Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-12-17
1t Occupies the Streets Without Even
Asking the Permission Of
the City Council.
Steps Are to Be Taken to Make the Rascally
Institution Vacate the
Premises,
And the Aldermen Have Passed q Resolution
Which May Cause It Some
Trouble.

The Peoples Gas Light and Coke
Company has no right whatsoever to
use the streets of the city of Chicago.
1t has never obtained a franchise
from the City Council TO operate under!
Strange as this may seem. 1t is abso-
lutely true.
This Octopus. which enters every
home and robs our citizens with impu-
nifty. has no right to exist within the
limits of the city of Chicago.
1t does business under a State char
ter. the same as all other corporations,
but 1t has no franchise from Chicago.
The State charter simply gives the
Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company
permission To do business In the State
Of Illinois. the same as their State char.
tiers give the street railway corpora.
tons permission TO do business rs cor.
poratiOns within the limits of Illinois.
But the charters of the street railway
companies do not give them the right
to operate on the streets Of single
city, town or village in the State with.
out the authority Of the legal authors.
ties of said cities. towns or villages.
Neither does the charter Of the Poo.
pies Gas Light and Coke Company
give to that concern the right to use the
streets of Chicago without obtaining a
franchise from the City Council OF CHI
cago.
Yet the street railroads secure fran.
chises and the Gas Trust does not.
That the Peoples Gas Light and
Coke Company has no legal right to
Use the streets Of Chicago IL fact
known to many. and II has often been
referred to with exc.amations Of sur
prise by able lawyers.
Moreover. the Peoples Gas Light ana
Coke Company cannot obtain Il fran
ch!se from the City Council now with.
out obtaining consent OF a majority
Of the people In each block on every
s.reet-a thing which 1t can never do.
And yet this company, which has no
fanchise itself, Is the same Organiza.
ton which Went into the last Legisla.
ture and by the use of money brlbed
enough members Of that body to pass
the infamous gas frontage and cOnsoli-
dalton bills. which forever debar any
competition in Chicago between com
panies; which prohibit any new com
pany from coming into the field, nnd
which were passed nj the request OF Il
robbing Octopus which has no fran
chisc itself, although It has gObbled
Chlcago's streets.
Alderman John +. Neaglc, Of the biz
Twelfth Ward, voiced the sentiments
Of nlne.tenths OF the people of the in
telllgelt section which he represents
when he introduced into the City Coun
oil last Monday night the following
resolutions:
Resolved, That the Corporation COun
sci be ana he Is hereby directed TO In
stltutc proceedings TO test the cOnst1u
tlonalty of the act of the Legislature
permitting the consolidating Of "a,
companies, ana also annul the act OF
consolidation Of the Consumers Ga.
Company, the Peoples Gas Light AM
Coke Company and the Equitable Gas
Company, for the reason that these
companies in consolidating under tho
name Of the Peoples Gas Company
have violated the express conditions
against consolidation contained in the
ordinances granting them the privilege
to operate in the city Of Chicago.
The streets of Chicago were never 81
poorly lighted as they are at present.
The gas Is of II poor quality and Tho
condition Of the gas lamps was nevel
so bad.
People are complaining 10 their AL
dcrmcn that the Octopus. which i do
ing business without franchise, is oh
tanning money II does not earn.
The following resolution, Introduce,
In the City Council by AID. Cutler
ton Nov. -, was unanimously adopted
Whereas, The city OF Chicago il
lighted In some portions with ga!
lamps, In other portions with electric
light and in stlll other portions Will
gasoline and napatha lamps; and
Whereas, According To the state
ment. of the City Comptroller the use
Of naphtha and gasoline Is equally Of
fctlvc and less expensive than gas
and the Comptroller, In order TO lesser
gas bills, has found II necessary 70
leave unllghted, principally in resi-
dcnce districts, large numbers OF stree]
lamps which are provided with ga,
caps. and
Whereas. The city lacks funds fol
the payment Of the cost Of lighting the