The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-11
ANARCHY IN CHICAGO, DENVER AND VII
MlNG10N.


The charter of the Chicago street rail
roads expire very soon. At the last SEES
sion of the Illinois Legislature an act
known as the 'Allen law" was passed
permitting municipal governments to ex-
tend street railway franchises 90 years,
during which time the fares shall re-
main as agreed upon at the outset. 1t
was charged that this law was passed
by bribery, and candidates for the Legis-
lature this year were compelled to prom
Use to repeal it. There is now pending III
the Chicago council ordinances granting
Il franchise for fifty years, for which the
city is to get only one half of one per
cent to three per cent of the gross re.
ceipts..
The company is employing desperate
energy to get it passed before the Legis-
lature can convene and repeal the act.
They claim to have a majority of the
city council. Mayor Harrison is speak
ing nightly to great public meetings, de-
nouncing the attempt to pass the ordi-
nances, and the people threaten to hang
the aldermen if they vote thus to give
away the most valuable franchise the
city win have in half century. The
Mayor will veto the ordinance, but the
street car men boast that they have
enough aldermen to pass it over his
veto. The Indignation of the people,
supported by every paper In the city
except the one belonging to the
owner of the cars, is up to fever heat,
and thousands are wearing little slip
knots of Irvine in their button holes to
represent the hangmen's nooses. Asked
if there was any real danger Of hanging
the Doodle aldermen, Mayor Harrison
said:
ut is not idle talk at all, and l will
not be surprised to see some hanging
done in the streets of Chicago | don't
mind saying, too, that | shall not send
in riot call when it starts"
The Springfield Republican recalls the
citizens of Denver, Col, invaded the
council chamber with ropes and threat
ened to drag out and hang at the near
est lamp-posts the aldermen who voted
against the city in favor of some street
monopoly. Only in this way was the
defeat OF the monopoly secured. The
Republican makes this comment:
IF such a thing was possible in Den
yer it is possible in Chicago, and the
second city of the nation may yet fur
nish an exhibition of local government
so far boodleized as TO he unreachable
to the people except through ropes with
hangman's moose dangling ut the end
.Such situation is OF course one OF
anarchy. pure and simple. and TO be
feared and fought by all friends of law
and order. The problem still remains,
however. of how to overcome the power
of Doodle and monopoly influence in the
legislative body This is the weak pc ut
of representative as contrasted with
purely Democratic government, and if it
ever breaks down concentrated and I'M
scrnpulous capital will be response
ble."
Some Of the Chicago papers, which
are leading the fight against the Doodle
aldermen and franchise grabbers, de-
nounced the people of Wilmington for
using force to save their city from de-
struction In Wilmington the entire city
was in the hands of knayes and incom-
petents, who sold justice and who failed
to protect life and property. There were
one hundred robberies there in an hun
dred nights. The business men resolved
not to have their town utterly destroyed
and their business paralyzed. In Chi
cago, the boodlers only propose to give
away the street car franchise for fifty
years That is a crime of such magni-
tude that the people threaten to hang
the aldermen, and the Denver people
prevented such robbery only by invading
the city council and threatening to hang
the aldermen.
The provocation in Denver was great,
the provocation in Chicago is. greater,
the provoeation in Wilmington was
greatest.