Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-09-01

-
- RIOT PLOTS THAT FAlLEn

..'-.-..--.--...--..',...--.-..-'.....-..-.-.s =
(By William {. Roberts, Charm u
4. I. OF l.. Legislative Committed
/ Undoubtedly there are certa pef-
sons IN hernn, ILL.,, VINO, n II ave
/ conscience, ought 10 regret In, Yafl
IN bringing ABOUT the not VII cul-
minated IN many deaths. Creating
riots to break strikes rs nothing new.
| especially IN Illinois. The pages Of
I LIMOS history are blackened mere
and there with such crimes.
/ Let ne tell sou Of an effort To
create d rot an Chicago IA 1906.
Happily It tailed.
Inc teamsters we're on STR
many thousands OF them. The q
cag0 Employers Association haa
made up Its mind to freak up the
various teamsters' uniOas. Its first
move Was TO Try TO have the militia
called out. Charles ). Deneen was
then governor. lie refused 10 accede
TO the demands Of the Employers
Association. Therefore it was neces-
sary to create a situation that would
compel him to act.
Representative Of the Employers
Association requested the Governor TO
give them a hearing at $50 o'clock on
a certain day. A special train was
TO leave Chicago at 2 o'clock on which
would be many prominent citizens OF
Chicago who were willing TO act as
a committee to urge the Governor to
order out the militia.
On the morning OF that day the
Bankers Association made an appro-
priation of $4,000 to aid the EN-
ala IN M
the teamstefs' union. OF course, that
was not the reason given. IL was
stated that the money was to be USED
TO aid IN restoring law and order"
The newspapers MADE much of the
action.
Tom Barrett was sheriff. After the
strike began the officials of the
teamstefs union had requested that
he appoint strikers as deputy sherlffs
to prevent violence. He had refused
TO do this, but ON the Gay mentioned
he sent message to the teamsters
headquarters advising the officers to
send all the teamsteTs that could be
notified to the county building and
he would make them deputy sheriits
as had been requested. quite num-
Der went to his Office and waited to
see him. The county building and
the city hall were, in those days "a
now, practically the same building
Along about o'clock some thirty o.
forty wagons loaded with strik
breakers were driven into the streets
surrounding the city hall and county
building and permitted to stand next
to the curbng. Herman Schettler
was then assistant chief of police.
asked him what was going on. He
said
81 have no idea. | ann trying TO
find out myself what those wagons
are doing here. Somebody is look
ing for trouble"
/ went around to the Randolph
street side of the county buildine a#
just as | was passing the entrance i
met the chairman of the State Board
of Arbitration, Mr.. John A. Shadley.
He had been delegated by Governor
Deneen to keep In touch with every
move made in Chicago in order that
he might be in a position to give a
proper answer TO me requests for
militia. The Governor was cold
blooded politician who did not intend
TO permit political enemies or any one
else to injure his political standing
by deceiving him into sending the
militia to Chicago. Shadley told me
what was going on. Just then sew
eral officials of the transfers union
came out of the county building, has
ing left the sheriff's office. One of
them said;
"Sheriff Barrett sent for US to make
US deputy sheriffs. We sat around in
there and waited. We were repeated
ly asked why more teamsters did not
come; that he wanted as many as
possible. He even urged that we tele
phone To the various headquarters
and again ask them to come. 1t
looked suspicious. Then we looked
out of the window and saw as many
wagons loaded with strikebreakers in
front of the county building that we
began to think that there was some
scheme afoot for our undoing.
All this time Barrett was sitting
In his office with telegram already
prepared to send to Governor Deneen
when the psychological moment ar
rived. This would be when it was
hoped the teamsters, angered by the
presence of the strike breakers, would
start riot. Then the sheriff would
send the telegram to the Governor
requesting him to send the militia.
This telegram was to be sent if pos
sible during the time the members of
the Employers Association and their
sympathizers were in Springfield in
conference with the Governor.
The teamsters, however, awoke to
the plot. The union officials left the
county building taking all of their
people with them and then notified
the various headquarters what was
going on. Mr.. Shadley had kept the
Governor informed by long distance
telephone of all that was being done
in Chicago to force him to send the
militia. Deneen then refused the re-
quest after saying some very harsh
things to the conspirators with whom
he was i'm conference.
During the same strike the team
sters had headquarters at West Mao
son street and the bridge. There was
always from one to two hundred
teamsters gathered there in and out
side of the building. | had been in
formed that if wanted a goou tory
| should be at Madison street and
] the river in the afternoon. Just as