Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-10-21

Even the grand jury Of Cook County
has been invoked to aid the cold
tloosicd money shark to wiring the life
blood from his victim.
The September grand jury. COM
posed largely Of honest men. paid Its
attention to these human bloOd.suck-
ers In 10 uncertain language.
Many cnses were presented to the
grind jury In which money loaners
asked the indictment Of debtors. In
almost every instance the jury refused
to indict, stating Its reason us follows:
"rhe numerous cnscs OF crime tracc.
able TO the operations Of 'chnttel mort
gnye sharks and confidential credit
concerns for 'salarlcd people give re-
newcd emphasis to the importance OF
the establishment Of chnttel banks nm.
der the supervision Of the State, rs con.
templntcd by the law recently enacted.
Their limitations, however. afford but
n partial remedy for the poverty. dis
.t,,sss, ana crime Of which the reniorsc-
less chnttel mortgage and confidential
crriIC usurers are the prolific cause.
and we therefore suggest TINT strict
legal regulation should govern oil oc'.
cupations in which such mortgages or
credits are primary or Incidental
part"
Tic confidential credit concerns
and chnttel mortgage sharks have been
known this very week to take the bed.
ding or Of dying man In Chicago.
In another instance they took all the
furniture away from a poor widow
with ak children. who had paid the
shark $50 interest on a $50 loan and
who was left without even n chair to
sit upon by the human devil who held
her note and who still demanded the
original $50 note and $40 interest.
The poor widow was shirt maker
by occupation, occasionally doing wash
ing to keep this inhuman wolf from
the door.
On, the curse that this state Of af-
fairs will bring upon the high city OH.
.cYnls and high county officials! The
blood Of the poor will not alwayS be
shed In vain!
Tom Hoods "Song Of the Shirt IL
more applicable to Chicago to-day than
It ever was to London. Just read It's
lines and then apply them to tho sttua'
ton In this city
THE SONG OF THE SHIRT.
with fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat, in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread.
Stitch! Stitch! Stitch!
In poverty, hunger and dirt,
And still with voice of dOlOrOus pitoll
She sang the Song Of the Shirt
~Work! Work! Work!
While the cock 10 growing aloof,
And work! work! work!
TILL the stars shine through the roof
It's oh! to be a slave,
Along with the barbarous Turk.
Where woman has never q soul to save
II this 10 Christian Work!
1Work! Work! Work!
Till the brain begins to swim;
Work! Work! Work!
Till the eyes are heavy and dim.
Seam and gusset and band,
Band and gusset and seam,
TtA over the buttons l fall asleep,
And sew them on In dream!
20, men, with sisters dear!
o, men. with mothers and wives!
1t is not linen you're wearing out,
But human creatures lives!
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger aud dirt;
Sowing ut once, with double thread
A shroud as we'll as q shirt.
Work! Work! Work!
My labor never flags;
And what are its wages? A bed Q
\ straw,
A crust of bread, and rags.
THAT shattered roof, and this make
floor.
A table, broken chair;
And wall so blank, my shadow
thank
For sometimes falling there.
ooh, but to breathe the breath
OF the cowslips and pramroses swee