Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-10-07

chairman of the chief grating COM
mittee Of the board.
| There were great many little trans
actions on foot between these parties
at that time. Many of them. In fact,
were finally perfected and consrmniat-
cd. The details of these transactions
would make interesting reading. But
all things must have an end, and the
mutual admiration party came to Its
jumping off place. The other members
of the Council committee got on to the
racket and the last plans went awry.
How about the text book supplies of
| the School Board?
How about the Rand-AlcNally trust
and what are the relations Of certain
members of the School Board and cer.
tain crafty employees of the board with
that organization?
| What about the letting Of the con-
tract for combination desks. which tool;
place some months ago!
What about the letting of the var
iish cOntractsI
| The first two questions The Eagle
will cndcavOr to answer at u future
date. Concerning the last It will tell
u few facts and perhaps later give
names and details.
| When the letting ~ the contracts for
adjustable desks came up there was
% spirited contest between u number of
firms. There was great difference in
the bids. there being in some instances
u difference of several thousand dol.
lars for u supply of the sclf.sainc
goods.
1t IL alleged that nearly every one of
these bidders was felt out carefully M
to how much he or she was willing to
put up In return for being awarded
| the contract at his or her own figures.
When Mayor Harrison and his ap.
pOintcrs get through with their
hcrculcan task of breaking up the
real estate ring In the city Board Of
Education they could not do better than
| turn their attention to the methods by
which this inner circle of thieves have
enriched themselves aud plunicrcd the
people In the past. Having mastered
these details, they should bend their
energies toward making II impossible
TO repeat these transactions.
The Eagle has recently come into pos.
session of some facts connected with
the adjustment some months ago of
the rentals of the school section tenants
which would astound Mayor Harrison
and others II unfOldcd to them.
The story Of the attempted bluckmall.
Ing of one of these tenants Is partially
given ~ nm illustration of the methods
employed by the organized gang of tax
robbers which has lived AMI fat;cncd
on public plumber In the school board
for years.
The particular tenant referred to held
the lease Of u school section located In
the heart of the business district of this
city. II ran ont with all the others last
year. The property. like all the other
school sections. was leased at u rl,lic,i-
lousy low rent. n,nl there was u public
,lcnand that this property bc reval,ie,l
and the rents rcudjusted 80 rs to bring
them mp to something like their real
value. Instead of doing this. however,
the thieves on the school board arra,ig
rl IN bleed tho tenants AMI barter the
public Interests for such pccuninry cum
s'hrratlOns ns they could wiring out of
the tenants.
How much they got from the others
IL not AMI perhaps never will hr.
known, hut In the particular ease under
discussion the matchmaking gang ran
against u silng.
The amount demanded In coisi,lcla.
ton of releasing the property at the
old rent was $4,000.
That demand was made by the black
mailing ring Of the Board of Education.
aud the agent chosen To conduct the
negotiations was and II to-day prom.
lncnt and leading Democrat of Cool;
County.
This prominent Democrat. whose
name Is In possession of The Eagle,
went personally to tho agent AMI made
the fourteen ho,lsand.dollar touch.
This prominent Democratic pluggcr
II u close personal friend of the man
who for some considerable period has
acted as chief CRATER Of the board
This CRATER II also extensively On
gagged In politics. ana being close 20
litlcnl aud personal friend Of the prom
inent public pluggcr referred to he ask
ed that official to conduct the negOtin
tiOns for the $4,000. promising TO ''lct
him In on the DEAF II successful.
One of these men IL now Il fugitive
from Justice. having left town with q
bag full of public school money.
But this particular school section
tenant was gifted with more than thu
ordinary amount of back bone. III
fatty refused tho official, told him tina
he was In poor business, ana thel
thrcat tened to make the whole unsav
DRY transaction public II the gang n
the School Board attempted to trea
him unfairly.
This counter blast knocked the win,
out of the official In question. lie raj
like u scared deer to the Board of Edu
cation rooms ana there was u grea
consultation by the members of tn,
ring. The whole matter was lrOppe,
like u hot coal by the gangstcrs, an,
the tenants demands were compile,
with in full.
The Salt Lake City judge who as
sessed u confessed polygamist u $40
fine, which, by the way, was prompt
IA IL "a.