davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
, 1877-11-04

It is appointed unto all men once to die,
and the property which each leaves behind
him must be administered upon by the Pro-
bate Court The people Of this great county
have been very fortunate for many years in
having competent, well-qualified, honest,
and honorable Judges for that Court Judge
WALLACE, Democrat, declined to be candi-
date, although he could have been easily re-
elected The Republicans nominated the
Hon. J. G. KS1cEERBocKEn, one Of tbs best
qualified and most experienced lawyers at
the Chicago Bar, as Judge WA11AoEs success
sor, and the Democratic Convention, by
some strange oversight or singular blunder,
nominated J. CHARLES HANEs, q Justice
of the Peace,-n man utterly unqualified for
the Office, who knows nothing at oil
about Probate business or the laws touching
the settlement of dead mems estates, and
the caring for the interests of their widows
and orphans. The Democratic Convention
had no moral right to nominate m unfit
person for that office, and the only way now
left to correct the error or blunder is to
vote for KS1cKEEBocKEn for Probate Judge,
leaving "CHAw1Es" severely alone, to run
his Justice of the Peace shop. He don't
know any too much law for proper dis
charge of its duties.
, 1877-11-04
L1EB's strongest hold is the "perfection t.

L1Ens strongest hold is the 'sperfection to
which he hns brought the administration Of
his Office" One of his functions is to make
up the record in tax cases, and upon the
manner in which it is done may be quoted
portion of the decision of Supreme-J Judge
WALKER in the suit of THATCHER us. The
People, reported in the 10th Illinois Re-
ports, page Cos:
We find in this and other Tux cases the records
most bungliugly made. They are out OF all
shape for filing, and extremely inconyeuient to
handle refer 10, and greatly larger than fail
ncss to the l1tigants warrants. It is q matter of
surprise that any Clerk should be willing to permit
such rnshapely things to 60 from his Office. In
giving the list OF lands against which the taxes
being contested are levied, it il wholly unueces-
sary to give any other tracts not involved in the
appeal or writ Of error. II Is manifest wrong to
3tiganrs incumbcr the record with long Isis Of
lands not in dispute and having connection
with the matter in litigation. 1t nnjustIy
increases the costs, unnecessarily incumbe1s the
record, and is wholly useless. II attorneys bring
ing such to this Court fail to nave this wrong
corrected, we shall be under the necessity Of tax
ing the thus ueeessly made to their clients.
It would require the exercise Of bnt slight skill
and but little effort t present such records in the
usual form, and to avoid the sloveny appearance.
and render the records easy to be handled und con-
yenient to be fled.
4 more scathing rebuke can scarcely be
imagined, and attorneys and iigants, with
the threatened taxation Of costs staring them
in the face, will not take the chance Of per-
, 1877-11-04

4 singular suit was commenced yesterday
against LrEn. The complaint alleges that
the Ninth Ward delegation to the Working
mems Convention sold out to the Swiss
for $35 per head and trousers, casting nine
solid votes for him. Characteristically, he
refused to pay the bill, and an notion taken
against him for the money will be tried
before Justice FooTE tomorrow. OF course
the plaintiffs will fail, for there is no law
recognizing the sale of human flesh even for
political purposes, and the contract is nudum
7,actum, but the transaction shows up LnB
in his true colors, both as to his means Of
securing votes and his integrity in keeping
his promises to pay.
, 1877-11-04

Vote for the S531, 600 StateHou appropria-
ton, and against the $500, COO county bonds, next
Tuesday.-Erening journal.
The safer course is to vote against both.
There is no particular hurry or necessity for
finishing tie ornamental and fresco work
on the State-House- It can be postponed
until JAKE BUSs's Board of Extrayn-
gance and 3Iismanagement, who have al-
ready squandered n million of dollars on
the work, shnll tender their designations,
and step down and out. The Legislature
last winter would have abolished the office to
get rid of those barnncles, had it not been
that their whitewashers on the floor prom
ised the gang would resign on or before the
1st of July, 1877, which they have not done.
They are holding on for the purpose of
handling the little half million extra The
best thing the people can do is to vote
against the ta1, and keep the cash in their
own pockets until that squandering Board
are forced to resign and get out Of tbs way.
They will sare money By so doing.
, 1877-11-04

