Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-03-04
tle. but which are suppressed TEN.


porarily. 49,.
The history of the passage Of the gas
frontage iniquity IL the history Of
crime.
BY the lavish use Of money this scan.
dalous measure was rushed through |
the General Assembly In 1895.
Peculiar a Governor as Altgeld was. |
the actions of the corruptionists who
were behind the Infamous gas law |
were so bold and so open that the then |
Governor vetoed ii In the following |
message:
state of Illinois. Executive Office, June
10. 1895.
To the Honorable. the Gentlemen of
the Senate:
| herewith return. without my mp.
proval. Senate Bill No. 1862. being "An
act to amend section Of An act In
relation to the consolidation of incor.
porated companies. approved March
.. 1861"
Tsis bill provides for the consolida.
tlon Of any number Of corporations or
gahized for the same. or similar, gen.
eral purposes. UNDER 1T. ALL COR
PORATIONs ENGAGED IN THE
| SAME GENERAL LINE OF BUS1.
NESS CAN CONSOLIDATE. AND
THUS LEGALLY FORM A MONOP-
OILY.
If this bill or any existing law, made
provision for adequately protecting the
public In all such cases, then I would
not hesitate to sign II. for 1t has been
my desire TO cooperate with the Cen
cral Assembly as far as possible; BUT
FOR THE STATE TO DELlBER-
ATELY LEGALlZE MONOPOLY.
AND MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO PRO
VISION FOR PROTECTING THE
PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS FROM EN-.
TORTIONS AND OPPRESS1ONS,
WOULD BE 4 CRIME.
JOHN p. ALTGELD.
Governor.
On motion of Senator Crawford, the
consideration Of the bill ana Of the
veto message was made a special order
for June IL Mt IL n. m, when action
was again postponed until June 13.
again until June IL. when after rend.
Ing Of the journal It was then post.
poned for one hour, then postponed un.
til 4 D. M, when, on motion Of Mr..
Crawford Il was ordered to lie on the
table.
@e
"The price Of gas In Chicago Will be
advanced TO 80 per 1000 feet on July
4. 1Sg9." said man close to the Gas
Trust the other day.
"What Il the object Of the raiser"
was asked him.
What Is the object? Well, that's
good. The object Of the raise will be
to make money, Of course, and make
as much of II as possible.
"rhe people will have to stand It or
60 without gus
"You don't suppose the Gas Trust
spent s25O,OOO to buy the Legislature
for nothing, do your
1.-THE Gas Trust II not charitable
organization.
1T paid out $3.50, 900 In bribe money
to induce the last Legislature to make
It a present Of the consolidation and
frontage measure.
This measure gave the Gas Trust
legal authority to consolidate the Va.
rious companies into q big one, and to
form a monopoly that would last for
ever.
"You don't suppose for moment
that the gas companies consolidated for
the purpose Of keeping down the price
Of gas. do you?
"YOu don't suppose for moment
that the gas companies consolidated
for the purpose Of lowering the price
to consumers?
III you do you must be pretty green.
"The Gas Trust procured the passage
Of the consolidation and frontage meas
ures 50 that II could make more money
and pay bigger dividends by raising the
price Of the commodity per 1000 feet.
"The company needs money.
"Most Of Its mains and street pipes
throughout the city are either honey
, cOmbed by electr0lysis or are rotten
and worthless. These must be re-
, placed.
. "A million must be spent for other
needed improvements.
| H0u tnere Deen no cOusOuuutiOu uIu
frontage law these Improvements
would have been paid for by the stock
holders, because the certainty Of com
petition would have prevented an In
crease In the charge to consumers.
"The consolidation and frontage law
however, gives The Trust free and
open field. II will raise the price OF
gas TO SO per 1000 feet July !, 1900
mark my words for 1t.
"Why wait until July i? Well, any.
one ought to know the reason for that
. BY July the present Legislature will
have adjourned. ana we have no fear
that the skates In this aggregation of
doughheads will interfere with the
. frontage law. Waiting until they ad'
jOurn before raising the price of Gas
b. gives us cinch on that proposition
/. II the price was raised now there would
be howl, ana the tattooed men might
/. bother us. But we will wait until the
cheap boys get through and then we
r will raise our limit to SO per thousand
feet In Chicago"