Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-04-08
It Would Permit the Firemen, Policemen
and School Teachers to
Go Unpaid
In Order that It's Rapacity for Coin Could
Be Fully and Instantly
Satisfied.
The Aldermen, to Their Credit Be It Said,
Refused to Be Bull
dozed.

The new city attorney should enforce
the following resolution passed by the
City Council:
Resolved, That the City Attorney
be and he is hereby directed to in.
stitute proceedings to test the constitu.
tionality Of the act Of the Legislature
permitting the consolidating of gas
companies. and also annul the act of
consolidation Of the Consumers Gas
Company, the Peoples Gas Light and
Coke Company and the Equitable Gas
Company, for the reason that these
companies in consolidating under the
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.
%6A
Commenting upon this most neces-
sary action by the City Council. the
CHICAGO RECORD OF SATURDAY,
NAY IL, 1898. SAID:
aid. Biganc was not elected as n
reformer. Nevertheless he offered In
the Council Monday evening a set Of
resolutions that may he made to work
for the relief Of Chicago from the grasp
OF the lighting corporations. Probably
some OF the aldermen were taken by
surprise or they would not have allow
ed the resolutions to get past the stage
where they could be used for sandbag.
cling purposes. But the resolutions
were adopted, and now need only the
signature Of the Mayor to make them
effective.
THE resolutions call attention to the
benefits Of municipal ownership Of tho
city water works and suggest possible
benefits to come from municipal owner.
ship Of the lighting service. They EN-.
power the Mayor to appoint q commit.
tee Of nine to investigate and report
upon the experience OF other cities with
municipal ownership Of lighting plants
and to agitate for State legislation that
will enable the municipality to furnish
light to Its citizens. As Mayor Harri.
son IL known to be In favor Of the eX.
tension Of the functions Of the munic.
ipality In the direction Of a larger de-
gree Of public ownership 1t Is to be
presumed he will sign the resolutions,
unless he finds some serious objection
TO their form. BY doing 30, and by up.
pointing q first-class committee to car
~ out the purpose Of the resolutions.
he will do much to prepare the way for
q proper solution Of the lighting prob.
lem in Chicago.
THE LIoHrINa COMPANIES OF CHI
CAoo, ESPECIALLY THE GAS eoMPANIRs,
HAVE TREATED THE PUBLIC MOST
THANKFULLY. THEY SECURED FRAN.
CHIsEs UPON THE EMPRESS STIPULATION
THAT THEY WOULD NOT COMBINE, but
WOULD COMPETE WITH ONE ANOTHER
THEY PROCEEDED, HOWEVER, TO FORM
4 TRUST IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW
AND THEN, TO AVOID EMBARRAssMENr
HAD THE LEGISLATURE PASS AN ACT
LE6ALIzING THEIR STATUS. MORE THAN
THAT, THEY HAD THE LEGISLATURE
PASS ANOTHER ACT MAKING ANY FUR
TIER COMPETITION WITH THEM PRAC'
TIcALLY IMPOSSIBLE. JUST BEFORE
THESE LAWS WENT INTO EFFECT An
OFFER MADE BY REsroNsIBLE PER
SONS TO FURNISH LIGHr UPON TERMs
MUCH MORE FAVORABLE TO CONSUMERS
AND THE CITY THAN THE TRUST MAIN
TAIN. THE AGENTS OF THE TRUST PRE-
VENTED TIE PASSAGE OF THE oRDI
NANCE,
Evidently the only relief from thu
situation is in extending the function.
OF the municipality. The city has
municipal electric lighting plant, whicl
the Mayor and Council, very wisely
have taken steps TO enlarge. Upon Sc
curing the proper authority from th'
Legislature the city plant could be still
further enlarged and used in furnish
ing light to private consumers, just q!
the city furnishes water 10 citizens. II
the course Of time the city might yer.
well 90 further and take over the ex
listing lighting plants and thus contro
the entire lighting service Of the city
"A move 10 secure from the Leg!sla
ture authority for municipalities Il
furnish light 10 private consumer
would meet with hearty cooperation
from the smaller cities Of the State
Many Of them have electric llghtin'
plants for furnishing public light. The.
could just as Well as not furnish llgh
10 their citizens, and frequently hay
sought from the Legislature the priv
lege OF so doing, but without success
In several neIghboring States cite
having municipal plants are allowed L
sell light. The cities OF Illinois, espe
cIally the smaller ones, should be glvel
this same privilege. IL Mayor Harrison