOMPSON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20256, 15 November 1927, Page 11

“BIG BILL” THOMPSON.

■ CHICAGO ANTI-BRITISH MAYOR. The trial of Mr William M'Andrew, superintendent of Chicago schools, on charges framed by the Mayor (Mr William Hale Thompson), is the logical result of tile campaign by which Mr Thompson won the election this year. In 1915 Mr lhomp ; son. who wears cowboy hats and rides police torses, was swept into office by a large majority on the slogan, “ A Prosperous Chicago.” In 1919 the promise which won him victory was that Chicago would not be involved in the next world war. His later mayoral history was described during the campaign this year by Mr William J. Flynn, in the Nation, as follows:—“In 1923 the city, becoming aware of a slight odour of corruption emanating from me City Hall, decided to take Thompson out for a rest, and elected the Democrat, William E. Dever. Mr Dover functioned quietly, and apparently with some degree of efficiency. But beneath the placid surface dwelt trouble. The •organisation’ was restless; the boys were not finding enough juicy bits in the political pot. Democrats and Republicans both were becoming irritable. Dever seemed certain, however, to succeed himself, when suddenly back into the arena galloped Big Bill. There were doubts, of course; the oublio had been thoroughly annoyed at Thompsonism 'in 1823. still, there he was, big and hearty, radiating prosperity and goodwill. Maybe the public had forgotten. They had. Thompson rolled up some 400,000 votes in the primaries, and the fight was on.” ‘‘Big Bill 1 ’ Thompson is the type of American politician that has been familiarised by novels and moving pictures—a great, lumbering man with severaT chins, a hearty back-slapping manner, a way with little children, and a cowboy hat. “He talks, in a curious, rough, throaty voice that curls in a crest and breaks in waves of picturesque invective,” says one commentator. It was suspected that Mr Thompson’s campaign was directed by someone just a little cleverer than himself, but whether that is so _or not, he “ got away ” with his anti-British, especially his anti-King George, ‘‘policy.” At one stage he accused the superintendent of Chicago’s schools of being a paid agent of King George. (Mr Thompson approbates that personalities are more effectual than generalities). “ Read these histories yourself,” he said. “ T]re ideals you were taught to revere, the great Americans you were taught to cherish as examples of selfsacrificing devotion to human liberty, are subtly sneered at and placed in a false light, so that your children may blush with shame when studying the history of their country. , . . Textbooks that have been revised and rewritten, falsified, and distorted to glorify England and vihfv America —and then you will understand why * America first * should stir to_ action every red-blooded man and woman in Chicago until the city is rid of pro-B;itish rats who are poisoning the wells of historical truth.” Mr Thompson overlooked the fact, doubtless by accident, that these text books wore prepared at his direction during one of his former terms. When a speaker on behalf of an opponent, Mr Robertson, suggested that Mr Thompson had been concerned in a party which involved questionable conduct, Mr Thompson cleared himself of the indictment by doubting whether Ml - Robertson could eat eggs without getting them in his whiskers. He added that the predilection of another opponent, Mr Dever, tor “plus fours,” suggested that he hoped to fraduate to knee breeches at the Court of t. James. “ Vote' for William Hale Thompson,” adjured an advertisement, “ and America First, a red-blooded American whose forefathers helped rock the Cradle of Liberty. Rid Chicago of these British lackeys—let them go to England, rally round the fold of the Union Jack, and sing ‘ God Save the King.’ Let Chicago again take its place as the champion of true Americanism.” Another discovery of Mr Thompson was: “There never was an Englishman that was the equal of an American. If there was he could make a million dollars in an hour and a-hal£ by defeating that brave sailor boy. Gene Tunney. But there isn’t. And John L. Sullivan did not wait for the Britishers to come over here. He went over there and beat all the best men they had.” Thompson’s comment on the refusal of Mr M‘Andrew, superintendent of Chicago's schools, to allow school children to solicit funds to preserve the ship Old Ironsides, is an example of the dignity of his diction: “ The reason, of course, was that Old Ironsides licked hell out of every British ship she met, and the King of England would not like to have us preserve that ship. So ho gives his orders to his stool-pigeon, Mr M‘Andrew, and our children are not permitted to solicit pennies to preserve a priceless heritage.” No intelligent person takes “ Big-hearted Bill ” seriously, but, as Mr Flynn said: “How the crowd loves it all! They pack the armouries and halls when Thompson talks, and cheer him to the echo. Blare of bands. Song-pluggers singing ‘America First,’ and proclaiming Thompson the greatest living American. Ex-service men on the platform. Remember the boys in France, and vote for Thompson! Auto horns and rattles, phalanxes of white-carnationed ushers rushing to clear the aisles for the speakers. The Stars and And lastly, the treat of the evening, Big Bill himself. They stand on chairs, grab his hands, and fight to get near him. And the big boy is swept into office on a tidal wave of half a million votes. For this' is the land of Barnum, William Jennings, Bryan, and Aimee Semple M'Pherson.”