Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-05-19


THE six STOCKINGS "A las LES BUM
MERs i-BUsINESs.
CHICAGO, May ., 1876.
To the Editor Of the Free Press and Times
1--WE the people" OF this city have been
recently engaged in the endeayor to solve
some of the problems of municipal govern
ment, and have met with fair success. The
excitement that prevailed here over the
frauds that were committed in the late
town elections, you have Of course heard
all about, for Chicago never lets its light
be hid under a hushe. Ii is more widely
advertised to the world than any other city
of the same population. It has 4 yaulting
ambition to beat the world in everything.
1t boasts of having tne biggest water works.
the biggest hotel, and Of having had the
biggest fire and the most stupid and
obtinate mayor that the world has ever seen.
1t takes a certain pride in the fact that
| Donaldson, after making scores of balloon
ascensions everywhere unharmed. came out
here to be swept off in whirlwind and
| drowned in q most sensl ltiOnal manner. And
now the city trumpets forth, almost with an
air Of triumph, that it has been ruled by a
ring of thieves more desperate than the
Tweed gang OF New York. and that it has
broken that ring. And every one has been
made to know al about it.
But it is not easY for stranger to
comprehend all the complicated ma
chinery Of Chicago politics. For the
city includes within its limits the three
towns of North. South and West Chicago.
and each Of these towns has an independent
township organization, with Its town
officers Of assessor. collector, etc. and its
townmeeting presided over by red-mOuthed
" hummer" called in sarcasm a moderator
You can imagine the absurdIty of holding
town meeting Of several thousand voters
in cellar or hole in the wall. large enough
to hold hundred men, perhaps. by close
| squeezing. These township organizations
will doubtless be abolished next fall. No
one cares to preserve them. but the
half dozen thieves whe make their
-tealings out of the town Offices.
The chief cause OF the popular excitement
that followed the late town elections was
that a hummer " was counted into the
candidate. This fraud was 50 bare
faced that no decent man ofaDy party could
put up with it. Then followed the immense
meeting that crowded the Exposition Build
ing with indignant citizens. The general
cry, that night in response to the question.
Nv hat are you going to do about 1t ~
was, d" Hang 'em, Hang EN-" and that is
lust the way we all felt. Ii only needed a
leader to say the word. and the self-elect-
ed assessor would have been hung to a lamp
post by very genteel crowd Of taxpayers.
wearing tall hats and silk stockings.
Among the speakers at this meeting was
Rev. Robert COllyer. As this popular
preacher stepped upon tae platform, the
crowd shouted a hearty welccme. The oe-
easion, and the personal appearance OF the
speaker (which somewhat resembles that
OF Mr.. Beecher) reminded me OF similar
scene at Cooper Institute. New York, some
wears since, where a great crowd had
assembled to make the first united protest
that was made against the domination of the
Tweed ring. Mr.. Esarts had been hurting
his long and involved sentences into the air
for about an hour, and the audience was be-
coming tired, and so began to shout for
their favorite Beecher Beecher until Mr..
: Eyarts felt constrained to bring his remarks
. to close and make way fOF the people :
: pet. Time brings changes
But after howli7g chang EN-. until We
were hoarse. we haven't bad pluck enough
to hang anybody. but, instead, We have
/. been trying to pry OUT Of his place the
usurping assessor Dy means OF that dubious
power, the law, and We doubt very much
if we sinai be successful.
The frauds in the town elections have
had the effect TO rouse to sense OF their
q duty the ''silk stockings" into which class
| all respectable men are ranked by the
: shirtless and unwashed hummer orders.
Respectability carried the late city elections
: by large majorities. Both Of the leading
parties felt compelled to put honest men
upon their tickets to secure their election.
. For the Office of city treasurer, the Re-
!. publicans. fearing to be too vlrtuous
= all of sudden, nominated good
worker" who had a slight taint OF bum
r merlsm upoa him. But his name was
= 80 generally scratched that he was beaten
i by the Democratic candidate, who was a
}. clean and upright man. although he was a
: copperhead during the war-
i Business in Chicago Il not as lively a.
Y politics, but all tno prime necessities oil
I life. such as bread, meat, plain clothing
e and legal counsel sell readily and at a profit.
9 On the other hand. real estate speculator-
e loan-agents, insurance agents. commission
merchants and all sorts OF gO-betweens and
+ unnecessary people, must 60 and till the
Z. prairies, or starve. There is one class oi
l. business men in Chicago who are entitled
= to great commiseration. They are the men
l. who emptied their purses for the empty
+ glory OF building up the city after the great
{ FIRE. They builded better than they knew
9 for the city. but very much worse than they
. anticipated for themseives. The cost of con-
|. struction after the fire was very high, COM
pared with present prices, and rents are now
70 20 low that they pay but very meagre IN
e terest upon building investments made IN
inflated times. But Chicago Is full OF the
, hopeiulness 0: youth, and Is not afflicted to
:, any great extent with thin-blooded old fel-
IS lows who go about with their pocket;
u stuffed full of money, growing about the
Is hard times. Can you say The Same OF youl
= city? H.