Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-03-16
LABOR SCORES N
STATE POLICE BILL
PUBLIC HEARING

Springfield. nl.--rhsY brought the
proposal for state police fierce for
Illinois out into the open last week
anu Nnea ats opponents gei through
with 1t. it was = sick looking project,
Ter ne nrsE time these who don't
want 10 see Cossaeks rlding down the
workers 81 this state had an oppor-
tunity to tell what they thought Of
the state police idea before TIC manu-
faetursrs' Representatives and others
Nc ale boosting the BIZ. They spoke
right up in meeting Al tie open hear
M On the bali last Tuesday.
Senator Henry II. Danlap the
sponsor of the bill drew gloomy
picture Of a countryside infested with
bandits. He said that the more high
NAYS TIE state gets the more bandits
there will be, He forgot 10 explain
how Tol miles Of Illinois highway can
DC Kept Tree 81 bandits BY one state
policeman, TX has been carefully
computed By statistieians that this
would be the actual mileage to be
covered ey one trooper IN = day UNI
der the present bill.
Victor olsnder. secretary OF the
State Federation Of Labor, led oft for
the opponents Of the bill. Mr.. 0lan-
der said that state police would be
political bodies like the Royal Irish
Constabulary and that the chief Of
the police would have a Job for life,
He was followed BY John Walker
who read a Telegram from Colorado
repudiating Capt" Charles Dayton
q the Colorado Rangers Who had been
called in TO speak for the bill. The
Colorado Rangers, Incidentally, were
put out of business fer good and all
at the last election when citizens OF
that state decided that the force had
not a single redeeming feature. Taxes
in Colorado were increased over $780,
600 in two years to support the Rang
ers, whose activities were mainly de.
voted to pursuit of so-ealled labor
agitatars.' Dayton. according to the
telegram, was nothing but a special
lobbyist employed to boost state pc.
lice measures in various states.
Mr.. Walker then stated that the
money used for the prosecution in
the Herrin cases was not used TO pun.
ish those guilty of the rioting, but to
shield the real offenders.
Senator Otis Glenn, who has been
aiding the prosecution at Marion,
said:
Against whom do you make that
charge?p
Il am stating my Judgment" said
Mr.. Walker, Il believe the attorney
general made no effort to get the men
primarily responsible"
you are incorrect replied Sen
ator Glenn. You did not want a
single man who did that thing brought
to justice. Some of the leaders were
not union men. One of them ran
disorderly house and sacrificed his
daughters"
Dayton, who said that he was do
ing educational work. in Illinois,
and various bankers and manufac-
turers spoke for the bill but it was
evident at the end of the hearing
that the friends of the bill had been
badly hit by the hearing.
Although Dayton appeared at the
hearing in a uniform decorated with
a captains bars, he admitted that he
had only been a private in the rear
ranks of the oiorado rangers. He
explained his uniform by saying that
he was doing "seeret service work"
for the governor and that he was just
disguised as a captain. He did not
explain to several labor men who
asked him about it after the hearing
how 1t was that he was still in the
rangers uniform when that motor
ious organization had been dissolved
on February LIST last. Dayton did ad.
nit that he was looking for job with
the Illinois state police whenever
they were formed.