St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-16
The Axiom That Every dan Has His
Price illustrated ty the Careers Of
Chicago Aldermen.
How Big Steals Are Engineered Through
That Corrupt Body by the Liberal
Use Of Money.
The scheme OF the Illinois Central to
Get Control OF the Entire
Lake Front
An Illicit Method of Securing Votes
--Congressman Frank Law
ler's Career.
Correspondence of the Globe.

CHICAGO, Au. I4.-There's an old say
ing, more foTcible than elegant. and made
up of more truth than poetry. that every
man has his price. How far back into The
musty ages one must go 10 find the origin of
this prOverb need not here be discussed.
But that ii has become an axiom. q liked
fact in Chicago. there can be no doubt.
Without making any invidiOUS COMPARE
sons, or calling names. IL may safely be
stated that a more corrupt body than the
Chicago city council does not exist Pol
itics do not enter into the question, as that
honorable body is so nearly evenly divided
between Republicans and Democrats that a
measure 10 pass on strictly party lines would
require the vote of the mayor. Time was
when Tweed. at the head of Tammany. was
considered the boss iilcher OF public funds.
But has disciples in this city, although not
absorbing such enormous amounts as did
Tweed. are not behind him in their rapae-
ity and bold-faced theftS, that mfor-
tmateiy cannot be proven until some mem
Der Of the gang. dissatisfied with his share
OF the profits of the deals. betrays the
workings of the machinery that is grinding
out dollars for aldermen and county COM
misSionerS. The character Of majority of
ChicagO's aldermen is NOS gilt-edged.
Frank LAWYER, cOngreSSman-elect. was I'M
doubtedly elected by fraud-that is 10 say.
by the judiciOus use of funds acquired
while an active worker in aldermanic Jobs
LAWYER is a salOOnkeeper,
OF UNsAVoRY REPUTATION,
and his gall is larger and more conspicuous
than that of any other Chicago politician.
and that is saying a good deal. Readers Of
the GLOBE may remember LAWYERS trip TO
Washington and the plans he laid before
the president for filling the Federal offices
in Illinois. In each instance he had friend
selected to I'LL the vacancies, and other con-
grcSsmen in the state were not to be con-
Sidered at all. Ignorant full of self
assurance and intOlerant of any idea that
does not originate in his own fertile brain,
LAWYER is a typical representative of Chi
cagO's legislators. And there's Aid. Gull
lertOn, a man of brains, but INSCRIPTIONS
10 the last degree. He has been in the
council successfully, think. for more than
dozen years. So unpopular in his ward is
he that fair election would put him on the
very back seat. They tell a good story of
how Cullerton managed TO succeed himself
on one occasion. He had tTuSty lieutenant
whose name 1 have now forgotten. but
Brown will do. CullertOn's full vote in his
own ward was represented by fourteen in
work be done among the Poles, OF whom
there were several hundred in the ward.
On the morning of election day a barge
loaded with stone was tOwed mp the south
branch OF the Chicago river and landed on
a vacant lot belonging 10 CullertOn. Half
a dozen loads OF lumber were thrown OF at
the same place and
A PAID ENussARY
90 "a
the neighborhoOd to employ laboring men
to break ground for an immense brewery
that was TO be erected by Aid. Cullerton.
The Poles fioclled to the ground by hun
dreds, and soon 200 Of them were hard at
work with pick and shovel excavating for
the foundation. Brown had selected a
time-keeper who could speak the Polish
language, plans of an elaborate structure
had been borrowed from u architect, bona
fide contracts were exhibited with qUarrey-
men and lumber dealers, and the Poles.
who had been suspicious OF the proceed
ingS. were satisfied that CullerlOn was 10
build brewery that would furnish them
employment in its construction and in its
workings. Late in the afternoon a ticket
peddler came on the scene 10 get the labor
ers to vote the CullertOn ticket. With well
simulated Indignation the time-keeper de-
clared that the men could not leave the
grounds. Then the ticket peddler offered to
pay the men for the time they lost, and the
upshot of the matter was that
EVERY MOTHERS SON or THEM.
went TO the polls and east 4 Cullerton bal
lot. The opposition learned of the trick
too late TO check the movement and Cutler
ton was elected by nearly 200 majority.
The next day the labOrers reported at the
site Of the proposed brewery, but neither
Brown nor the timekeeper nor any one in
authority could be found. Enrased beyond
description when they found the trick that
had been played on them, they attempted TO
sink the boats containing the stone that lay
NJ the dock. The lumber that had been de-
livered was burned. All day long they
nursed their wrath, and after night the
crowd made a bee line for the aldermans
house. He. hearing the noise outside. and
seeing the crowd. thought he was the recip-
lent of a Friendly call from admiring con-
stituentS. and went out 10 meet the mob.
prilaed for a sprcad-eagle speech. He was
greeted by a shower Of sticks and stones,
and then his visitors proceeded To the work
of
TEARING DOWN. TIE HOUSE.
But for the timely arrival OF squad of
police the angry Poles would have done
more than tear tine Notwithstanding off the
CulbeTtOn domiCile. i. was the original in
tentiOn To pay the lab0rerS for their days
wOrk-and vOIe-but none of the principals
dared face the angry mob even TO pay them
for their efficient services. Brown was az
Saulted several times and finally left the
city until the affair blew over. SIX months
or so later some was inserted a personal in
the papers that ali persons having claims
against CuiberOn'S brewery would be paid
in full by calling at the a!derman's down
town Office on certain date The Poles
called on the alderman in body, and for
the second time Cuibert0n came near losing
his life. The voters have never been paid
and a reference TO CulbertOn's brewery in
the hearing of any of those Poles is enough
TO incite a riot. That's the way one man
got a finger in the public pie. and the cleo
tons OF half the other aldermen were equally
questionable. This brings me back To the
original subject The papers nave limited
AT a!dernanic dishonesty for years. but i
have never known any of them Ia make
direct accusation. One would almost think
the papers were subsidized and paid TO keep
leading facts from out their cOiumnS. That
immense jobs are engineered and
LoBBIED THROUGH TIE COUNCIL
every year, giving absolute sway to corpora
tionS. and that the corporations pay good
hard cash TO aldermen for these rights. is
beyond question. It's a notorious fact;
everybody admits il. But how to prove it
is another question. The latest-and
biggest-job of this kind is an ordinance
opening a number of streets that are the
main downtown thorOughfares and now
stop at Michigan avenue. through to the
lake. thus despoiling the public of lake
front park and the exposition building and
all this in the interest Of the Illinois Cen