The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1919-02-01

Systematically purging the police
department Of Freemasons. In
their arrogant defiance of the
rights and desires Of the public
they have made little effort to con-
ceal their intention to remove ev-
cry patriot in the service occupying
position Of authority.
The move against the Masons
was first noted last summer when
Samuel Allender, Mason and, a
stalwart American, was supplanted
as chief Of detectives by Roman
Catholic John Hannegan. Fol-
lowing that action by the board,
the anti-Mason campaign mani
Tested itself frequently to mem
bers Of the fraternity on the police
force and at times to the public,
and finally eliminated in the arbi-
trary suspension, on last October
1s, Of Chief Of Police William
Young and Captains William G.
Hess and John n. Pickel and Ser
geant Morris Silverman, all Ma
sons. The commissioners declined
to give any reason for their un-
precedented action. The Missouri
statutes forbid the removal Of any
member Of the police force except
for cause and require that formal
charges setting up the cause shall
be formally filed before the sus-
pension of any officer. But the
commissioners declined to be gov
erned by the law Of the state
whose servants they are supposed
to be. They recognize and obey
only the voice of the hierarchy
whose servants they in truth are.
Framed Fraudulent Charges
The only information given out
by the board as to the reason fol-
their action was that the suspend
ed officers wee "under grave
charges by the federal government,
This statement as given to the
press was so framed, purposely, ne
doubt, as to reflect upon the pa.
triotism Of the officers. It wa
hoped, evidently, that a false ap
peal to the high tide Of patriotic
fervor might discredit the board
victims with the public and divert
attention from the real motive
underlying the suspension. Blu
the majority Of the people recog
nized this pusillanimous subter
fhge at once. They firmly believed
that, the purpose of the remova
was sinister and two-fold: First
10 remove the officers as obstacles
to police corruption of the Novem
Der election; and second, to paw,
the way for their final discharg
that their positions might be be
slowed on favored Knights of Co
lumbus. Subsequent events hav
verified this opinion.
Chief Young was immediatel,
: succeeded BY Captain Martin
O'Brien, a Roman Catholic AM
Knight OF Columbusl
For more than two months there
after, information as to the caus
for the suspension Of the officer
was withheld, not only from tn
public, but from the officers them
selves. But on December 30, afte
: giving two days notice, the Iris
board brought their victims to tris
+, before the commissioners them
|, selves, who acted as prosecutors
judges, jury, aAd anon, as prosc
: cutting witnesses.
: The trial, if the proceedings ma
be dignifed with that term, wa
the most nauseating affair to tn
I nostrils Of respectable citizen
: that was ever accorded front pag
4 space in st. Lopis newspapers. N
{ reference was ,aade by the boar
at the trial tcsany Of the "grav
y charges by the federal govern
) ment." The ji6cers were tried o
I charges Of fainue to cooperate, III
S becoming conduct and Failure
s dust the Dayton Street police stt
5 tion," and one ~ two other equal
n grave charges
c To substantiaFe the charges, o
4 the part Of ths board, there az
!. peared, either in person or t
t hearsay testimony, the most noto
: ious harlots and denizens Of IL
t underworld Me city affords. In i
frantic efforts 70 prove somethin
/ derogatory Of he suspended off
y GERS, Rome brought forward IL
0 foulest characters in the red-ligl
e- district. Crvs examination Of II
It boards witnesses revealed the ia
dlthat these criminals were incense