, 1870-04-17
SUNDAY, APRIL II. 1870.
WORK FOR THE coMhoH COUNCIL.

SUNDAY, APRIL II, 1870.
WORK FOR THE comhoH COUNCIL.
In November last the people of Ghicage
undertook the work OF municipal reform.
They elected Mayor, city oi1icers gener-
ally, md nearly three-fourths Of the Com
mon Council, all plsdged to reform
Though they succeeded in electing al the
county officers, whose election took place
at that time, they failed to elect msjozlty
Of the Board Of Supervisors Neyerthe-
less, undeter1ed by the presence Of an op-
posing majority, and by the fact that
several Of the most important offices in the
county were held by the survivors Of the
ring, and that. there were half-a-dozaa
corrupt jobs already let and supposed to be
beyond the reach of the body, the minority
undertook the work Of reform, and have
nohly performed their duty. They stzugg-
gled resolutely until they had organized IN
Investigation, and then pushed on until
they laid bnre the corruption, the iacompe-
tency, the frnuds, Pecu1ations, and waste
fulness Of their predecessors, and then pro-
cecded to apply the remedy. They dis
placed their presiding officer, and then e1-
PEELED him; they pointed ont the guilty
Parties who we're bsyoud their jurisdiction,
and, when about to dismiss the last, but not
the least, Of the tribe, they were arrested by
an injunction from the courts. But no IL
junction can deprive the Board Of Super
T1sors Of the credit which they hare earned
9hey have done quite az much as could be
expected of them in the time they have
been IN Office. They have created new
atmosphere IN their OWL organization They
have purified, In q marked deg1ee, the code
OF mosnls which existed there, and they
have made official crime and peculation 80
odious IN that board TINT the practice viii
probably not be Tene*ed Tor some tuna
Ihe common Council elected at the same
sme nave done notnlng particularly wrong,
md nothing particularly good They hnve
aot moved an inch IN the matter OF lnVes-
t'gaton OF 1etorm- 1t Is tine that the ap-
preparations and tax leEles for 1868 we're
made before they entered Office, and that
on these subjects they have not yet had
chance to do anything. The opportunity
for carrying into execution the system of
fixed salaries instead of fees will soon be at
hand, and the Council Will also be required
10 vuts for or against the reduction OF use-
less expenditures. Nothing has been er-
posed respecting the management OF the
Bridewell IN the past. and nothing
has been done with Inference to
Council are thus comraratire1v disenrared.
we suggest that thew INN their attant;oo to
the inresti7oation of tha expenditures of +ba
Roar11 ~ F;7ncaf7on Nth -ofo,sn,a bo+b +,
tbs manner and The obiects Of the e1nenf1i-
tures. II has crent ont. acc;denta1lr. that
when the roof of the Court Honsa fall in
there Eas an Investigation 40 tn tta roofs of
the school buildings, and MANY of them.
especially upon new buildings were fonnd
to be dangerous and ont of ali nroner cond;.
lion. The cisv has rfnco 1sss unant ahont
$500. 600 for school buildings Tn.
1nense sums of money have been raid
for az eusiye haatiuo arrangements for
these buildings. Yet il Vas stated il the
Board of Education. recently. thst one of
the most expensive of the new buildings was
IN such miserable condition that it could
not be kept wnn. And low tha Board OF
Education have voted to build RI Immense
,agoda, costing $3.50, 600, Ton lot which
hey estimate 70 be worth eaoo, 900 moro,
N q locality wholly unsuited for school pur-
poses
There il an election to take place shortly
e. -s,F$ $hn 1S.fF