B1r. BucKSEn, OF the House, is holding
his COMMITTEES on Banking and Currency up
to the Light, and wondering what it was
begun for. Yesterday he reported Silver
bill for publication, expecting its recommit-
tai to his Committee, when, to his
disgust, On motion of AIr. A. Il.
STEPHENS, the bill was referred to the Com
mittee on Coinage, Weights, md Measures.
This precedent reduces the functions Of the
Banking and Currency Committee to the
clerical work Of preparing measures for the
contemplation Of the Coinage Committee,
work which, from its efforts SO far, it is
manifesny better prepared for than the con.
sideration Of any important bill likely to be.
come law.
, 1877-11-04

costs. To take man from such surrouno-
ings, without previous preparation lot an5,
thing better, and intr1st him with the MAJ
administration Of all the estates IN Cook
County that come into court, constitute hlm
the guardian of orphans, and place Ill" III
charge of the most sacred family interests
will be to run a risk that may result most
disastrously to the cause of justice ana tne
peace of mind of the community.
There is no doubt that dreadful biunoer
has been committed in nominating Justice.
of-the-Peace HA1SEs for Probate Judge. For
tunately, it has not yet gone beyond tho
possibility of remedy. The other candl~
date for Probate Judge, Mr.. ]. @. Ks1cKER-
BOOKER, is as ccnspicuously suited 10
the position rs 31r. HA1NEs is unf1t
D1r. KN.cKEnDocKER has had O long
and large law practice, Of which Probate
business has for many ycars been bis spe-
cinlty There is probably no single lawyer
in Cook County who has Ind SO extensive an
experience in this branch of his profession,
which has become the congenial practice OF
AIr. KN1cKERBockEn's life. He is man of
excellent character, great energy, strong
physical constitution, and Of q proper age
and standing. We have no doubt that, II
elected and life be spared to him, he will be
continued in the position for many years
and rs long as lie will consent to hold it; for
1t is the approved practice in ail communi-
ties to make no change in Probate Judges
when they are competent. Judge WALLACE
could probably have retained the posi-
tion without political contest had lie
beon willing to do so, and Alr. KN1cKEn-
BOOKER is perhaps the only lawyer in Cook
County qualified to step into the place and
go on with the business of the Court at once
rs smoothly and satisfactorily rs if Judge
WALLACE still presided over it. The election
of Observation-Disclosures HA1SEs, on the other
hand, would unquestionably occasion serious
delay and crente great confusion for long
time, with the prospect That he would never
acquire the knowledge and fitness necessary
to an equitable, economical, and satisfactory
administration Of estates.
, 1877-11-04

The Hon ToN EWING Is having rather q
hnrd time with the pettifoggers Of the House,
who' harine stuck his bill for the repeal of
the Resumption act into that self-adjustinp
steel-trap known as *sthe morning hour. :"
a-e laying an kinds of parliament
aly stumbling blocks in the way
OF passing the measure. Friends Of
tie bill entertain hope or two that to-
morrow they will develop enough strength to
secure q suspension Of the rules, and start
the measure on its final passage with all sails
set and colors nailed to the mast. DISPATCHES
indicate that these hopes are groundless. and
that the bill is doomed to burial in that nm
fortunate pit known to its friends as literally
the mourning hour"
, 1877-11-04

relieve them, but only give that additional
fund over to plunder.
These are the conditions surrounding the
proposed issue. AS we have said, IN assur.
ance Of Reform government would suggest
the voting of the bonds, because they would
then serve to reduce taxation but the dan
ger that the Democrats may elect part OF
their ticket in the city should caution doubt
full voters to oppose the issue, as it would not
reduce ta1ation under Ring government out
only pile up the material for official robbery.
Under these circumstances, every citizen who
has any reason to suspect that the city Will
not go Republican by d majority large
enough to carry through all Of the comm's-
sioners will find it more prudent to vote
against the bond issue, in order that the
County Board shall be limited at least to the
lawful tex-levy.
, 1877-11-04

