St. Paul daily globe., 1885-07-19
How the Fiokle Goddess, Fortune, Eas
Given Ohicago's Best Mayor the
Cold Shoulder.
An Orator by Instinct, Frank and Hos
pitable, he Found the Road to
Success Easy,
But the Old Story OF Bad Company
Tells the sad Tale OF His
Decadence,
And Now He Stands Deserted by
Old-Time Friends and Even
the Ours He Fed
Correspondence OF the Globe.


girl Dame Fortune is, and what short work
she can make of a fellow when she drops
him! Take our mayor, Carter IL. Harri-
son, as an instance. 4 few years ago he
could proudly boast that he was the best
mayor Chicago ever had. He gave us pub
lie improvements and managed affairs 50
economically that taxes were reduced ma
teTially, and the people. without regard to
party, dubbed him 1.-The Best" But,
alas. he hears that expression used
now only in deriSion; his influence
with the people and with his
party is a thing of the past; his party
friends and journalistic allies have turned
against him. and il really seems that. like
Ishmael Of old. the mayors hand is against
everybody and eveTybOdy's against him.
And why this change? As gambler would
say, Hes down on his luck. He called
the turn pretty near every time for nearly
six years but he couldn't keep it up"
Carter Harrison has been
4 Striking FIGURE
among men of the West for ten years past.
Indeed, il may be questioned if there is an
other man in the West that
is so generally known. \ Ken
tuckian by birth. he possesses those
qualities of frankneSs and hospitality that
made for him friends everywhere. In per-
son he is a handsome man, of good figure.
griZZled hair and beard and an eye that
magnetiZeS and attracts. A lawyer by pro-
fesSiOn. an orator by instinct, and gifted
with the happy faculty of saying the right
thing in the proper place won for him that
distinction as a speaker that but few other
men in the West have attained. HIS belief
in the future greatness of Chicago prompted
him to speculate in real estate, with the
result that he is said to have
amaSsed half million. An
Itching for politics. for the stump. for high
and commanding Office became the end and
aim of Mr.. Harrison. with the final result
that he became mayor of Chicago a little
more than six years ago. Twice he was
reelected. each time by flattering majOri-
ties. In the meantime, while reforms were
going on i'm certain departments of the pub
lie service, in others ring of tTicksters had
obtained fOothold so strong that the peO-
pie demanded they be removed. The
notorious Mike Mcdonald, gambler and
politician. with his lieutenantS, Commits
siOners Van Pelt and WaSSermann,
CONTROLLED THE BALLOT
boxes as absolutely as though they were
private property. Gambling houses by the
dozen were running openly, day and night
The gamblers controlled the administration,
and they made no secret Of it. The
mayor dare not close our houses, they said.
He dare not antagOniZe Us; he cannot be
reelected without our fine work" Last
fall the mayors ambition to be governor of
Illinois was sat upon by something like
1000 Republican majority. Gross frauds
were committed all over the city at the
polls. The people rose in their might and
said This thing must stop. Pun
iSh ballOt-bOX suffers. close out the gam
blers and give us a clean administration ~
A few determined citizens pushed the sec
retary of the Democratic central committee
to the wall, and he is now in the shadow of
the penitentiaTy's walls. Ii were an insult
TO Mayor HarrisOn'S sagaeity to say that he
did not know that frauds were being com
mitted by his friends. But" he argued,
there's just as much being done by the
other fellows, and it's impossible TO prevent
some fine work, and guess it's all right"
When the spring election came around Mr.
Harrison consented TO become the candidate
of his party for reelection 10 the mayor
atty, and
HE sNIILINGLY PREDICTED
that he would go into Office with 10. 900
majority. The vigilance of Republicans
prevented repetition of the ballot-bo
stuffng of the previous November, and the
returns showed HarTisOn's majority less
than 500 votes. This was the beginning of
the end. Humiliated at this meager ma
jority ne turned ON his friends with curses
and recriminatiOns at their apparent neglect
of duty. \ recount of votes was demanded,
and after much delay the council took up
the matter, only 10 reduce the mayors ma
jority. The Republican candidate. through
his friends, gave notice of con-
test. alleging that several hundred
votes for him had not been
counted. The ballot-boN in one ward was
stolen, and the public were uncharitable
enough 10 say il was by HarTison's orders
This, however. was not true. as even his
bittereSt enemies have always conceded
probity and fairness 10 Alr. Harrison. BY
a series of long delays on fiimsy excuses the
lawyers of the defendant side in the con-
test avoided appearing in court, but yeSter-
day Judge PTendergaSt issued an order
commanding the defendant lawyers to file
a reply to the bill filed by the Republican
candidate within forty days. Shortly after
the spring contest. partly
To HIDE HIS CHAGRIN
and partly to recuperate his energies.
Harrison went TO the Hot Spnngsin Arkan-
SaS. While there he issued his famous
gamblers must go' order. His friend
Mike Mcdonald had few days before sold
his place of business. and the mayor had
chance 10 get even with the boys who had.
as he thought. ''gOne back on him. i'm the
mayOralty election. 1t is only necessary 10
say that all the houses were clOSed-and
that last night they were all running wide
open and undiSturbed. In the recent street
car strike Harrison did not perform his
duty, if the papers and public
are to be believed. However much
his sympathy and that of the public
was with the refractory men. he should
have given the corporation that protection
il demanded. And now. worn out and har-
raised by mental excitement and physical
exhaustion. he has turned on the news
papers, venting his impOtent rage on the
heads of reporters. His last journalistic
friend has apparently left him. Every pa
per in the city calls him ''the mayor de
factO," the alleged mayor" mayor pro
tenn" The Times. until within week his
warmeSt supporter,
CALLS HINT AN INIBECILE.
and Harrison drives its reporters from his
office and consignS them and the paper 10
SheOl. He has instituted suits against the
Inter-0cean to the amount OF $500. 900. and
threatens tO do the same thing for the other
journals. Thus it would appear that the
old man has his hands pretty full. and will
probably get enough of the courts
this summer to last him a lifetime
But he would gladly go through
any trouble to secure the fulfill
ment of his dearest ambition. that was
almost within his grasp this spring. He
wanted TO be United States senator from
Illinois, and Morrison barely beat him in
caucus. securing the nomination. There
are those who think Mayor Harrison would
have been Senator Harrison had he been