The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective LeagueHough, Emerson
History
The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective League
Hough, Emerson
American Protective League; Propaganda, German; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- United States
The magnitude of the shipping and the enormous steel industries,
together with a population of from ten to twenty thousand aliens,
has rightly given this district the reputation of being one of
the most difficult in Chicago. Thousands of these people speak
no English, and are living here under foreign customs. Two local
draft boards are in this district, 19 and 20, and naturally
many cases of draft evasion were found. After the first general
registration, we were called upon to investigate about 1,200 cases
under this head, a large percentage of them being cases of men who
were really willing to comply with the regulations, but who had
been badly advised by their more erudite countrymen. As we always
have a large “floating population,” we naturally experienced much
trouble in tracing this class.
That small things often lead to large affairs, we discovered many
times. One night a Pole came home, went over to the side of the
room, took a large crucifix from the wall, broke it across his
knee, and told his wife who stared at him big-eyed with horror,
that that —— thing was no good any more and that he had no place
for it. The woman, who like most of her nationality, was intensely
religious, was quick to see that her man was not drunk, and was
shrewd enough to determine to find the cause of his action. On
quizzing him, she found he had joined a new Polish Church which
taught many new things, so she asked if she could not go to that
church. He took her there, and she learned of the notorious Pastor
Russell and his teachings, heard the doctrines of non-resistance
preached, and learned of a service to be held to persuade young
men never to fight or shed blood under any circumstances. She
reported what she learned, and made such a positive and specific
affidavit, that we resolved to see how much truth it contained.
So, when we discovered that services were being held in their
church, and that the congregation contained a great many young men
of draft age, evidently Poles, we took a chance and called the
wagon.
We arrested the entire congregation during the services,
confiscated copies of “The Finished Mystery,” a proscribed book,
and practically moved the contents of the church to the police
station. Here we found much seditious literature, and obtained
statements from many of the congregation, which were sufficient
to cause quite a stir. At present, seven of the leaders of this
church from Brooklyn are sojourning at Fort Leavenworth. We feel,
here in southern Chicago, that the breaking of that crucifix led
to a nation-wide investigation of a dangerous propaganda.
This same captain, in closing his report, makes the following
observation:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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