It is when the average Grand Juror rises
to the suppression of existing abuses that be
looms up surrounded BY the glories of liter.
ary composition The late body of good
men and true, having finished the con.
temptation of divers larcenies, burg
laries, and other evils that men hy
10 in hours Of passion md unrighteous in
ducement, SCARED to tile consideration Of
hogs as nuisance. ''Having personally in
vestigated complaints against Messrs. HARMS,
BLOOM. and HISS for carrying on a nuisance
in the Town Of Miles," in killing dis
eased hogs and selling them for eating
purposes, the jury "do respectfully RECON-
mend and ask that immediate steps be taken
, 1877-11-04
IMpTTRF. MTT,K

The Medical Inspector of the South Di-
vision has submitted to the Commissioner Of
Healt.4 q report upon the purity Of the milk
supply of this city which should ut once en-
gago the attention of the municipal au:hori-
ties The report, which was printed in our
last issue, sets forth the results of detailed
Investigations of several samples of milk
from several stores, hotels, and other sources
of supply, as compared with pure milk.
"It is shown" says the report, t. that Of all
the product sold as milk, 23 per cent, or
nearly one-fourth, is added water; second,
that the milk has been deprived Of 4G.7 per
cent, or nearly one-llalf Of its cream; third,
that only 20 per cent, or one-fifth, of the
supply is genuine milk" This evidently
refers to the average supply. The Medical
Inspector might hive gone still farther in
his lacteal Investigations, and he would have
found milk SO villainously adulterated-
drawn from COWS that never see an open
field Of grass through the summer-as to be
almost directly poisonous.
The shameful fraud practiced in the milk
supply of Chicago is not new one. 1t has
cOul8 up pe44oultt1A45 AL tAo Aho1 1"cAe]
years, and it has been proved over and over
again that adulterations of all sorts are
openly practiced, and yet nothing is done to
remedy the evil. The practice of supplying
impure milk is otonly a fraud, but n serious
crime It would be Il matter of compara-
lively light consequence if the consumer
were simply swindled By being compellefto
pay for cream he never gets, and to pay the
milk-dealer more for water than he has
to pay to the Board Of Public Works.
There is graver sido to this infamous busl-
ness. The milkman who denis out this
spurious stuff is practically guilty Of infanti-
eide. As the report says, it is only the
physician in daily communion with disease
who can appreciate the fact OF the terrible
rate of death among infants who depend for
their sustenance upon this impoverished aud
adulterated milk. The Medical end Milk
Inspectors have done their duty in calling
the attention of the authorities to these in
famous practices. It now remains for the
authorities not to take this report, senti-
mentalize over it, and tuck it away in a
pigcon-hole, but to follow up these crooked
and swill milkneu, arrest and punish them
with the sevcrest penalties of the law, and
if there are no laws capable of reaching
them, then make some that will. It is time
this infamous business was stopped.
, 1877-11-04
petuation Of this bungling method Of br,;
ness bY voting for L1Ep's reelection

There Is something wrong-rotten ia ~.
word-ln the management Of the County c...s, e
office. L1EB entered upon the Office nros.t!
ing rctrenchmeut and economy. He ran ;. ~
first year for less than $45,0OO, aud ofer.s
make contract with the County Coma;~@
sioncrs to operate It for $45,000 durinp ~
mainder Of his term. But Jous Rousrp,s.s .s
jected, giving some reason therefor, bnt w.
real one was. that it would put stop to m,.tae as
the office an asylum for the Rings hencbnaEs
ballot-box suffers. and deau-beats. Sfnce ~ 49,
L1EB has run the Office to suit the Rings sa ~,
his own interests. Here is what his tonr w.! ~
has cost the taxpayers:
Pay-rolls Of County Clerks Office for
1874, {before the Lteb-Thornton ye-
The same In 1875, under LicD 791N0
The same In 1876, under Lieb. ......,. 3.ss
Tie cost this year. 1S77..-. :. .....,,. 1innMs
Re-clect this man L1EB aud the County (7,.s''
office will cost the taxpayers more than 49,
hundred thousand dollars before the end ~ ~
second term. A change is highly neces,ar7ts
that office.
, 1877-11-04
THE COUNTY ELECTION.

