Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-01-07

flttcpn neU1DeTs VI tne ItSt lhluOiS
Legislature have made affidavit 90 the
fact that they know of their own
knowledge of the use Of money by
Chicago corporation lawyers and their
agents to pass the infamous Gas Con.
soiidation and frontage bill and the
equally infamous Warehouse and Ele-
vator bill.
That there will he an official invest.
cation by the Legislature goes without
saying.
The people Of Chicago are in arms
against the Gas Trust. which Is rob-
hing them right and left by virtue Of
the Infamous law giving II a monopoly.
which was passed by the most bare.
faced bribery.
The farmers and grain dealers Of the
Safe are In arms against the Infamous
warehouse and elevator law. which
was passed through the most bare
laced bribery.
So that the chances for an investi.
CATION are good.
And an investigation will send sew
eral learned gentlemen 10 the States
prison.
Among the witnesses who can be
secured and who will testify are some
who will directly correct the legal
bribers and their go-betweens with the
members of the General Assembly.
1t takes three years to outlaw a
felony, and the three years which
would outlaw these Gas Trust and
Elevator Trust felOnics will not Ike M
before 1900.
So that there Is plenty Of time for
the committee TO meet and bring In its
report and for the grand jury to indict
the legal and other brlbers and to start
them for Joliet before two Of the three
years are over with.
%e(A
Chicago Is one OF the greatest grain
centers of the world, and conditions
here frequently affect prices every
where. We have here large number
Of grain elevators. with storage ca
pacity OF about 100000 bushels OF
wheat. They are chartered by law, and
the owners act as trustees or custodians
Of other peoples grain. The grain Is In
spected by an officer of the State. and
II graded No. I, No. 2, No. 3, as the case
may be, and generally Is sold by this
grading. and all grain of the second
grade Is then poured together, the ware
house man giving receipt for so many
bushels of that particular grade. And
when this receipt is again presented, ht
does not give back the same grain, but
simply so many bushels OF that grade
IL was soon found that all grain Of tho
same grade is not equally good-thert
will be No, wheat almost equal to No
]. and there will be No. . wheat falling
close to No. 3. And in all those cases
where wheat Is sold. not by the grading
but rather by samplc--as for milling
purposes-the best quality sometimes
brings several cents bushcl more thar
the poorer quality, though of the same
grade. The warehouse men saw thai
they could sell by sample the best quail
ity of particular grade ana supply IT.
place by n lower quality of the same
grade and pocket the difference. Thl,
would reduce the average quality of the
whole pile, and In case the owners OF
any OF the pile should wish 10 sell by
sample they would suffer In conse
quence. The elevator owners went into
the business of buying and selling grain
and mixing IL with that Of their custom
ers, a suit was brought to enjoin then
from doing this. Much evidence was
taken, and after a full hearing Judg,
Tuley the Nestor OF the bench Of Chi
cago, granted the injunction on the
grounds, among others, that the eleya
tor owners We're trustees or custodlans
OF other peoples property, that the in
terests OF the public demanded thai
these custodlans should he dlsinterest
cd. and that II would be contrary Il
public morals 10 permit them to stanl
In n position where there would be {
constant temptation for them to change
the character of the property they thus
held In trust; and, second, that II tn,
elevator men We're permitted to act IL
the dual capacity of trustees and deal
ers In grain they would possess such
advantages as would enable them 70
soon drive all other buyers out of the
market and thus give 10 themselves a
monopoly Of the grain trade Of Chicago
and enable them, 10 n certain extent, 10
fix the price Of grain IN the Chicago
market; for they could then, by comb,
nation, agree on the price. and by rea.
s0n OF their enormous storage capacity
they could withhold or throw on TO the
market at any time vast quantities OF