, 1875-03-14
Meeting to Protest Against the
Pending Bfl1-
sueeches by Messrs. Campbell, Wood.
ard, and Matteson.
Dbfecdons Raised to the Proposed
Charter.
Opportunities for Fraud.

The Municipal Interpretations bill DOW pending
befors the Legislature. Exactly twenty-tTo
pcrsons, exclusive of tho reporters, were pres
ert After some delay in expectation Of larger
pur1bcr, the meeting was organized by tbe cleo
zion Ct Col. A. n. Ws:erman as Chairman, and
AID. cAa9BELL
nse called upon for an address, He said be Was
oce Of those who had called the meeting
together and that he did not wish to
sh;rk any responsibility connected With it.
Owing to the fact thAt tito meeting
h,d not been advertised to any extent they had
not gotten = great many together, sod thoy
could do htuo more than organize and ao)on1n
to next week, so that the matter could be prop
eriy advertised and ruaes-meeting 30 CALICO 70
discuss, and, it it waa seen proper, to protest.
AGAINST tho passage of Tho bill now being pushed
&: gpripefeld Tor tho reinco1pofsuon OF CAa-
cnso. .-.
In the first place. the hill Was wholly uncon-
etitutsonal. II it should haVe any effect Ut I'll,
It would be to repeal the general Law already on
IL. e+nt,,ta hoot, or it would be nuflty. Ii
the citv should abandon the old form OF
yovernmrut 1t would lesre US In bad
r,,a;tion. 10 eay that two general bills
IN tie esme sabject eould be held to be
constitutional, no good lawyer would concede.
The Constitution prohibited special legislation.
re- few men got up bill particularly applicable
tn ot.r city, and headed it " General Law" and
got it passed. then any other city might take ad-
vantage of the same law, and so the existing
general law on the subject be nullifed. 1t is
ike III If ex-senator Woodland and himself
should want banking bill particularly suited to
their INTEREST,", and should call it r general bill
and lobby it tatouah others could do tue same,
and general laws multiply I'd lninituna- The
nroposel bill contained
Il rrcyi3es for the election OF M&yor, with
Cabinet Of eeveu.-a COMPTROLLER, Commits
e:ooer Of Health q Commissioner Of Public
Vorfs, Commissioner Of the Fire Department,
COMMISSIONER OF the police Depastment It
ersm,ne % lie b;ll you viii See how it has been
maoiuulated. The bond OF tho Commissioner
If PnbIic Works is to be approved md accepted
br tae Msycr. No one eise has anything to do
wth that most responsible oaice. Two Or three
CONTRACT exceeding 5000 is to h les by the
sf.ror and Cabinet whom tue Mayor appoints
md uhoae bouds lie accepts, 80 that the Mayor
rrscyicallv let's all contracts. It might al
ta raw nice with q good Mayor, but good
Isyof would not resort to fraud to perretunte
hjs rover. aad would not serve more than one
tsrna. II bad man should get in. he would
h.re e7ery appliance ready to his hands to per-
uetuata his power, and to rob the citY. A worse
th.n the Tneed ring wouid be built Up. Why is
ertly Wl,T is ttsre such an effort to prevent
tho people from yut;nE on the bill already IN the
sIstate book The TACT WAS that certain gem
tletnen-he didn't waut 10 speak harshly cf the
Cisizens' Association, for be believed it went to
work vit: noble i:teutions-have been caughs
"a m Tho @ toits ~ Of
4 DEsaSEa POLITICIAN
who tlycs and fattcns upon tho epoils Of public
funds, He presented himself to the Executive
Committee Of tue Crizens' Association aa Satan
md ;: "Eehotd in me, all the votes Of Chicago
II you will but worship me you can secnre my
advocacy" They have accepted and are become
hs toola- The pending bill simply goes through
the present charter, striking out a secEon here
snd there, and leaving many Of tho NOS: objee-
tiona5ie features. The bill leaves that man tho
049 printing steal and awindle which he got
through hy special legislation. II 4 G. HeaanH,
taia eviudiez of the public, had Eaid, Let au 90
bY the boasd, the S25, 600 s~indle with the rest,
tense OF honesty. Tho bill vas intended
u haud the city oger to u ring, and no ono can
tell whep it will loose hold OF your pockem aad
nina. Tho preeent Governments may be bad,
bot look veil to it that, when change Is made,
ne sre not handed over to be desPolled ny ring.
M. The next speaker. He desired to GAY some
thing as ~ individual. in relation to tho rro-
posed bill. II they abandoned their old charter,
which Lad aone defects, they should be careful
how they adopted new one, waich mlFnt %
worse- Relative to leading politicians ns gao TO
Ray that certain business p1nc1plas apphed to
them II well as to men who we're engaged u
regular business. There was certain claee o.
men which might be deno1lnated professional
politicians. They we're always 1oox.nE around
xor hills sud charters that would suit their prsase
a0terests- Therefore. when they knew that cae-
tan well-knorn political part,ssne We:e e1erhag
:ths1selses far the ne" bill IN Springfield, every
A1-payer ought to carefully examine every pro
vision Of tue document. and satisfy hlmse,i ~ 70
What it really raesnt- Taxation had greatly n
creased since what waa called the fcoPies
puty cama into power. lie particular
~ alluded 10 tho increase Of salaf1ea among
c9tF officials, something unprecedented III mo
HISTORY Of the city Ihss extravaganza ranged
through everything, from the Comptroller, coi-
hector, City Clerk, aad Police justices, down 70
The officers of the Posice and fire department.:
III. Woodland showed m increase o. ABOUT
5000 on al averase IN the VARIOUS eh'et o'leefs-
As tlso vent to prove that, while appro:t1ar
nous tor sal1ries we're large, the apProtfaataons
for city improvements uere materially aecIeaseo
This showed most -..
UNHEALTHY STATE or THNGs.
In the new bill there was really nothing nut "a
- .N$ ~H%h 6S