Lee County, Illinois - Chapter 19, 1920

As the various measures for fiiiancinK the war wci-o promoted, such as Liberty Bond sales, Red Cross, Y. M. C". A., Knights of ( 'oluinlius. and other war fund drives, the determination to get as wide a iHstrihution as ixissililc Ix'caiiic a part of the policy of those carrying on tliis woi'l^. and was a pdint conslanll^- urged hy th(> riovernnK'nt .

This was l.ascd on flic line principle that this was a just war in which cvi'iy individual within the conHncs of the United States should l.e interested, and should show an indeavors.

It also l)ccaiiie appaivnt after the experience in floating the first and second loan, that there was not as wide a distril)Ution as there should he. The attitude licing that bonds were for people having ready money, people of means rather than tlie a\-erage individual. In most instances, this was through lack of knowledge of bonds, and because of the fact that the ordinary investments of the average individual had not heretofore had within its scope the buying of bonds.

It developed however, that there were a certain runnber of people who were amply able to do so, who did not iiei'form their part in these activities. Naturally, those who were consistently lioiiig their (hity felt that all sliould do likewise.

Within a i-easonable time after the date set for voluntary- suliscription in these various campaigns, the township clKiii-nian of each town within the c(]unty transmitted to this committee the names of those who had failed to subsciibe together with the amount of their ([Uota. and the coniiiiit tec mailed to these individuals a notice stating a time and a place at which tlu'v unght subscribe, and also stating that in the event they considered their quota excessive, the committee would hear siu'li argunieiUs as they might produce to prove this to be the fact. In most instances these ])co|)le appeared and paid the full amount of their quota, as in most cases it was (>vident that there was good and sufficient reasons why they could not attend to this on the day set apart for that purpose. In some instances, it was agreed that the (juota was too high, and these ciuotas were reduced.

A second lettei- was then sent out to those who still failed to respond and another opportunity given them to do so. This brought in considerable number of those still in arrears, lnU whom tlirough carelessness or otherwise had failed to perform their share.

Later, a final and more drastic letter was sent calling in those who up to this time had not peiioinicd their duly. This means resulted in narrowing the matter down to a few inchviduals, ami in some instances resulted in the receipt of letters by the committee from some of these people in which they asserted what they seemed to feel were their rights and in efTect stated that it was no part of their obligation to support these

As a result i)f this jinicess of eliniiuaticm, there were hut h'w individuals who failed to respond. I'or iustauee, in the last Allied War Fund .Irive, the names of nine hundre.l throughout the county who had failed to suliscaihe on the day set apart for that imrposr, were given to the eoininittee. When the eoiiiiiiittee had eompleted its work, hut ahout sixty remained.

After the day set apart for suhscription to the iMmrth I.iherty Loan the names of four hundred non-subscribers throughout the eount\- wiae turned in to thf committee, and through tire process previously stated, this was i-educed to a point where there were hut

I'Avry individual in Lee Cmnty who peltormed their share in these matters expected every otlna- in.Hvidual to do so likewise. Each also h'lt that they lia.l a ri-lit to know be made known, and the committee decided that the hest wa\- of making this known w-as through the nii'dium of a bulletin board, hence such a hoard was erected and located in a prominent place in the County Court House sciuare. This was used in the Fourth Liberty Loan and on it was written the names of the individuals who failed to siihscrilie to the Fourth I.iherty Loan, after having been given every opport imit>' to do so.and afteitheir cases had been carefully revi.'wed and the comiiiiltee had come to the conclusion that they were amply able to do so. and that it was simply a (lUestion of iiiiwillinij;ness on their part to perform a just obligation.

The committee on delinquents endeavored at all times to show no iiijusti<-e to anyone, and a careful review of their work shows that this attitude was mamta,ined thioughout the entire course of their work. The bulletin board was not used so as in an>- manner to force, intimidate, or scare people into taking a part in these activities, as it was not introduced until after the day set apart for voluntarv subsci-iption to the 1th Libertv Loan.

The people of Lee County may well be pi-oud of the spii'it of patriotism that manifested itself in concrete hnin through inactically universal subscription to all war activities, in fact we doubt if there is a coimt.v in the State of Illinois which is ,«, nearly 1(10' (, perfect in this respect.