The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-15
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
The Racial Element in the Chicago Mayoralty
Campaign
BY B. SKLAR.

by Il. SkLAR.
THE mayoralty campaign in the city
Of Chicago was a bitterly contested
historic campaign, we
may say.
1t was not the personality Of the
rival candidates that made this cam
paign so outstanding. There is moth
ing outstanding about Mr.. Dever, Mr.
Thompson or Mr.. Robertson. Nor is
there anything unusual in the
charges of corruption flung at each
other by the rival candidates. As
usual each candidate declared him
self true friend of the laboring peo-
pie, made the usual prediction
promise to be forgotten as they
usually are on the day following the
election.
The "leaders" of labor too acted
in the usual manner in the Chicago
campaign. Proclaiming themselves
true to the bequest of Mr.. Gompers
reward your friends. and punish
your enemies" they were hopelessly
divided on the question as to who
was the friend and who the enemy.
WHAT is it then that singles out
" the present campaign from the
previous ones?
1t is the racial issue which was
brought into this campaign with a
vehemence unknown heretofore in the
politics of Chicago. 1t was as tho
the South with all of it's race hatred
and race prejudice invaded our great
city. The white supremacy" was de-
clared to be in danger. Police brutal
ly raided the section of the city in
habited by the Negro citizens making
wholesale arrests in order to create
the impression of their criminal and
dangerous character.
Try To Arouse Race Hatred.
NO. other campaign witnessed such
vicious methods of arousing race
hatred and race prejudice as were
applied in the present one. A sign
was placed in one of the largest pub
lie parks reading:
do you wish the Negro to rule
Chicago?"
Thousands of dodgers were scatter
ed around the city spreading the mes
sage Of race-prejudice and race
hatred.
"Do you want to work for Negro
wages? 2" read one of them. 1t de-
nounced Mr.. Thompson because dur
ing his administration the Negro
population of Chicago increased by
100000, the contention being that this
influx resulted in lowering the wages
of the white workers and deprived
them of their jobs.
Fake Labor Politics.
THE labor bureaucracy had also
4 Joined this Negro batting cam
paign. Mr.. Victor A. Olander, the
secretary of the Illinois Federation
Of Labor, affixed his signature u an
appeal by the "Dever Trade-Union
Committee, reading in part:
During the year 1921 of the
Thompson administration more
than 10000 non-union Negroes
were imported, most of them for
the purpose of breaking the strike
of the Stockyards workers.
Mayor Dever is opposed to the
importation of undesirable labor
for the purpose of breaking down
the working conditions and wages
of Chicago labor"
Mr.. John Fitzpatrick, the president
of the Chicago Federation of Labor
also joined the ranks of the sup
porters of Mr.. Dever, the campaign
of the white supremacy"
AS q climax of the vicious cam
paign came the exposure of plot to
draw conspicuously thousands of Ne
gro voters into the downtown sec
ton of the city for the purpose of
arousing thru this demonstration the
wrath of the whites. Fake invitations
bearing the signature Of VIM. Hale
Thompson were mailed out to 10000
Negro voters, requesting the reci-
pients to come to the Hotel Sherman
and visit with Thompson. Special
badges were enclosed in the en-
velopes to lend weight to the invita-
ton and allay suspicion. The plot
fell thru but it's evil intent persists.
Party Lines Smashed.
IN the bitter struggle which we at
tempted to depict the party lines
were smashed. The "Chicago Tri-
bune", the republican mouthpiece
bitterly attacked Thompson and gave
Rnr..n Rnllinc