On Tuesday the people Of this city and
county will have the opportunity Of choosing
between an honest md a dishonest County
Government, and every citizen should vote,
feeling that BY his vote he is making that
choice. It is no mere choice between caudi-
dates of one party or the other; it is not
mere choice between men, as to which shall
have the emolumcnts of Office but it is a
choice between continuance Of the con-
fessedly dishonest Government which has
been plundering the public tor several years
and n complete and radical change. In all
matters thus affecting public interests mere
party considerations are of little concern,
because the mass of men of all parties hold
official integrity and IN honest administra-
tion OF government above all other political
questions. Whenever public safety de-
mands a sacrifice Of mere party feelings, the
people of this city have rarely failed to
unite for the common defense. The peril
and the common danger should now unite
the friends Of honesty and fidelity in Office,
and we have no doubt but they will SO unite.
It is hardly necessary to call the attention
of the people Of this city to the condition of
the county finances. Certain specific facts
are not only established, but admitted.
1. The taxation for county purposes is at
the extreme point permitted BY the Consti-
tuition, and yet there is a deficiency Of half a
million dollars between the revenue and
the expenditures; thereis another deficiency
Of several hundred thousand dollars of un-
collected taxes; making total OF over $780,
900 expended beyond the revenue.
9. The County Government ask now a
popular vote to authorize them to issue bonds
to the sum of $780, 1000, nominally to expend
on the Court House, but really to pay the
contractors on that building for work al
ready done, and to pay of the HARMS,
WALKER, and SEXTON claims for extras. Not
one dollar Of the half million, if voted, will
be available for new work, will be used
to pay debts already contracted.
3. The revelations in the various trials and
Grand Jury investigations show that the
Board OF County Commissioners have for
years been IN corrupt alliances with outside
Parties, whereby the County Treasury has
been robbed, aud the poor, the insane, and
the sick have been deprived of the food,
clothing, and medicine paid for by the public
1or their uses. So notorious were these
facts that not one Of the present Commits
sioaers has been nominated for re-elect;on
no party daring to indorse any one Of them.
T. The hold-orers in the Board who are
, 1877-11-04

members of the Ring numbers yen,-onesuotS
of majority of the Board. 10 reform thas
body will require the election Of live Com
missioners who can neither be 6educeo ZOE
coerced into corrupt legislation.
s. The County Board has control OF tne
administration of justice; it selects grano
and petit jurors. It has control OF electlohs,
because it appoints the election judges ana
clerks, and the County Clerk has the eaA-
vassing of the votes. Itcontrols the finances
Of the county, because it levies taxes ana e1-
pends the public money; it tappoints ot1cers'
aud fixes all the salaries it makes contracts
audits the bills, and votes the money.
There are two tickets before the people 1or
Commissioners. One is called Kepuohcan
and the other Democratic. -Four OF these
Commissioners are to be elected by Inc
voters in the city. The candidates arc:
Republican. Democratic.
UuRL1SG. DUSPlIf,
SPOFy0RD, sToEH,
NEYE1. CAseELMAE,
DoEsE. IuHEAAs.
Even if the four Republicans be elected,
there will still be Democratic majority IN
the Board. Without questioning the person.
al character of the four Democrats, We Wish
to point out that, if they be elected, they
will naturally affiliate with their political as
sociatcs; they cannot act rs m lndepentl-
ent party in body where they will be IN
minority and before three months some, If
not all. Of them will he found acting
with their party associates, and with the
III # hall fha
same party. All considerations Of safety de-
n,and that new men, having no party
affiliations with those who compose the
ring, be elected to the Board No greater
check can be put on n majority than that OF
strong minority. Mr.. BunLEG, the we'll
known architect, and Mr.. SPoFFoRD, and their
associates, with the few members of the
present Board who are not involved in these
disreputab1e practices, will not only vote to
protect the public interests, but will have
the ability to expose every scheme and job
which may be devised. We trust that, how
ever men may differ Us to the candidates on
the general ticket, there will be n hearty
union of all taxpayers to elect Mr.. BuRLEe
aud his associates, not because they are
Republicans, but because their election will
furnish the best guarantee that the present
corrupt organization will be broken up and
a new order of affairs established
For three years there has been an almost
perpetual scandal growing out of the dis
honest proceedings of tho County Board.
Lawsuits, injunctions, indictments, trials;
bribery, fraud contracts and extras; enor-
nous salaries, doubling and trebling the
number of officers; excessive taxation and de-
iciencies in the revenue; large floating
debt, aud public credit reduced to the lowest
point. 4 necessity for reform must be evil
dent to every citizen, and there can bo no
such reform without the introduction of q
new class of men into the membership of
the Board.
This necessity for change Of men exists
equally in the case of the County Clerk.
That Office is the fortress Of the corruption
lists. There sits the boss of the situation,
with his 2o5 clerks and deputies, paid from
the County Treasury. To re-elect L1EB is to
give the whole Ring new lease of official
life.
, 1877-11-04

