National Republican., 1883-03-08
The chiengo Republicans.

The Chicago Republicans.
Mr.. Emory A. storrs wants to be tho next
mayor Of Chicago, and to that end is making
| n temporance.and-rolig campaign For a
/ city so large, so rich SO busy, and in every way
so important, Chicago has of late been most
miserably misgoverned. Her people would
seem to have been so intent upon their
| private affairs and so unmindful of their
! public interests that the ignorant, idle, and
vicious in their midst were enabled to seize
control and retain it, undor las usual with
those classes) democratic administration,
headed by Carter Harrison, who may be de-
scribed as q genial domagogue. Harrison is
now nearing the close of his second term.
Under his misrule the city has been permitted
to fall into state of founess so vile that
nothing but its open situation and the pure
air Of the lake and prairies playing across
it has saved it from pestilence. Life,
limb and property have been Tor two or three
years at the mercy of lawless men who have
been attracted there by the complaisant in
difference Of the authorities TO all offenders
who chose to gather under the shelter Of the
mayors friend and backer Mike Mcdonald,
king of the nght-ganCs and boss of the
gamblers. So utterly wretched has been the
condition ofthings that last fall the respectable
part of the population, who are large ma
iority, revolted, and beat the mayors demo-
cratic ticket for county officers. Chicago is
lcgitimately republican by about ten thou
sand majority; but this majority has sew
eral times been wiped out and occasionally
reversed, under an unreasonable and cx-
treme presentation of just such an issue
as that which Mr.. storrs is endeavor-
ing to bring forward That the liquor
traffic there should be carefully regulated
and its indiscriminate license restrained is
only too apparent TO anyone at all acquainted
with the circumstances. The saloons are too
numerous and too largely disrcputable, and
their influence has been too potent in the
reign of disorder aud filth. 1t is also true
that opon and fragrant desecration Of the Sab
bath is so much the rule that there
day of disturbance instead--of disturbance
SO general that the better sort of people, who
wish to keep up the observances proper toSun-
day, cannot do so without degree of annoy
anco which if it were inflicted by them upon
the other classes would be violently resented
rs in the nature of persecution. The people
who compress Il week of huuah into the Sab
bath-who parade with military music,
go picnickiug in monster professions, swarm
to " sacred concerts where liquors are sold,
fill the thcaters at night (all the Chicago
thcatcrs are open Sunday nights or simply
devote themselves to getting drunk, fighting,
and sticking knives into each othcr--aro
very tender of their privilege to do these
things, and yet have overdone them
to an extent that has made regulation
necessary. But to be effective and not defeat
itself, tho attempt at regulation must be more
reasonable than any of its kind that has been
made before, and it is to be hoped Mr., StOrrs
and his friends will show an appreciation Of
that fact. Good government, which is
only possible under the republican
party in any part of this country, is
TOO urgently needed in Chicago to be
shut out by extromism, even in virtue.
Chicago and Cook county arc of too much
Importance to the national party to be need
lcs5ly endangered by even n good intention,
lift be mistaken. Ifa fight is to be had upon
the questions attacked by Mr.. storrs, il tshould
be a vigorous but rational fight, and not
such a ianatical crusade as that of 1873, when
the moderate were by very fear of intolerant
government driven over to the support of the
democratic or "bummcr" ticket headed by
Colvin, who was elected and whose admins
tration was the most corruptand disreputablc
that ever blighted any city west of New York.