Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1920-12-31
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
URGE .6LAfk AND TAN"
POLICE FORCE FOR ILLINOIS

campaign % bring about the estai-
Iishment OF an auxiliary police BODY |
in Illinois TO be patterned after the |
Black and Tan" force now being used |
By the British government In Ireland. !
The Illinois Bankers Association Gs
also participating In the movement
II is proposed to secure the enactment
OF law By the coming session OF the
legislature which will provide for the
establishment OF this force under the
name of state police or state con-
stabuiary.. and 10 provide that II may
operate independent OF all local au-
thOrity In any part OF the state. The
movement is actively supported by the
Illinois Manufacturers Association. In
chorus with the Manufacturers Assoc
citation the bankers and the commerce
associations are loudly proclaiming
/ that In seeking the establishment OF a
| Black and Tan state police force in
| Illinois they are concerned only ir
providing better police protection "
rural communities and on the country
| highways. The sudden interest dis
! played by these city organizations of
| big business men I'm the alleged wei
are Of the farmers IL sufficlen, In H.
self 10 cause suspicion. II IL a plan
case of Greeks bearing gifts" The
! Trojan horse in this case IL ve-y
| i've animal. hearing a military police
| Gree over which no local community
| IN have any Jurisdiction and which
| is TO be organized primarily for qu.~
mobilization and transportation In
large numbers into not only industrl
5sn1ers .or overawing and intimidat.
1g working people who may be o.,
strike. but also into the rural cent3rs
for service against the farmers whe
they combine for the purpose OF sc
/ ueing adequate prices for their prod
uets.
/ Tne BLACK and Tan" police, II es-
| tablished, will also be subject TO ust
during political demonstrations In To-
cal communities when those In ton.
troll of state politics so desire.
! The proposal il one OF the most sin
| lister ever brought TO the notice of the
people of the state. A military body
with state authority and without local
responsibility is to be quartered
among the people throughout the
Estate. Local authority is To be subor
dinated to state authority. Mobillza
ton plans are TO be made which will
make possible the setting aside by
force of local authority In any part of
Illinois All this Is to be done under
the guise that the purpose Is to pro.
tect the farmer and the traveller on
The rural highway. The strange thing
about the whole proceeding Is that
some farmers organizations -or more |
properly speaking, organizations In
which farmers hold memberships are |
being misled into belief that the
manufacturers, bankers,, commercial |
organizations and certain politicians |
in the larger cities OF the state are
really aiming To provide better police !
protection in the farming districts.
The Illinois Agricultural AssociR.
ton ia reported to have endorsed tho
scheme. II may be, however. that
this endorsement comes from sore
of the politicians who have succeeded
in securing official position in that
association who are more responsive
10 the bankers and commercial asso.
Citations than they are to the actual |
farmers of the state. Investigation |
will probably show the farmers theni- |
selves have neber been given an op. |
portunity to investigate the scheme. !
II is well known that the agrieultur- |
lists of Illinois have recently been Or
ganizing themselves TO greater ex-
tent than ever before in the history
of the state. They are insisting upon |
the right to have something to say
I'm regard to the price which they shall
receive for the products of their labor. |
In some instances this has resulted in
very definite action. A short time ago
the Milk Producers Association OF
southern Illinois, consisting OF sew
eral thousand farmer members, we're
called upon by some OF the large dis
! tributing concerns of the cities TO ac
/ cept a substantial reduction In the
price of their milk and milk products.
! The farmers. after yainly endeavor.
| ing To secure some reasonable ad
! justment of the controversy. found II
necessary to inaugurate strike dur.
ing which the members of the assoc
alton refused TO furnish milk to the
distributing concerns. A few years
ago the Milk Producers Association
In the northern pari of the state, in
the vicinity of Chicago, inauguratsd
a similar movement and were subject
TO labor injunetions, prosecutions and
police activities similar to those suf-
fered by members of labor organiza.
tons during strikes.
During industrial disturbances In
the cities the regular local police force
is available for service against the
strikers. The only force that can be
fused against the farmers during their
movements, however. is the state mi
litia. which is largely composed of
farmers sons. The city business men
land bankers understand this situation
thoroughly and their purpose In nd
lvocating the establishment of a.
l"Black and Tan" police force In ILL
lnois is to have available a body OF
linen who can be quickly mobiliSed
against the farmers as well as against
lthe people in the cities The whole
Ischeme is based upon fear Of the
people. Who is it that fear the people
Iof our state? Evidently II is the
members of the manufacturers asso
Citations. the chambers of commerce
land the bankers. Why do they fear
THE people OF the state? Why are
they afraid to permit the citizens In
zach local community TO arrange the
necessary police protection which may
Ibe augmented by state militia In
emergencies when local authority and