Frisco is threatened with revolution
which, unless promptly suppressed, bids
fair to involve the services of vigilance
committee. 4 mob of se1f-styled Nwork-
ingmen haye organized, aud, through meet
ings in the public places of the city, have
Illuminated CORY prophecies of the fate, not
only of the Chinese element, but OF a
number Of prominent citizens who are
supposed to entertain feelings Of enmity to-
wards the workingmen." The aid of the
authorities has been invoked, and the effete
press of the city is clamoring for the inter-
position Of the laws strong arm. What the
elimination will be is not indicated, but the
city officers appear to be paralyzed, and it IS
not impossible that the citizens will have to
tako hand in the business.
, 1877-11-04
THE PROPOSED ISSUE OF BoNDs.

The citizens of Cook County will be called
upon to vote next Tuesday either for or
against the issue of $780, 900 of county
bonds, to be devoted to the construction Of
the Courthouse. If it were certain that all
five of the Republican Reform candidates
for the County Bonrd will be elected (wherc-
by the Ring would be broken) it would be
advisable to vote for the issue, as an honest
Board would reduce the ta1-levy for 1877 in
that proportion, and expend the amount
realized from the bonds economically and
fairly. Unfortunately, such result cannot
confidently be predicted The Republicans
may elect the general county ticket by a
majority Of several thousand. and
vet lose four Of the Commission
ers by failing to secure majority
in the eighteen wards of the city, the vote Of
which determines the election Of four of the
five Commissioners. IF the Democrats have
a majority in the aggregate vote of the city
of only Il dozen, their four city candidates
for the County Board would be elected, and
there is now no doubt that such result
would give the County Ring new lease of
life, rs it only requires one new member to
maintain its majority in the Board. Every
taxpayer who is convinced that the Repub-
licans will carry the city us well as the coun-
ty will be justified in voting for the issue,
but every one who entertains the slightest
doubt about this should vote against 1t, for,
in the event Of the city being carried by
LEES bummers, there is no reasonable q1es-
tion but the $500, 900 will be squandered and
stolen.
No special injury, Inconvenience. or delay
in the building Of the Courthouse will be
occasioncd by refusing to sanction the issue
of bonds for that purpose, The county tax
levy for 1876 was 81, ,6o1, GOO, and out of this
there was an appropriation Of $4o5,ooo Oh
account of the Courthouse construction,
which has not yet bsen entirely exhausted.
On this years valuation, the - cents limita-
ton Of tax, along with the extra tax that
may be levied for payment OF interest on
old debt, will yield levy of $500, 900;
maintained nt the same enormous rate as
during the last two years, would
afford from 100000 to $3.50, 600 for
the Courthouse. In addition to this
amount, there will be large contribu-
ton from back taxes, which will begin to
come in next summer. It is expected that
oil the back taxes that are collectable at eli
will be placed in process of collection next
summer, and be paid into the Treasury within
the year. If all five Of the Republican
Reform Commissioners be elected, they will
proceed at once to notable reduction Of
current expenses in the County Clerks Office
and the various departments, and it will
probably be possible for them to set aside
$500.0o0 for the Courthouse construction
and still keep down the tax-levy below the
constitutional limit. But if the Ring be
granted an extension of power, either by the
election Of the four Democratic candidates in
the city or Ton HOGAN from the country, the
taxpayers may expect that the full amount of
taxes allowed by law will be exacted from
them, and q vote Of the S500,o00 would not