The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-22
PLAIN TALK TO FIELD.
Chicago Chronicle Says MiIIonaires Of
His Kind Are of Little Use.

Chicago, Dec 22.-The Chronicle has
THIS bitter arraignment Of Marshall
Field:
man in Chicago, the growth Of which
contributed so much unearned dnere-
ment as lies in his mighty fortune. With
all the awe-inspiring respecta biIity OF
his many millions. has he shown as q
citizen OF Chicago any decent sense OF
their responsibilities
Mr.. Field is a large if not the Iarg-
est, shareholder in the Chicago City
Railway company. He is a large If
not the largest shareholder in the Pull
man Car company. In 1894 the greed
and iUiberality of the Pullman concern
created a strike that threatened the
city At perilOus juncture where was
Mr. Ffeld2 He owed Chicago much.
Mr. Field shrank behind his millions
thanking God, possibly, that he was not
as other meu-publicans and sinners.
Chicago looked to Mr.. Field for a po-
tent word of reprOOf to his grasping as
sociates. but looked in vain.
Public cutlery against the selfish
ness, the sOrdid brutality Of the local
street railway companies is not new.
Mr.. Field was silent when it is al
him would have stopped bribery Of the
aldermen and jurors and secured to the
public some approximation Of their
I'VE must not forget that Mr. Field
has given his name. insisted on giving
his name, to a museum, which might
have been the more richly endowed if
his vanity was not thus appeased- He
has given easily, out Of unearned in
crement, a site TO the Chicago Univer-
sity, rfvalling thereby in some small de-
gree the oleaginOus generosity Of the
Standard Oil company.
But to have Justice Chicago can well
fOregO rich gifts II wants nothing
from Field but Fields manly reproba-
tion of boodling, even if by such course
Fields purse itself should suffer. 1t has
a right to demand that much. The
prominent citizen OF the Field kind is
not an aid to Chicago"
Editor Herman KOhlsaat, Of the
Times Herald. has made an editorial
demand on M Yerkes to be more spe-
effic in his charges of alleged attempts
by Chicago newspapers to extoTt money
from traction companies. Mr.. Kohlsaat
then explains the basis for the charges
thus:
Twelve years ago one of the news
papers aided Mr.. YerkeS in his fight to
exchanging congratulations upon the
success of their joint fight. in which
the editor remarked that it was a good
thing for the North Side company, Mr..
Yerkes said that the editor said some
thing to the effect: But what is there
in it for us2'
That remark continued Mr.. Kohl
saat, spoken as a passing jest, took
Judgement in Mr.. Yerkes' mind and has
bred the hateful brood of stories of
blackmaH and conspiracies that he has
been spewing out on the community for
the past twelve months.
1T Will be observed that this has
nothing whatever to do with any pres
ent conspiracy to extort money from
traction companies. 1t is merely an old
stale and Improbable misconstruction
of a casual remark distorted to give
color to an infamous accusation"
The new ordinance providing for four
cent fares and a thirty-year extension
of street railway franchises will be re-
ported to the council tomorrow night,
but viii not be put on passage for an
other week.