Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-23
WESTERN OUTLOOK
Mayor Of Chicago Talks Big Talk
About His Town.
CAN Find NOTHING TO CRlfICISE
Ex-senator Dubois is Also Per-
fectIy Satisfied With Idaho.
RICH FARMS AND MINES

Copyrighted 1899, by Frank q. Carpenter.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
e POCATELIIO, Idaho. December 10. 1889.
Within the past week 1 have had inter-
views with two of the leading young poll
ticians of the west. One was Carter H.
Harrison, the mayor of Chicago, the other
was former Senator Fred. T. Du Bots of
Idaho. I met Carter Harrison in the
mayors office in the city hall of Chicago.
The day was rainy and Chicago was dirty.
tramped through dirty streets into dirty
building and was taken to third or fourth
floor in a dirty little elevator, and thence
to the mayors Office, which was compare
lively clean. The mayor was not present
when 1 arrived, and as 1 waited the thirty
odd mayors of Chicago's past, all gray
haired and almost all gray bearded, looked
down upon me from the wall.
In a short time the mayor entered He
did not seem half the age of any man
upon the wall. and the bluff off-hand way
in which he shook hands. was typical of
Chicago. Ny first question. of course. re-
lated to the city. How is Chicago? Does
it still grow, and how many people have
you now? You always ask these questions
OF a Chicago man. 1t gives him a chance
to say at the start what you know he is
1t saves time. The mayor was by no means
backward in answering.
He put his thumbs In the armholes of
his vest, gripped his cigar between his
teeth and leaned back as he replied. I'VE
have now 100000 population"
But. Mr.. Mayor, l mean Just how many
people have you in reality: what would
an actual house to house count show
forth?'
''Oh. If you wish to be exact I should
say We have about g 100000. We are grow
ing so fast that we have given up counting
the odd hundred thousands"
What is Chicago's percentage of
growth
We have grown about 100 per cent with
in the past ten years. This is the rate at
which We are growing now"
DO You think that rate will continue?'
Il have no doubt of it. We will probably
have 100000 in 1910; in 1920 we will have
100000. l really believe we are as big as
New York now. But that municipality has
swollen itself by taking in all outdoors
Chicago will soon be the biggest city of this
hemisphere. and, eventually, the biggest
city in the world"
What Chicago Wants of Uncle Sam.
''What are the sources of Chicaeo's
growth?" I asked
1T Is the center of the biggest country
on the globe replied Mayor Harrison TT
has millions of people tributary to it, and
1t IS so situated as to water and land
transportation that it will always grow
Take our drainage canal: this some day
Will be a part of a ship canal to the Mis-
sissippi river. 1t has already cost US $40
100000, and we will give it to Uncle Sam
II he will put little money on it and
deepen it so as to make it ship canal
from the lake to the Mississippi
What do You mean by little money!"
l asked.
oh. five million, or perhaps ten million
dollars. replied the young mayor, as
though the sums were mere bagatelles. ''It
would pay the government to give us thirty
million dollars or fifty million dollars for
that purpose. When that canal is built we
shall be an ocean port and ships of fifteen
and eighteen feet will come right from the
sea up through the Gulf of Mexico and the
made our canal forty miles long and TWEEN
ty-tive feet deep. 1t will take only lit
tie dredging and some work TO do the
balance"
But those are big sums. Mr. Mayor"
said /. 81 doubt whether It will pay
Pay. said the mayor. 1T would pay
enormously as a commercial proposition
1t would reduce freight rates all over the
west. The railroad would have to come
down. and it would give a vast outlet for
our products to the sea. 1t would be of
great value from military standpoint. As
it is now by our treaties with England we
can only have one war vessel on the great
lakes at a time. England Is restricted in a
similar way. but in the event of war it
could send its ships up the st. Lawrence
aud the Welland canal, and our lake cities
would be at their mercy. With our canal
we could bring our boats up the Missis-
sippt and into Lake Michigan
What II is to BE Chicago's Mayor
How about candidates? You have been
mentioned as possible nominee for the
presidency
Il am not candidate in any sense of the
word replied Mayor Harrison. II don't
want any office under heaven except the
one l am now in"
You have a high idea Of the mayorship,"
said L.
Indeed I have" replied Mr.. Harrison. "r
consider that the mayor of Chicago holds
the fourth, or perhaps the third place
OF honor In the United States First
comes the President; second, the Spaakar
of the House Of Representatives at Wasa-
ington; third the governor of New York.
and, fourth. the mayor of Chicago. am
not quite sure but that the mayor of Chi
cago should rank higher than the governor
of New York. He has more to do. He nas
more power and can accomplish more
W NAT is the condition of your city to-
day." | asked.
Chicago is In as good a condition as any
city in the United States" was the replv
cil?" '''e oouii-
THE boodlers are now the underdogs in
our municipal fight. The majority Is
against them and they can do nothing.
Our politics here are now as pure as they
are anywhere"
What does it cost you to run Chicago
Mr.. Mayor?" said /.
About s1s,o0o,000 a year." was the re-
ply.
Eighteen million dollars is million and
a half month. Mr.. Mayor; that is fifty
thousand dollars a day. Isn't that a good
deal to spend on one town."
NO. Not for such a town." replied
Mayor Harrison. 'It should be more.
City Government and the Car Lines.
What do you think Of the new ideas Of
city government, should Chicago own its
own street car Hnes?"
Il think 1t should" said Mayor Harrison.
1t should own the street car. the electric
light and gas plart. and also the telephone.
/ wish 1 could see some way for the city
to get hold of them"
How about owning the newspapers?
Some of the European cities, such as Dres-
den. own such things"