LIVELY SCENES

Hokitika Guardian, 14 April 1932, Page 5

LIVELY SCENES

CHICAGO POLLING

DEMOCRATIC VOTE RISES. fUnited Press Association.—By Eleotri* Telegraph.—Copyright.] CHICAGO, April Ts. The Illinois State Primary elections were* marked by the usual violence in Chicago to-day, where forty thousand police and poll watchers were concentrated to prevent fraud, organised terrorism, or intimidation of voters. One serious shooting, at least one kidnapping, innumerable? brawls and fist' fights resulted, over a hundred known gangsters and hoodlums being arrested.

Although the electorate elected a full list for State and Congressional offices, on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, the principal interest centred in the local offices at Chicago, where factional favouritism resulted in

violence. Incomplete returns indicated as the Republican incumbent John Swanson, the State’s Attorney for Cook County, in which Chicago has re-nominated his opponent at the general elections. The feature of the primaries lias been a greatly increased Democratic . vote. This is regarded na another repudiation of the Hoovey ndmiiptration, The “Wets" have apparently gained in both the Democratic and Republican Parties in Chicago. There was a shooting casualty. A Republican Precinct Captain was caught in a cross-fire of revolver shots j between .a Democratic Precinct Captain and five gangsters who were attacking him. The Republican Captain is not expected to live. Four gangsters, impersonating the police, kidnapped one Republican Precinct Captain, and stole two thousand dollars of election campaign funds. They threw the Captain into a coalyard. Repeated reports of threatened kidnappings and of intimidation of voters I by gangsters brandishing revolvers . kept the police busy. They were also J active in dispersing groups of “float- i ers” from various polling places.