St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-07
CHICAGO AND REFORM,

Chicago, we have been given to
understand, has reform" govern
ment. Yet if we are to believe the
statements of the local papers. there
has just been consummated there
one Of the most atrocious and colos-
sal enterprises known to the world
of Doodle. This is the passage of an
ordinance granting to the Illinois
Steel company a right of way for a
railroad from a factory which it
owns to another which it proposes
to build. The franchise has been
under discussion for a long time. 1t
has been attacked and exposed. The
ordinance was vetoed by the mayor,
in message which seems to leave
its supporters not a leg to stand
upon. Yet it was passed over the
veto by a vote of SO to II in the
council. Chicago papers of both par
ties say that 100000 was spent in
procuring this result, and that the
parties interested in it stood around
with note books and checked off the
names as the vote was taken.
The value of this franchise consists
principally in that it conveys to the
parties to whom it was granted an
exclusive right to between two and
two and a half miles of the Lake
front. The people of that portion of
Chicago which is affected by it were
strenuous in their opposition. For
years Chicago proper has been fight
ing her way through all the courts
toward a recovery of some of her
lake front privileges that were given
away unwisely at an earlier day to a
private corporation, or that were as
sumed by it without due warrant of
of law. But this later action is in
finitely more reprehensible. For the
people know what is involved They
have had one experience, and the
purpose of the new invasion is not
concealed. Another route was Of
fered to the Illinois Steel company
for its projected road 1t was a trif1e
longer, but had some compensa ting
advantages; but it did not include
lake front rights. This proposition
was rejected with contempt. The
projectors of the scheme rode rough
shod over opposition, over public
opinion, over appeals to men to
guard the peoples rights, and the
1nfamy is completed. What is the
remedy for such crimes against the
public and against free government?
We tell the people plainly every
where that such incidents as these
cannot be repeated with impunity if
they are to keep their liberty. They
have no business one-half so impor-
tant as the chasing out of public life
and into everlasting ignominy every
rascal who dares to ply his shame
less trade in the halls of nation or
transaction has been going for
ward of late in Denver, and a rough
crowd forced their way into the pres
ence of their representatives with
threats of lynchings. Neither is that
the way to meet the crisis. There
must be one continuous uprising of
the honest and honorable people
against the Hessian crew who. are
in public life for base purposes. Our
people themselves are the guilty
ones. Having set up a governing
machine, they have thought that
they could go about their ordinary
business of buying and selling and
making money, and leave it to run
itself. Never was there a more fatal
mistake. Politics offers to the I'M
principled, prizes too great for them
to reject. They, too, have organized.
They are but a handful, compare
lively. But as long as the people are
silent or forgiving or prey to de-
spair, or willing to cast the blame
On our institutions, these villains are
safe to carry out their schemes of
plumber. And from their work rise
foul shapes of public disorder and