Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-11-27
INTERESTING ANNUAL REPORT or
TIE CITIZENS ASSOCIATION.

cd president Of the Citizens Associa.
ton Of Chicago, has submitted the fol.
lowing report Of the work Of that great
organization Cor the past year:
The twenty.thlrd annual report Of
this association Is now presented to
you, after year Of unusual public OK.
element, political and financial In Its
character. We have TO repeat our re-
marks Of last year-that our member.
ship has been we'll sustained. notwith.
standing the financial embarra ssment
Of commercial affairs. The perplextty
In financial operations, beginning In
July Of last year, was but partially re-.
lieved by the result Of the Presidential
election. Its continuance was prOlong.
ed by the dilatOry action Of Congress
In regard to the tariff bill, and Il Is but
recently that the evidences Of return.
Ing prosperity have begun to appear Oh
the commercial horizon.
The general movement for reform In
progress for about four years pnst
seems 10 have expended Its energies.
The societies formed for the purpose
have gone over the ground travcrsed
by this association In It's earlier his.
tory, ana encountered, without sur
mounting. the same obstacles which
batiied our efforts. We have given
them such assistance rs our vOluniin.
Gus archives afford, but have declined
more active cooperation, as We believe
that the most desirable features VI re-
form cannot bc brought out by amend.
ment Of existing laws. We alludc par
ticularly to taxation and local self
government which, In our Judgment,
can never be efficiently dealt with ex.
cept after a revision Of the c"nstitu-
| tiOn Of this State. The regular busi.
ness which we attend to In tho en-.
| fOrcement OF ordinances for cleaning
streets and alleys and repairing pave.
ments, and other similar matters, has
had about the same volume and uctiv.
ity as usual. The usefulness of the as.
ISOLATION as n means Of obtaining In.
formation on public matters has ma.
| terIally increased. 1t Is awaited Of by
public bodies ana literary institutions
| far ana near. Our members are con-
slant In their inquiries.
Our intimate connection with the
Chicago River Improvement AssOcia'
ton makes us look upon Its operations
as Of scarcely secondary consideration
It's object IL to deepen and widen the
Chicago River to such an extent as ia
accommodate the commerce of the
lakes In Its modern magnitude. In
less this Is done that commerce may BIZ
lost to us. The steamers now being
built are fast increasing In size, rs one
great hull succeeds another from the
ship-yards, so that the maximum depth
of water In our channel-l6 feet-is to
tally insufficient for the most modern
craft. The situation Is now well un
derstoOd, thanks to the agitation Of tho
press ana the reports of the United
States engineers. Congress has nj
ready taken the matter up ana granted
a preliminary appropriation Of money
The Sanitary District has also mani
tested n wholesome interest In the sub
jcct. by a combination of all parties
Interested the great work will I'm
doubleday he accomplished.
| AnOther Emporium operation Whlci
we have undertaken this year Is tina
of investigating the northwestern wa
ter tunnel. We have mailed to you Ou
report on the subject. Originally begun
with the view of ascertaining whethel
the work was being done strictly in &c
cordance with the contract, we fount
that inquiry to be subordinate to an
Other-whether the tunnel should, II
justice TO the taxpayers, he EXTENDED
further into the lake than what i
called in the contract the two and ,
half mile limit. Such an extension, !
carried out by constructing 1t in tw'
branches as proposed, would cost per
haps 500 600. The present city admin
istratlon, in It's early days, took tn,
matter up, with the result of gettinl
the extension order repealed. We deem
It reasonable 10 believe that our inves
tigation, as published, contributed 4
this desirable result. II also brough
to light certain financial operations II
the payment for the work on the tun