BATTLE FOR MAYORALTY

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1927, Page 9

BATTLE FOR MAYORALTY

RIOTS FEARED IN CHICAGO BITTEREST CAMPAIGN KNOWN. REQUEST TO CALL OUT TROOPS. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. New York, April 3. A Chicago message says that, following a primary contest attended by violence, this city, after the most bitterly contested municipal campaign in its history, has appealed to Governor Small, of Illinois, to be prepared to call out the troops on Tuesday, when the Mayoralty election will •be held. Interest centres around the contest between William Thompson (Republican), William Dever (Democratic) and the present Mayor. Charges that 10,000 negroes will be used to foment race riots during the elections have caused officials to take extraordinary precautions. Police rifle squads in automobiles numbering 105 will tour the streets, while other police cars carrying 35 machine-guns will protect the polling places. [An earlier - report on February 22, of the primary elections gave an account of the disorders referred to. It stated: The Chicago elections for Mayoralty candidates were hold amid unprecented rioting. Seven men have been seriously injured, three election officials were kidnapped, and twenty-six men and a quantity of revolvers and machine-guns were captured in a raid on the aldermanic candidates’ headquarters. All the ballots from one precinct were stolen. It is reported that in one ward there were ten fist brawls during the first hour of voting. Police, armed with machine-guns, sixty squads of detectives, thousands of wrtchers and special guards were unable to cope to the situation.

An election official . was shot four times, probably fatally. He was wounded in a row with another official over the performance of his electoral duties.]