As I understand it, “The Web” will be a history of the League as an organization rather than a work referring to any individuals connected with it, but, nevertheless, I desire to say that in addition to Mr. A. M. Briggs, both Captain Charles Daniel Frey and Mr. Victor Elting, who later became National Directors at Washington, but who were Chief and Assistant Chief respectively of the Chicago Division in its early days, deserve the highest possible praise for the work done by them and the sacrifices they made in putting the League on its feet. Mr. Robert A. Gunn, formerly Assistant Chief, later Chief of the Chicago Division, is also entitled to highest possible praise for his untiring devotion to the service. Mr. John H. Winterbotham, Chairman of the Board of Governors at Chicago, who was one of the first members of the League, and who aided it in its financial development and other work, besides traveling through a number of cities in the middle west, appointing local chiefs of the League, etc., has done as much as any other man to perpetuate and make the League a success. The League will never be able to repay Mr. John F. Gilchrist, its Chief for many months during a very trying period, for his able leadership and devotion to the work. He was ever available, at all hours of the day and night, and with his assistants is entitled to the credit for making the Chicago Division what it is.
Without exaggeration, I think the Chicago Division of the American Protective League did seventy-five percent of the Government investigating work throughout the war. It seems to me that this one sentence covers the situation.
When Captain Charles Daniel Frey was Chief of the Chicago Division, there was never a more active, energetic worker, and while I am not personally familiar with his work at Washington, I feel sure it was in keeping with what I know he did at Chicago.
In addition to working for all Government bureaus, and helping in thousands of investigations, the League conducted a famous so-called “Slacker Drive” in Chicago during the period July 11 to 15, inclusive, 1918, and apprehended, or caused to go to the local boards to straighten out their records, 40,167 delinquents. The total number of deserters and delinquents apprehended during the period of the war, or taken to the local boards and inducted into the service, or permitted to file their questionnaire, or register, totaled approximately 67,000. Not one word of criticism was heard of the Chicago raid. During the four days, approximately 200,000 persons between the ages of 21 and 31 were questioned. Hotels, cafés, saloons, baseball parks, moving-picture theatres, railroad depots, and other places where people are wont to congregate, were visited systematically and simultaneously throughout the district. A few who were unnecessarily detained, or believed they should not have been detained, instead of filing a protest, congratulated the Department and stated that their slight inconvenience was nothing to compare with the duty they owed to the community in aiding the authorities in apprehending those who had not complied with the law. The press, throughout the period of the war, aided the League and the Bureau of Investigation in every possible way.
In addition to the automobile service rendered free of charge to the Government by the American Protective League, there grew out of this idea an organization known as the Emergency Drivers of Chicago, composed exclusively of women who devoted their entire time and machines, without cost to the Government, to driving the agents around this vicinity. They maintained, from the beginning of the war down to the present time, an office in the Rookery Building, and furnished this Bureau with an average of fifteen to twenty automobiles per day. Mrs. Frederick D. Countiss, whose husband, Mr. Frederick D. Countiss, was also active in the American Protective League work, was responsible for this organization, and subsequently Miss Florence Spofford was Chairman of the Chicago Division. The organization was afterward taken over by the American Red Cross, and is now known as the American Red Cross Automobile Drivers, although, because of the manner in which it originated, it has always maintained an independent branch in the Rookery Building, over which Miss Spofford presided and which continued to furnish assistance to this Bureau. Personally, I doubt whether there is a single member of the American Protective League or emergency driver who appreciates just how much this volunteer assistance has meant to the Government during the war.
(Signed) HINTON G. CLABAUGH
Chicago, December 15, 1918.
APPENDIX B
CONFIDENTIAL CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE LEAGUE AS FIRST OUTLINED TO MEMBERS
Executive control of the organization is centered in a Board of National Directors operating from National Headquarters at Washington, D. C., in coöperation with the Department of Justice, and through it with other departments and agencies of the Government; this Board being established to coördinate the activities of the local branches throughout the country.
Divisional headquarters are established in the various States to coördinate the work of local branches operating throughout the divisional territory; to keep in touch with the work of each; to promote their efficiency and to render them practical assistance; and to establish and maintain ready communication with Agents in Charge of the Bureau of Investigation of the United States Department of Justice; and to develop methods of operation.