Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-03-10
p0ARD or cENsoRS
CAM0UFLAGING THE SNAKE

GAMOUFLAdlNG The SHAME
The Review is in receipt of a letter
signed Estate Police Auxiliary Com
mittee, f. l.. Mather, general super
intendent," supporting the state con-
stabulary bin and crticising the
statements made by Secretary-Treas-
urer Victor A. 0lander of the Illinois
State Federation of Labor in his re-
cent speech against the bill. II will
be remembered by those who heard
him that Secretary 0lander charged
that the promoters of the bill always
carefully refrained from quoting the
exact language of the measure. The
character Of Mr.. Mather's letter fur
nishes evidence that 0lander's charge
was well founded.
The State Police Auxiliary Com
mittee, through Mr.. Mather, is again
holding before the public eye the
tightly sealed box which Mr.. 0lander
referred TO and which the committee
claims concealed faithful watch dog
but which Olander pointed out holds
venomous political rattle snake.
Olander quoted the language of the
bill and thus exposed the snake. Mat
her now seeks to camouflage the
snake by endeavoring to concentrate
public attention upon the number of
miles which it is claimed the members
of the Pennsylvania Constabuiary
travelled during the year. The Penn
sylvania constabulary undoubtedly
walked or rode many miles in their
work of terrorizing the inhabitants of
the steel manufacturing towns and
coal mining communities. They also
did a lot of parading around their
barracks. In some instances the en-
tire force was concentrated for
months in coal mining or steel COM
munity during strikes. In other
times they were marching in military
array at the state capital. All of
this counts in the number of miles
travelled.
Secretary Olander pointed out that
the reports of the Pennsylvania State
Police show clearly that little or no
attention is given to actual rural pa
trolling and that the primary purpose
OF the state police system in Penn
sylvania as well as state police sys-
TENS in every other parts of the
world, is to keep citizens of all classes
from exercising political rights and
privileges by keeping them in con-
slant fear through the presence of
an irresponsible police organization
which is not subject to the control of
the people. Olander pointed out that
the commanding officer Of the Penn
sylvania constabulary testified be-
fore the United States Industrial
Commission in 1915 that in laying the
plans for the organization of the Penn
sylvania force he had studied the
systems of Monarchia Italy, the
Kaiser's methods as used in Ger
many prior to the war and the Royal
Irish Constabulary and that because
he believed the conditions in Pennsyl-
vania to be approximate to those
which existed in Ireland at the time,
that the Royal Irish Constabulary
scheme was best adapted for use in
his state and that he had proceeded
accordingly Everybody knows that
the Irish Constabulary was a political
police force never intended for ordin-
airy police duties such as the proven
Wi VI CAlule anu apprehension VI
cnmanls That force gave its at
tention to political activities only.
Mather confesses that the Illinois
bill is based on the Pennsylvania
scheme which, in turn, was copied
from the political police methods to
be found in many parts of Europe.
Olander charged that Mather and
his crowd are endeavoring to put over
In free Illinois a highly centralized
police system based, as in the Penn
sylvania system, upon the Monarchist
governments of the old world, includ-
ing not only Italy and pre-war Ger
many as well as Ireland, but also
Czarist Russia and this Illinois pro-
posal, as supported by the Illinois
State Auxiliary Police Committee and
Senator Henry NJ. Dunlap, is even
worse than any system ever proposed
in either Pennsylvania or Europe
since the days of the Roman Empire.
Mather complacently ignores all of
these charges, cunningly hides the
snake from public view, and insists
that he is engaged in the business of
selling watch dogs and not reptiles.
Olander suggested that the State Po-
lice Auxiliary Committee probably