Chicago eagle., 1898-05-21

The Infamous Gas Trust bought our |
streets Of the last Legislature, and the |
city Of Chicago Gun never own gas
plant or nm electric light plant Of Its
own until this consolidation" law IL
repealed.
Think of an American city prohibited
from using its own streets!
Yet the city Of Chicago cannot use Its
own streets II It wants to light them
itself!
The Gas Trust owns Chicago streets.
1t bought them from the last Lcglsla.
ture.
The people are just awakening to this
fact.
Wait until they are thoroughly
aroused, and some gentlemen will not
wish to remain long inside the city
limits.
The City Council has just awakened
10 the awful state Of affairs and Inns
passed the following resolutions upon
the subject by vote Of 80 to 4. under
a suspension Of the rules, upon motion
Of Alderman John Bigane:
Whereas, The city Of Chicago, at the
present time furnishes water for pub.
lie and private use to the city ana Its
citizens at u cost which, to say the
least, is not excessive, and from the
revenue raised from that source IN.
nually IL capable Of extending the sup.
ply and also providing better means OF
giving full supply to every resident
mt IN expense which Is merely nominal.
payable, as It IL, semi.annunlly, and
after paying for all improvements and
necessary repairs ana carrying OH the
whole work In connection there With,
the revenue raised In the city OF Chi.
cagO from that source exceeds the ex.
penditures In the sum of one million
i've hundred thousand dollars annually.
Miles of pipes are laid annually into
new territory and tunnels extended
and carried out farther aud farther Into
the lake year after year; ana the In
crease In revenue grows apace, until
more than $28.OOO,OOO worth of per.
manent improvements are made and
owned by the city Of Chicago. Hun.
dreds OF thousands Of dollars IRE now
10 he expended In protecting the water
supply from pollution, and yet the
water tax Is not burdensOme; and all
this work Ia carried on and benefits re-
ceIved by the people because there IL In
force on the statute books of the State
Of Illinois three paragraphs known rs
Sections 175. 17G ana III of the Cities
and villages Act, Article 10, Chapter "a,
Sections /. 9 and of the Revised
Statutes. Said sections grant the pow.
ers necessary to City Councils and
Boards of Trustees Of Villages to carry
on the work of supplying water for
public and private use Mt rate that Is
In the reach of all to pay.
Whereas, Millions of dollars are In
vested In public parks annually, taxes
are levied for their maintenance ana
Improvement, In order that residents of
this great metropolis should have the
advantages of pure air. And whole
chapter of legislation Is enacted for the
purpose Of empowering Park Commis.
sioners to carry on this great work, l. e..
Chapter 1O5 of the Revised Statutes OF
Illinois. All this law Is In force, ana
the people receiving the benefits of the
law. Pure water and pure air Is fur
nished at cost to them, because laws
are in force empowering the municipal
corporations having them In charge to
operate them for the people at cost.
Can we obtain little legislation that
will give the people of this city and
other places the power to obtain an ar
ticle Just as useful. Just as necessary
and just as beneficial to mankind as
air ana water, mt cost? 1t can be done
II we ask ana insist upon 1t.
Year after year this city grows more
In debt for gas light. so that as a last
resort outlying districts are deprived
of even the necessary street lamps at
night. The members of the City COun-
ell are met at the threshold of the
meeting chamber ana commanded un-
der penalty of law to appropriate mOn-
ey to pay judgments In favor of trust
companies organized to reap not only
benefit from furnishing light to the
city, but also a rich harvest annually
from consumers. We provide water
because We are empowered to do 80 by