The Bismarck tribune., 1928-09-12
BY JAMES P. KIRBY

bI JAMEO r. n IND
St. Louis, Sept. 12.-Racketeers
from Chicago have invaded this city
and established affiliations with To-
cal gangsters and gunmen. This
is evidenced by the 43 bombings in
St. Louis city and county within the
last Is months, involving dry clean
ing and other industries.
1t is further evidenced by the dec
laration recently at meeting called
to "organize" that industry, at which
it was pointed out by a speaker that
Chicago methods were eminently sue
cessful.
Chicago Talent"
It is further evidenced by the fact
that the confession made recently by
a prominent st. Louis gangster flat
ly stated that Chicago talent had
been at work in the city, and had
been affiliated with one of the more
notorious gangs.
Thus appears further evidence Of
the enterprise of the Chicago rack
eteer in branching out to other cities
where laxity in the criminal prose-
cutting machinery appears to promise
him foothold.
If evidence were needed of the ex-
tent of the operations of the rack
etcer, it is Forthcoming in the declar-
alton Of Judge Jerry Mulloy Of the
circuit court, whose home has been
under guard for months because of
the virulence Of his denunciations Of
the racketeer.
"At least rs per cent Of the men
carrying badges are gangsters rob-
bing our people under the guise of
law" the judge declared.
Laxity in the law enforcement
machinery has been a commonplace
here, according to native St. Louis
ans. 1t was this same laxity which,
in the recent primary election.
caused the bar association to vote
to / against the present incumbent
in the prosecutors office, but who
nevertheless was renominated.
Stories of the conditions in St.
Louis have occupied the front pages
of the newspapers for weeks. They
include the declaration by a men,
Der Of the board Of police commits
sioners that he was offered $1O0,0
by notorious character to act as
counsel and procure bond for certain
members Of the gang; the statement
by the same gangster that he paid
$15,700 ito get square deal in the
prosecuting attorneys office"
| No action followed the charges,
however. except a grand jury investi-
cation, initiated by the prosecuting
attorney and directed by his princi-
pal assistant. No one was indicted.
st. Louis newspapers, editorially
and in their news columns, described
their city asa Second Chicago"
From Wholesaler Down
The cleaning and dyeing industry
in st. Louis, as in other cities, ap-
pears to provide the principal point
of entrance for what follows in other
industries. With the preliminaries
of the organization under way, in
cluding the wholesaler, the. employ
ers and the small retail shop owners,
the racketeer began his methods Of
extortion, followed by bombs fol-
those who were recalcitrant.
An limitation fee" Of $4,000 and
10 per cent of the annual gross re-
ceipts was the demand made by the
racket upon one wholesaler. He re.
fused and has since suffered bomb.
ings, mysterious fires, burned trucks
and other outrages.
And, although st. Louis business
men have suffered 43 bombings at ar
estimated damage of $4,000, there
have been no convictions. Nor have
the bombings been confined to the
dry cleaning industry alone. They
include shoe stores, drug stores, fruit
and vegetable stores, automobile &C.
cessories and similar small retail
businesses.
It is significant that the principal
person involved in the "organizing'
activities in the dry cleaning line has
been previously arrested 100 times
times. although never convicted o1
crime.
During the hearing of an iniunc.
tion suit brought by one dry clean.
ing firm in federal court to restrain
interference with its business, it de.
veloped that one Of the organizers
who was taken into custody upon his
arrival from Chicago. had in his pos.
session the formula for constructing
bombs.
In St. Louis, as in Chicago. it has
been established that there exist un.
usual and unaccountable relation.
ships between certain employers and
the so-called union, again in contrast
with the divisions in the ordinary Ia.
Dor organization, between capital and
labor.
The Central Trades and Labo,
Union Of St. Louis, through its Of.
ficial publication, St. Louis Labor
has carried numerous declarations
denouncing racketeering methods. Il
AYERS:
1.-THE success and ultimate victory
Of trade union movements depend
upon lawful methods and peaceful
means, based on intelligent action.
1T is rather suspicious that most
Of these dynamite >optrages have beer
conmitted at time when the indus.
trial and business stagnation have
caused rather serious unemployment
and when the so-called open shor
employers and enemies Of the labor
movement have been doing their ut,
most to create IN ahti-labor spiri,
IN the minds 81 the public and there.
Iby discredit and injure tho goos
name Of the trade union movement.
TOMORROW: The Rseketeer Il
Detroit.