Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-05-14
The Mothers, Sisters and Fathers of the
Soldiers Are Being Robbed
in Chicago.
The Gas Consolidation and Frontage Measures
Passed by the Most Bare-faced
Bribery
Must Be Wiped of the Statute Books and the
Bride Takers Severely
Punished.

The Perpetual Monopoly created by |
the last Legislature Is putting the
screws on the suffering people Of Chi.
cago.
This Perpetual Monopoly is the Gas
Trust. the meanest Of all monopolies,
because 1t taxes the inalienable right
Of mankind to light.
And because 1t enjoys monopoly ut
the hands Of the State, the Gas Trust
EFFORTS money from the people rs 1t
sees at.
Every citizen knows how his gas bills
have grown since the passage Of the
Gas Consolidation and Frontage meas.
ures by the last crooked Legislature.
These measures are the most iniQui.
tous ever passed by any legislative
body In the world.
They provided for the consolidation
Of oil the gas companies In the city Into
one gigantic trust, and forbade all com.
petition with that trust by passing an
other law requiring any new gus com.
pany that might want to do business
In Chicago to secure the consent Of
three.quarters Of the owners Of real
estate In every block on the street In
which 1t wished to lay mains before 1t
could lay said mains.
OF course, this Infamous law forever
fOrbids any other gas company from in
terferlng with the robbcr crowd now ut
work.
And they are nj work night ana day
robbing the poor people Of Chicago.
Not only Is the quality of gas furnish.
cd very poor, but 1t Is even doubted
whether any one In Chicago gets cor
rect gas bill.
The price now charged by the Trust
for gas Is an outrageous robbery and
cxtOrtiOn.
1t Is money wrung from the pockets
Of the poor to swell the pockets Of the
rich, who are already blOated with
wealth made from watered gas stock.
While the flower Of Chicago manhood
Is ut the front fighting for the cOun-
try, their fathers, mothers and sisters
are being robbed Mt home, In the most
high.handed manner. by the extOrtion.
ate and vi!!ainous Gas Trust.
The members Of the Legislature who
took brides from the Trust are marked
men.
Not one OF the scoundrels should Ike
sent back to Springfield.
And The Eagle predicts that before
the present agitation for the repeal OF
the Gas Consolidation and Frontage
bills Is over that many OF the bribe.
taking. thieving Senators and Repre-
sentatives, who took money from the
Gas Trust to vote for these measures,
will leave town never to return.
To show the way that the people OF
Chicago are robbed by the Gas Trust q
few figures may be given, showing the
value Of the plant, its enormous capital
ixation and the amount the people have
to make up to help the robbers out.
The Trust owns 1900 miles of mains
which, with the service pipes from the
street to the house and the meters
average a cost, AZ Sr<sent prices, OF
5000 per mile Of main, or a total OF
$1O,4OO,OOO
Able real estate experts have valued
the various pieces of land of the Trus,
at $2,s54, 900.
The sum OF $4,000, 900, according to
experts, may be allowed for the manu-
featuring plant, or total value Of SIT,
10000 invested in Trust property. This
figure would entirely duplicate the
whole system and plant owned by tho
Trust, whereas, twO-thirds of the street
mains OF the Trust are over ten years
old and are correspondingly depreci
ated.
Now, as 10 the Capital Of the octo
pus. The most experienced engineers
in the country consider that to build O
big gas plant there ought To be So OF
capital for every 1000 feet sold. Ever
an allowance Of 81 capital per Thousand
feet would mean only S16,0OO,O00 tota
capital. But this Chicago Trust hai
out $26346,0O0 Of bonds, paying on thu
average 5la per cent, and S25,0OO,0Ot
of Trust certificates, whose dividends
are such as 20 make the certificates usu
ally worth S15,OOO,OOO.
Thirty million dollars, which Is thu
difference between Sl5,OO0,OOO, thu
present cost Of the plants, and $45, Co.,