Daily globe., 1879-04-08
CARTER,s OPPORTUNITY.

CAHIEhS OPPORTUNlTY.
Carter 81. Harrison has been elected may
or of Chicago by very handsome majority,
and will assume the reins of government
within a very few days. While he repre-
sented a portion of the city in Congress he
afforded the country some amusement by
declaiming eloquently in defense of that
much neglected bird, the American eagle,
while his panegyric dedicated to the marine
band will live long in history. Mr.. Harri
sons eagle will probably survive him, and
after he has gone where he shall not have to
bear 'the whips and scorns of time," his
name will be remembered as that of one who
dared to declare that a nation that had
adopted the eagle upon its coat of arms
ought to be-, as its emblem is, free to soar
into the vast empyrean at will.
No matter how much fun may be poked at
Carter Harrison-and the GLOBE confesses to
have ridiculed his erratic fancies somewhat
he is man of tact and brains. We
are inclined to the belief that as the chief
executive officer of the chief commercial
city of the West he will achieve more dis.
tinction than he did as member of the pop
ular branch of Congress. He is man of
business sagacity, though his capacity as a
politician is a matter upon which we would
hesitate to express an opinion. He is largely
Interested in Chicago in a pecuniary sense,
and will therefore be Influenced in his Of
ficial conduct as mayor by personal and
pecuniary as well as by political interests.
While he is not omnipotent, and cannot gov
ern the olty according to his own sweet will,
he possesses an unquestioned power over city
legislation and city expenditures that may be
exercised in such manner as to make him
one of the foremost characters in the
country.
It is we'll known that for nearly three years
the city of Chicago has been in financial
straits. The defalcatiens that occurred un-
der the Medlll administration left the city
| almost bankrupt. Colvin tried to redeem its
| credit, bat his only expedient was in the is
| sue of city certificates to bridge over the
emergency which was forced upon him
Heath has honestly striven to bring order
| out of the chaos that has for so long reigned
but he did not possess the boldness and bust
ness sagacity of Colvin, and as conse
ure. For two years the employees of tht
city have not been paid when their salaries
became due, while the certificates of deb
have been hawked about the streets and sole
at ruinous discount. The utmost efforts
of Mayor Heath have been required
to prevent the obligations of the city from
going to protest. He has succeeded in pre-
venting this, but has accomplis he'd nothing
more.
Here, then, is Carter's opportunity, which
he ought to be only too ready to embrace
He can do what his predecessors have neg
lected to do. mako an earnest effort to place
the credit of the city on a substantial
basis. The first thing that h
ought to do is to insist that tn
common council provide means to retire al
outstanding certificates of indebtedness
scrip, ETC., issued to employees of the city
Then, by rigid economy and by a policy tha
shall ultimate in the collection of the take
levied, he can find means by which the obi
cations of the city can be promptly met
He may have to insist that the wealthy tax
fighters settle their long-due obligations
the corporation, and perhaps to pay some Q
his own back taxes. By setting the example
at any rate, he may be able to exercise de
cidedly good influence. We would sugges
it to him as an experiment.. By reformin
the financial management of the city {
which he has just been chosen chief magis
trate, Carter Harrison can not only achiev
local but national distinction. Every par
of the country, more especially the North
west, is interested in the good governmen
of Chicago, and whoever succeeds in pullin
her out of the miro into which she ha
fallen will be reokonsd public benefacto
and we are not sure, Carter, but the Demo
cratic party is looking out for public benz
factor as its candidate for President in 1894