The San Francisco call., 1895-12-30
Prominent Citizens Who Corrupt
Lawmakers and Breed
Anarchy.
MONEY PAID FOR FRANCHISES.
Men in the Lower Walks of Life Not
Responsible for the Municipal.
ity's Plight.

CHICAGO, ILL, Dec. 29.--Mayor Swift
roundly scored Chicago's prominent citi-
zens" at a banquet last night, and charged
the corruption of the City Council and
various departments of the city's service
to them. The speech was given at the
regular monthly banquet of the CONNER
cial Club in reply to that of President
Baker of the Civic Federation, Chicago's
"good-government' society, who criticized
the present administration and mentioned
the feeling existing over the Council giving
franchises to cable and electric roads and
other corporations without compensation
to the city.
The present Mayor, within sixty days"
saio Mr.. Swift with considerable warmth,
'has vetoed a half-dozen ordinances
passed by your representatives, giving
space in the street to representative prop
erty owners, who came to the Common
Council and asked for them.
"Who is it that comes into the Common
Council and asks for such privileges? Who
is it who are accused of offering bribes for
such franchises? 1t is just the same ones,
the same prominent citizens that come
into the same Council chamber and ask
them to give them the right to occupy
space under your streets.
81 tell you these questions come home.
Talk about anarchy! Talk about breeding
the spirit of communism! Who does it
more than the representative citizens of
Chicago? Your high-toned business men,
your patriotic men, your prominent citi-
zens of Chicago. are the men who knock
at the door of the Council and ask for
llleg al franchises? 1t is not the common
people.
"Who bribes the Common Council? 1t
is not men in the common walks of life.
They are men in your own walks of life,
sitting by your fresides. Is it your men
in the common walks of life that demand
bribes and receive bribes at the hands of
the legislative bodies or the Common
Council? No; it is your representative
citizen, your capitalists, your business
men. When have they come to the front.
either individually or collectively, and in.
Weighed against this manner of obtaining
franchisesP When will they come to the
front, individually or collectively, and ask
of the Common Council adequate remu-
neration for the city? Never, to my
knowledge.
"Who is responsible for the condition OF
affairs in the city OF Chicago? Your rep
resentative business men. If an Assessor
grows rich while in office with whom does
he divide? Not with the common people.
He divides with the man who tempts him
to make low assessment; not the man
who has the humble little house, but the
capitalist and the business man.
"I will tell you good work for your
Civic Federation, Brother Baker, and be-
lieve you are honest, and l have found you
honest in every endeavor. Confine your
theories and efforts in the next three
months to elect to the City Council six or
eight representative business men. Let
them come over any Monday night and
witness the scenes l have witnessed, and
they will cease talking, about theories and
understand better the conditions which
face the citizens and the city of Chicago"