Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-02-09
BY }. Il. WALKER.
President. Illinois State Federation

- A#a8RAH
TIE bin to eerate a state military
police in Illinois. introduced - Dun
lap IN the Senate and Castle in the
House last session of the legislature.
and which has beer introduced IL this
session, provided fer a maximum of
seven companies composed Of sixty
rve men and officers in each COM
pany.--in answer 20 the criticism as
10 the enormous cost Tor such an in
sdtution, which would have 10 be paid
tOrs eat OF the taxes paid By the
people, they said that il would only
need three or four companies 10 do
the work.
There are approximately a hundred
thousand miles Of highways in the
state OF Illinois. outside of the streets
and alleys, Of the villages and cities.
II would be unreasonable to ask these
military policemen 10 work singly, In
graphing with desperate criminals,
which the proponents Of this bill say
rs 10 be their duty-ihe least number
Of men that could be asked 10 work
together. would be two. TIE most
that could be asked Of these men
would be that they would work
twelve hours a day, seven days a
week, four acting as unit in each
patrol two on days and two on
nightsl.
Ii the maximum tseven eompanies)
proposed by this bill were created, il
would total 400 men and officers. IL
IS reasonable to assume that at least
30 of them would be busy on other
duties, as officers, in the military bar
racks, on leave of absence, sickness,
or on account of assignment To other
duties, which would leave 100 men on
active patrol duty--divided in units
of four men, that would make one
hundred units.
In order that that number 600
units) would patrol all of the l00.-
coo miles of highways in Illinois. il
would be necessary for each unit to
patrol one thousand miles, or better
than three times the distance between
Chicago and st. Louis.
1t is so ridiculous, no farmer who
investigates, will take seriously the
statements of the proponents OF this
bill, that it will protect the rural
communities. That sort of a force
would be utterly inadequate worse
than a farce. Unfortunately. great
many do not investigate.
Experience, in the states where this
sort of military force are established,
is, that there is jealousy between
the mand the regular peace officers,
sheriiis, deputies, eonstables, uni
formed and plain clothes policemen
they pass the buck to each other.
The criminals take advantage Of this,
find out where the military police are,
then arrange to commit their crimes
in the absence of those police.
Striking illustrations of this oe-
CURED recently, when bandits robbed
the United States Sub-Treasufy in
Denver, Colorado, in the heart of the
city in broad daylight, Of 5000 in
dollar bills, and got away with il. In
that state, the Military State Police
operate under the name of State
Rangers.
Another instance occurred Deem
Der %, 1922. where Ross Dennis, in
charge of the payroll of the Pitts
burgh Coal Company, was held up by
four bandits, who escaped with
satchel containing about $4,000 In
currency. The holdup occurred in the
hills behind Mount Lebanon, near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the state
in which is supposedly the most per-
feet State Military Police organlza-
ton.
Another occurred January %, 1929
in New York, where two automobile
bandits held up messengers of the
Irving National Bank and robbed
them of $4,000 which was being
transferred from the Pitkin Avenue
Bank in Brooklyn, to branch of the
Irving National Bank of Brooklyn.
Two automobiles were used by the
bandits.
Numerous other instances of this
kind could be cited in other states,
where these State Military Police
operate. 1t seems that there is an
increase in crimes of this character,
where these state military police have
been established.
To eliminate the regular peace
officers entirely and establish a com
plete force of military police suiti-
Gent to cover the entire territory, in
a state such as ours is, with a hun
dred thousand miles of highways,
with additional streets and alleys, In
the cities and villages, it would take
at least ass, 900 of them to do this,
giving each unit of four, one mile Of
roads, streets, alleys, etc, to patrol
day and night.
The farmers of our state would not
be able to raise enough crops to pay
their taxes for that kind of military
police protection, and we would have
the worst and the most extreme form
of militaristic government that there
is in the world.
No such government was ever
, created in the history Of the world,
thar it did not. sooner or later. set
up military dictatorship, and dom
mate every phase of the people s
lives. The only relief that could
be gotten from which condition,
would be by bloody revolution.
In some places these military police
are permitted to make arrests that
I He 4NNH