Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-03
CHICAGO MELANGE.
MORE ABOUT THAT THREATENED
WATER FAMINE.
The Worlds Fair Rumpus and Its Con- :
sequences-The Fair Injured.

learn UHhI GHolo nave UeeH DuG seven
fair days since Christmas, and that
either cold or stormy or slushy or other
wise disagreeable weather has prevailed
most OF the time in the Windy city, they
will thank their stars that they got out
of here in time to avoid medley of
maddening winter changes, even if
there was at times an absence of that
Arcadan climate of which Southern
Californians so exuberantly boast.
Nevertheless, it is not hard winter to
only the very poor, as majority Of the
people here are blessed with good
dwellings and shops, cheap fuel, warm
clothes and rapid means of metropolitan
and suburban transportation.
A THREATENED WATER FAMINE.
We were threatened with water
famine one day last week, however, and
the excitement was so great that no
human being wore face wreathed with
smiles unless it were some nomad from
the bluegrass region-who, you know,
disdains water as an unnecessary agency
under any and all circumstances. What
a paradox Here in Chicago, one of the
greatest cities in the world, embroidered
by the foam of one of the most magnifi-
cent bodies OF water on the globe for
seventeen miles, and 1,300,0 men,
women and children without drop to
drink or to wash with or to cook with,
and hotels and restaurants without
enough for their guests, elevators shut
down, and much business stopped. And.
We gods what filth and disease, the ac-
counts of which | take from the daily
papers Except onsits boulevards, the
city is a mass of ashes, garbage, mud
and slush, and typhoid and grip hold
ing high carnival,
A COINCIDENCE.
You have been informed of the selec-
ton of Chicago by the Democrats for
their national convention. That was a
good idea. This is, par excellence, the
place for holding national conventions.
1t is central, which is big point, and
no crowd can come here so numerously
large that it cannot be taken care of.
Further, Chicago has, without doubt,
the most delightful summer temperature
of any big citv in the United States.
From May until September, last year,
there was not one uncomfortably warm
day, while people went around dripping
for weeks in New York, Boston, Mime
apolis and St. Paul. The Republicans
should have selected Chicago instead of
Minneapolis. Still, the Republicans
could not have played the same game
the Democrats did with the same sue
cess. Chicago is supposed to have had
no hand in the thing. But it did have,
all. the same. 1t merely telegraphed
that there was no water here, and that
fetched the Democrats. Well done,
wasn't it?
THE WORLDS FAIR TEMPEST.
The worlds fair tempest, which ragged
30 violently week ago, has passed
away, leaving no tracks perceptible to
the general public, although there is a
well-grounded belief that the wind did
everlastingly blow through Bakers
and Butterworth's whiskers. These
two men have made good deal of mis-
chief, and, in an attempt to humiliate
and browbeat Director General Davis,
have inadvertently aired a large amount
of their own soiled linen. In brief,
Baker, the president of the board of
directors, is arrogant, bull-headed and
unw;se, while Butteworth, the secretary
of the board, is sort of Uriah Heep on
the halfshell. These two have con-
nubiated for long time, in connection
with Burnham, the supervising archi-
tect, to secure control of everything,
trusting, at one time, that General
Davis would get disgusted and resign !;
but in this connection they "bit off
more than they could chew"
THE CONSEQUENCES.
Indeed, these three men had made up
their minds that they could not only
slight Davis and make new set of rules
for the subordinate officers of the latter,
but that they could proceed upon any
work they might plan, regardless of
their agreements with the national
commission and SO they dispatched
their subservient man, Walker, to
Washington with bill to secure from
congress an appropriation of $5,000,000,
taking care not to consult Davis or any
other national officer, or to make known
their newly-formed purposes. But, 10 |!
the commissioner from West Virginia,
St. Clair, undoubtedly the ablest man
of all, anticipated the ambassador to
Washington and presented his letter to
congress while Mephistopheles Walker
was stepping into Pullman car. This
was Cu0 TolIlScrdtUr IudC ulC all CDe
marplots in the head, and aroused the
Indignation of the press here, which
had been laying for the auto
crat Baker long time, on
account of his offensive ways.
and which placed Davis on top without
struggle on his part. Every newspa-
per in Chicago took sides squarely with
the director general and against the am
bilious Baker, who has been requested
to step down and out.
Now, note the consequences brought
about by Baker, Butterworth and Burn
ham, with Walker thrown in as ballast
The great Columbian exposition has
been held up to the world in ridicu-
lous light-it has gone out that there
are internecine ruptures that injure and
demoralize-it has probably killed it's
chances for an appropriation or even
loan-it will compel the. directors to
build according to first plans or go down
into their pockets for the wherewithal
to proceed according to present plans
and all on ACCOUNT of the monumental
arrogance and stupidity of President
Baker and his cunning man Friday,
whose other name is Butterworth.