The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-10-12
CURRENT EVENTS
BY T. J. o'Flaherty.

wife or chunk of real estate, he
takes out his squad and his tiivYer and
whenever he spots a bootlegger or
gangster, he shoves him onto the
curb and concocts a sentence In which
500 bill figures. The gangster usual
ly has one hundred per cent spot in
his jeans and everybody goes his way.
60 there are reasons why the po-
~ lice are averse to seeing the
gangsters slaughter each other. Re-
Gently a peace conference between the
rival gangsters took place. Besides
the plenipotentiaries from both sides
there. we're present a policeman and
big politician. The conference was
no more successful than the last meet
ing Of the league of nations One side
wanted the heads of two members of
the rival gang. This concession was
not granted, so the meeting adjourned.
Wen meet in the morgue," they OBJ
served playfully and departed. Such
Is life in a big and thriving Ameri-
can city. Now, II 1t happened is Mos
COW
THIS fellow Stephenson Of Indiana.
polls who made governors and I'M
made politicians of all kinds who fail
ed to follow his instructins was a
many sided character. He made over
o million dollars in a few years out
of the white shirt business. Nobody
knew very much about his history, ex-
cept that he learned the tar and
feathers trade from Doc" Evans, the
chief kluxer of the southlands. Steph-
enson was one of the lads who was go
ing to preserve the American woman
in all her natal purity. He was also
out to bury John Barleycorn.
| CTEPHENSoN did neither. In fact
~ he did what he could to do the
opposite. 1t can be said to his credit
that he never drank moonshine Moth
ing but the best from Andy Melons
distilleries would satisfy his palate.
He was diplomat. Being the unof-
fetal boss OF Indiana, his house was
the scene OF many meetings, parties
and conferences. When churchmen
visited his home, bibles were placed
where the clerical eye could not fail
to see them. But when more worldly
persons were his guests women, gay
and free, in scanty attire took the
place of the bibles. And the rum
| flowed.
| CTEPHENSoN was very much in
~ the public eye those days. Sud
denly special writer's discovered"
him. He talked OF the nation and his
dreams. A little bit of a Mussolini
was Stephenson. And the Hoosiers
Tapped up his publicity, just as greedi-
lily as Stephenson Tapped up his whis-
key. The HOLSTERS were giving him
their money to protect their women
from shame and their sons from in
toxication. Stephenson debauched
thousands in all-night liquor parties
and wound up his career by raping
girl, who afterwards died from her in
juries.
IDo the saps who were carried away
- by their ex-dragon's imbecilities
still believe in the X. X. X? 1t is too
much to expect that wisdom should
strike them over night. In all prob
ability, another khan organizer could
prove to their satisfaction that their
former dragon was stung by the devil,
the pope or by an agent of the liquor
interests. And they would go as nutty
about the new faker as they did about
the discarded one Barnum knew that
suckers are born every minute, and
he made a fortune. But 1t seems that
there are periods when the suckers
bite more savagely than usual. The
period since Emperor Simmons" sold
his first night shirt until recently was
the greatest open season on suckers