, 1873-09-08

their fingorB. h now uo,rt-HouBo Ia not built
every year or two. Tho proseit gonorat1on Of
politicians will not DO likely to mcot with nnothor
ouch opportunity for pckings aud stonlings. A
new City 1Iail III New York sustained m exton-
slvo c1an Of political chieftaina for
several yoara. It enabled thom to live
on milk mud honey, and to my up sur
plus for ratny day. It would ho ono of
tloao lost opportunities which human nature
mover censos to rogrot, II tho now Chicago Court
HouBo werc to bo built without tho peculiar
management and manipulattonA which usually
attond groat public enterprises Of this kind. It
Is not improbable tint between 45, 900 aud
eo,ooo,ooo will DO expended during tho nc1t two
yoara. II tho work Of building up tho Court
House Square shall proceed Tho amount Of
monoy that 1t will cost will depend largely on the
snccoas or failure OF tho greedy politicians who
aro looking from all directions at tho block
bounded by Washington and Randolph, Clark
and LaSallo ssroots. For Chicago and Cook
County politicians ut tho present timo
all roads loud to tho nov Court
House. Henoo the premature and pro-
cipitate scramble for tho local Offices. Hence,
tho effort at carly organization to asHnro tho
possession Of tho City and County Government
during tho ora Of rebuilding. Honco, also, the
variety and contrariety Of "interests " that havo
been Developed.
Fortunately tho various gentlomon who ARC 80
ambitious to tako = hand In building tho now
oourt-Houae are likely to defoat themselves,
and for two roasons ~ Because they have not
boon able to ropress their anxiety lost tho pros-
pcctiye apoils shall be snatohed from thom and
[2) becauao tho golden opportunity ia 30 glttor-
ing that they cannot agree among them-
/ solves. The grab ia so enormous that
tho ambitious grabbsrs hayo commenced
too BOOB, and while 1t is not possible for an Of
thom to get thoir bands In, not ono s willing to
| gigo way for tho benoat Of tho others. Tho
| people Of Chicago hare by common conaent de-
termlned to lot tho quadrilatoral fight 60 on,
| with a sorone consciousness that the bummers
| on all sidca will succeed in annihilating eaol
other before the election. Wo do not boliovo
! that any situation could bo moro favorable for
tho choice Of O good city and county govern
ment, ii the people stand quietly off and permit
tho Court-Houao oormorants to range themselves
after their own fashion. II 1t Bnall be-
come necessary, the building Of tho
new Courthouse can be very COM
fortably postponed for year or
two. As the money required muHt be raised by
ta1ation tit cannot be borrowed under the pros
ont law), taxpayers generally, and particularly
those whose rosources have huen largely drained
in tho work Of replacing thoir private property
destroyed by tho Gro, will not objcot to d tompo-
rary relief from tho burden Which q new and
costly Courthouse will impose upon them. A
postponon,ent Of this work will unquostionably
meet with unanimous approval il tho outcome
Of tho local election shall Indicate TINT the job
must fall into tho hands Of tho political bandits,
At all events, tho best course for MI good citi"
zonB to pursue is to permit the bummerH to bum
| to thcir hoart'B contont for tho time being.