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
Much pleased with the sound of their own voices, these gentlemen now
concluded to hold a public street parade, with red banners and the
usual Bolshevist appurtenances. They went to Acting Chief of Police
Alcock, and asked for a permit to parade in the streets. They said they
wanted to carry the red flag, and they asked police protection. Note
the reply the Chief of Police made to them:
My friends, I won’t give you police protection at all, nor try to
do so. Do you know what you are up against? There are 12,000 A. P.
L. men in this village who are opposed to this sort of thing, and
my men don’t want to get in wrong with any 12,000 A. P. L. men. We
work with those people and not against them. They work with us and
not against us. Believe me, the best thing you folks can do is to
cut out the parade.
The representatives of the proposed parade could not get back to their
headquarters fast enough. They cut out the parade.
As late as November 21, Chicago was still running enemy alien specials
for Fort Oglethorpe. This consignment included a cook, also a Highland
Park riding master who had been over-curious in regard to matters
adjacent to Fort Sheridan. Twenty others were to be picked up later
down the line—all after the Armistice had been signed.
On November 23, Fred I——, said to resemble the Crown Prince very much
in his personal appearance, was fined five thousand dollars, whether
for seditious utterances or for his resemblance to the Crown Prince
does not appear, and is immaterial. Either would be enough.
On November 26, nine men were given free transportation from Chicago to
Fort Leavenworth. One of these was a Dunkard preacher who got ten years
for saying, “I’d kill a man rather than buy a Liberty bond.” He will
have time to think that proposition over.
These straws will show well which way the wind blew in Chicago for the
last year or so. Much to the disappointment of the Kaiser and one or
two mayors, Chicago seems to be but very imperfectly Germanized after
all. As for setting down the full tale of the A. P. L. activities in
this city, it would be a thing impossible of accomplishment. The world
knows how Chicago does the things she considers proper to have done.
The American Protective League in Chicago worked in the well-known and
well-accredited Chicago way. To thank the men who did this work, or
even to mention their names, would cheapen them and their work. They
did not ask thanks. They were Americans and were citizens.
FOOTNOTES:
[3] A direct result of the sugar investigations was the saving of
millions of pounds of sugar, and the donation to the American Red Cross
of thousands of dollars by violators.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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