, 1875-03-21
sELE-GoVERNMENT IN CHICAGO

dread of the present Common Council, an6
their newspaper organs, to 60 before the
people with the issue whethe7 Chicago shall
be 60 reorganized Or not Tbs hue and c1y
rnised against the bill have been resorted tc
for the purpose of depri.ing the people OF
the right to determine by ballot under what
form Of City Government they prefer to
live. It is the boliest and most shame
less effort ever nude to nullify the
fundamental principle OF republican
form of government It is IN direct
contrarention Of the provision Of the Consti-
tuition applying to the reorganization Of cities
under general law. It is determination to
deprive self governing people Of the right
of self-gorernment, End forca them to abide
| BY = special charter which hns no advantages
except for clques and rings. It is directly in
tina interest of continued jobbery in the CON-
| mon Council which neither the people nor
! the Courts have been able to check under the
present monstrous and Irresponsible system.
The position of Chicago relative to the bill
now pending is defined by ths following
| clause:
Where tbs legislative authority Of any city, prior to
the pazssss Of this act has appointed tne after
April 1875, xnd prior to the tAkng eject OF ths act
for holding e!a2tion to dsterns the queaton to
whether such city shall becoe organized undar tho
oct Of the General Assembly entitled " An &c. fo= the
Incorporation Of Cites and Villages" and approved
AErn TO- 1572 and when At such election such aues-
don aha hase seen determined z3ainst such organi-
xat3on there shall bs held IN such city the 1oh Of
August L. b. 1875, election 1t which shall be sub
itted to the voters Of said city the question ahcther
such city shall reo1ganizs undsr tl,s act and that
without any fs4rthsr petition from ths sotera.
The Common Council Of Chicago having,
at the petition OF the requisite number Of
voters, fixed day next April when vota
shall be taken On the question Of reorganizn-
ton under the net Of 1872, the passage Of tho
present law viii enable the people Of Chicago
to dster7niae one OF TIRES things, .s follows:
l. It may be voted not to reorganize under
the law of 1872, in which case there viii neo-
essarily bs another vote IN August to deter
mine whether there shall be reorganization
under the net Of 1876 (tho present billy, when
the people may again determine whether they
viii retain the present charter or adopt the
Reform charter. In case the present act fails
to become a law, the people Of Chicago will
be limited 70 choice between the existing
charter end general lay which affords no
moro protection in the case OF Chicago than
the present charter.
2. It may b. voted in April to reorganize
under the General Law OF 1872, in which
case Chicago would be in the same position
as other and smaller cities Of the State which
have already voted to reorgaaize under this
law. The new cIa.ter would be that dafned
IN the law Of 1872, in addition to all the laws
and ordinances and such provisions Of the
eral Law.
3. But i The people of Chicago vote to re-
organize under the General Law Of 1872,
they will still have the same privilege of
adopting the provisions Of the law Of 1876 as
TINT possessed by other cities in Illinois which
have already organized under the law of
1872. It will then be necessary, however,
for one-eighth Of the legal voters in
the city to petition the Mayor, in the
manner prescribed by law, to submit the
question In case Of organization first under
the INV Of 1872, and subsequently under tbs
law Of 1875, MI the provisions Of the General
Law of 1872 will be retained which arc not re-
pealed BY the hitter law, as provided in the
clause that any city reorgani1ing under this
set "shan not, BY such reorganization, be
deprived of any Of its former corporate
powers, functions, or rights 7aor shau any
provisions Of its c:lzrter 6< als1s5y repealed or
c1ongef, excepting SO far as the sama ucy be
modified by or are inconsistent with the pro-
visions OF this act"
Tins it will be seen that every step in the
progress toward J reformed City Government
depends upon vote of tho people. The
effort to defeat the bill Is, therefore, plainly
IN effort to deprive the pcoplo of Chicago of
the privilege Of determining their own form
Of City Government, # there were gsneral
satisfaction with tho present charter; if it
were admitted on all sides that our present
system is the bes: adapted to the needs and
protection OF the people if our municipality
rested upon tia development and improve
ment OF ages, then it would be entirely prop
er and oommendnble to oppose any project
FOR change as unnecessary and dangerous.
BUTT is matter of common noto7ioty that the
very opposts Of This condition exists. Our
present system is Al ,ueongraous and distort-
Cd growth Of term Of years, during which
special legislation enabled political cliqucs
and corrupt rings to fasten their appliances
upon the City Government. Chicago is not
singular in this respect. Municipal reform is
one Of the greatest political problems of tho
day. Is old q city IS Boston is engaged in
serious aud laborious effort to solve this
problem. Nearly every large city in the
Union which is not actually striving after
new system is waiting aa1ioasly for model.
There arc few citics in the country, however,
which are loaded down With snch a juuab1e
Of inconSruities and political devices as are :
contained in tbs charter under which Chi
eago is governed It the present time.
With this condition Of things in Chicago
and throughout the cou2try, the Citizens
Association undertook tbs work o9 releasing
Chicago fros, the prevailing cmberrzssments;
md, with the help and advico OF soma Of the
best minds in the city, and actuated by tho