Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 195, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1917 — “Big Bill” Breaks Loose Again; Defies Governor. [ARTICLE]

“Big Bill” Breaks Loose Again; Defies Governor.

After being driven from three states, the Peoples’ Council of America for Democracy and the Terms of Peace, perfected a formal organization at a public meeting in Chicago Sunday. The session was held under the protection of the police, acting on orders from Mayor Wm. Hale Thompson, which were in defiance of Governor Frank O. Lowden. Four companies of national guardsmen rushed from the state capital on a special train to prevent the meeting, arrived after it had adjourned, its purpose accomplished. The clash in authority between Mayor Thompson and Governor Lowden came as a result of the action of the police in breaking up the pacifist meeting Sunday on orders from the governor. When the mayor heard of it, he declared" that the governor had exceeded his authority and immediately instructed Chief of Police Schuettler to permit the meeting and to give the delegates protection. Meanwhile Governor Lowden had been notified of the defiance of his order and immediately called Adjutant General Dickson, of Illinois, into conference. It was found that as most of the Hlinois National Guardsmen had been federalized, the governor had no troops at his disposal in the Chicago district. An effort was made to reach Major General Carter, commanding the central division, to obtain his permission to use the federal troops, but he could not be found in time.

As the governor considered immediate action necessary, four companies of the ninth regiment of Illinois guard who had not been federhlized were assembled at Springfield and started for Chicago on a special train, their orders being to break up the meeting on arrival in Chicago, despite the action of the police and Mayor Thompson. The troops are still in Chicago and what action will result from the clash of the two officials is not known.