Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-08-12

cure the passage OF measure killing
all opposition to 1t when 1t had no fran.
chise from Chicago to do business II.
self.
~eA
At an early stage in the FOrty-frst
General Assembly the Hon. John =.
McGoOrty, Of Cook, introduced bill
providing for municipal ownership of
public utilities in Chicago. This bill
was SO framed that, should 1t pass and
become a law, its immediate effect
would be the lighting of the streets by
the city instead of by the greedy and
grasping Gas Trust.
simultaneously with the Introduction
of the bill, Mr.. McGoorty gave out an
interview for the press. in which he
pointed out that the electric plant of the
city of Chicago had been increased
fourfold since the advent of the pres.
ent Democratic city administration,
and that II the bill became a law the
streets would be lighted by the city
electrical plant from one end to the
other. There would be nothing left for
private contract lighting but a few
very remote and outlying districts on
the western and southern outskirts of
the city.
The bill and the accompanying state
ment fell like bombshell in the camp
of the corporation consprators.
1t produced CONSERVATION in the
clique which had for its paramount OBJ
ject the safeguarding of the interests
Of the Gas Trust, the meat combine,
and the railroad and sleeping car COM
| panies.
1t was doubly direful in its effects
from the fact that there was just then
red-hot municipal campaign In prog.
ress In Chicago, and municipal owner
ship was one Of the burning questions
In that campaign.
Mr.. McGoorty and his large Demo.
cratic following In the House were the
acknowledged representatives Of the
Harrison administration In the Legisla-
ture. The Introduction of the bill
showed that Mayor Harrison was a
practical worker In the field Of munici.
pal ownership. 1t was eminently calcu.
lated not only to take the wind out of
the sails Of the Republican stalking
Neutrality-suspicious. 1t was a measure
so popular with the general public that
the Republican Legislature ut Spring
field dare not 90 on record as being op-
posed to II.
A representative Of the Gas Trust, a
man delegated by the corporation lob.
bylst, who worked the wires Mt the
Chicago end, promptly made his up.
pearancc mt the State Capitol.
He became exceedingly busy, consult
Ing hourly with the members Of the
Senate syndicate.
1t was agreed on all sides that It
would never do for the Speaker to kill
this measure with the gavel. Neither
would 1t do to try to shelve 1t or choke
It or In committee, for McGOorty was
not the man to stand that sort Of non.
sense.
1t was this measure and these consid-
eratiOns that first created the necessity
for the hiring Of the outer circle In the
Senate. The "cheap skate" Senators,
rs the members of the outer circle were
called, devoutly thanked their stars for
the Introduction Of the McG0orty bill,
as they regarded 1t rs the first meas.
ure that disarranged the plans Of the
syndicate to such an extent as to rem
der outside assistance necessary. The
$500 apiece for the cheap skates
might never have been Forthcoming
were 1t not for this formidable meas.
ure; ut least that was the belief then,
and 1t continues to be SO In the minds
of most Of the outsiders up to date.
After much cOgitati0n and many con.
ferences and consultations, It was de-
clded that the exigencles Of the Chi
cago election demanded the passage Of
the bill through the House. The plan
after that was to kill the bill In the
Senate as soon as the election was over.
This program was adhered to almost
to the letter.
McGoorty forced the bill through the
House. The Republican clique In that
chamber did not offer much opposition.
They dared not; SO II was passed by
the lower chamber. But when 1t got
over to the Senate II was relegated to
the Committee on Municipal Corpora.
lions. In that body 1t was quietly and
effectually smOthered.
1t was sent back with the recOmmen.
dalton that 1t lie on the table, and II
was laid on the table, and II lies there
yet.
This bill would have been, II passed,
one of the most useful measures for the
citizens of Chicago that was ever intro.
duced in an Illinois Legislature. 1t
would have saved the taxpayers of Chi
cagO thousands upon thousands Of dol
lars: 1t would have served to provide a
fund whereby the streets could have
been cleaned, the pavements kept In
good order, and the sidewalks put In
decent condition.
The trouble was, however, that 1t
would have diverted hundreds of thou
sands of dollars annually from the cof-
fers Of the greedy Chicago Gas Trust.
| For that reason 1t was doomed to
death. For that reason 1t was done to
death by the Infamous Senatorial syn
dictate, which got fabulous sum of
money for protecting the trusts and
mOnOpOlies of Illinois, and the outer
| circle of Senators WIN GOT So OOO each