Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-11-18
They MADE bad GAS LAWS.
Officers OF Citizens Committee that
FOUGHT the Allen and Gas Bills
Issue an Address 10 the
Voters Of Illinois.

An address has been issued for wide
circulation in this State, giving views
Of the citizens committee which
fought the Allen bill and the gas bills
before the Fortieth General Assembly
at Springfield last year. 1t calls on the
voters to defeat the men who may seek |
reelection to the Legislature in spite |
Of their records on bad measures. The |
address lie signed by the President and |
Secretary Of the committee, and Is as
follows:
To the voters Of Illinois:
Two VIGOROUSLY bad laws passed by |
the Fortieth General Assembly Of ILL.,
nois at the regular session stand out In
glaring relief. They were not party
measures. The members who flocked
to their support were not induced TO do
SO by any fealty which they owed. nor
by any pledges which they had given.
None such. ut least, were known to
their constituents. No party dared to
assume responsibility for these laws.
No public interest demanded them.
The extraordinary privileges which
they conferred were given by the Leg
islature solely in response to the de.
mands OF corporate greed and rapacity.
The influences which induced the men,
bers to forget their duty to their con-
stituents and to the State must have
been most potent and persuasive.
These bills were not passed without
sufficient opportunity to know their
character. The public press had rung
for months with warnings and expos
tulations. Committee after committee
Of public.spirited citizens. with no mo.
tive save to protect the public from
plumber and the State from disgrace.
by public meetings, BY printed pam.
phlets and by arguments to the mem.
bers themselves ut Springfield and at
home. had exposed the revolutionary
and destructive character Of the street
railway and gas bills. Nay, more than
that, when the street railway bills
first came to the House Of Represen-
tatives the enacting clause was strick.
en- out by an overwhelming majority
and the enemies Of the people were
routed and temporarily driven to Gov.
er. Those who voted for these meas.
ures on their final passage sinned
against great light, and they have no
cloak for their sin.
The Ubiquitous gas bill provided for
the wholesale consolidation Of the gus
companies and gas business In any
city In the state. This bill was with.
out shadow OF justification or excuse,
and none was even pretended. 1t was
passed solely at the dictation Of the gas
trust. 1t definitely abrogated all provi.
sions which had been made to secure
competition and protect the rights Of
the people.
The most solemn pledges given by
the different gas companies for these
purposes, and without which they
could never have obtained the privil-
eyes accorded them, have been impu.
IDENTIFY broken by them under the shell.
ter Of this wicked and corrupt law.
The settled and uniform policy Of I'LL.
nois to prevent and punish cOmbina-
tons against public interest was thus
reversed and betrayed by recreant
members Of the Legislature. Let the
people not forget by their fruits shall
ye know them"
It may we'll be that some Of those
whose names follow were guiltless of
corrupt motive In the votes they cast,
but they are found In the very worst
company and In extremely suspicious
circumstances. Possibly some Of them
80 h< uA v nnc
ut work to secure support for these
bills. These guileless innocents, II any
such there be, ought to be kept at
home o. nights by their friends for
their own safety.
The Senators whose names, postOf-
fees and districts are given below
voted for the Allen bill upon Its final
passage. Those whose terms have en-
PRED are given In the first list Of Sena.
expire In 1900 are given farther on:
1-P. V. Fitzpatrick, r., Chicago,
Cook.
&c. H. Crawford, r., Chicago, Cook.
1--John Humphrey, r., Orland, Cook.
Own. J. O'Brlen, D., Chicago, Cook.
ll-Fred Lundin, H., Chicago, Cook.
15-J. J. Morrison, r., Chicago, Cook.
17-Edward ]. Dwyer, r., Chicago,
Cook.
oi--C. NJ. Netterstrom, r., Chicago
Cook.
23-Dan d. Hunt, r., DeKalb, DeKalb.
SD. II. Llttler, r., Springfield, San
CANON.
AR. l.. McKinlay, D., Paris, Edgar
45-H. II. Kingsbury, H., Olney, Rich
land.
AID. II. Sparks, r., Alton, Madison.
Al. A. W!llOughby, r., Bellevllle, st.
Clair.
51-P. T. Chapman, r., Vienna, John
son.
These Senators all voted for the gas
bill except Messrs. KIngsbury, VIII.
oughby and Chapman. Sparks voted
for the frontage and against the con-
solidatlon features of that measure.
The following Senators, whose terms
expire in 1900, voted for the infamous
gas bills:
4-Daniel +. Curley, D., Chicago, Cook
G-Wm. Sullivan, r., Chicago, Cook.
S-Flavel X. Granger, r., McHenry
McHenry.
l0-Delos w. Baxter, H., Rochelle
Ogle.
12-Homer +. Aspinwall, r., Freeport