Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-01-06


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 1
address Is 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 az the regular session stand out Ill
-larlrG relief. They were not party |
measures. The members who flocked |
10 their support were not induced to do |
so 10y any fcalty 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
Tie extraordinary privileges when
they conferred were given by the Leg
is,aturc solely in response to the de-
mands of corporate greed and rapacity.
The influences which induced the mem.
bers to forget their duty TO their con-
s,ituents and TO the State must nave
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 ana expos
tulations. Committee after committee
of public-Splrited citizens. with no mo-
tive save to protect the public from
p,under and the State from disgrace.
by public meetings. by printed PAM
phlets and by arguments TO the men,
bers themselves at Springfield ana at
home. had exposed the revolutionary
and destructive character of the street
railway and gas bills. Nay. more than
that. when the street railway DIS
first came to the House of Represen-
tatives the cnact!ng clause was strick-
en- ont By an overwhelming majority
and the enemies of the people We're
routed and temporarily driven to GOV.
er. Those who voted for these meas.
ures on their final passage sinncd
against great light, and they have no
cloak for their sin.
The in!oultous gas bill provided for
III. wholesale consolidation of the gas
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 dlctatlon of the gas
trust. 1t definitely abrogated all proVi-
slons which had been made TO secure
competition and protect the rights oil
the people.
The most solemn pledges given by
the different gas companies FOR these
purposes, and without which they
could never have obtained the prlvll-
eyes accorded them, have been !mpu-
dent.y broken by them under the shell
ter of this wicked and corrupt law.
The settled and uniform policy OF III
nols to prevent and punish combina'
lions 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
II may we'll be that some OF those
whose names follow were gulltless or
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
were even not aware of the influences
ut work 10 secure support for these
bills. These gulleless innocents, II any
such there be, ought 10 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 It's final
passage. Those whose terms have eX'
plrcd are given in the first list of Sena-
tors. The names OF those whose terms
expire In 1900 are given farther on:
I-P. V. Fitzpatrick, r., Chicago
Cook.
&c. II. Crawford, r., Chicago, Cook
John Humphrey, r., Orland, Cook
OWN. ]. O'Br!en, d., Chicago, Cook
ll-Frcd Lundln, r., Chicago, Cook.
I5-J. ]. Morrison, r., Chicago, Cook
I7-Edward j. Dwyer r., Chicago
Cook.
&c. NJ. Netterstrom, r., Chicago
Cook.
29-Dan ID. Hunt, r., DeKalb, DeKalb
BOD. T. Litter, T., Springfield, San
CANON.
43-R. l.. McKlnlay, D., Paris, Edgar
45-H. Il. K!ngsbury, r., Olney, Rich
land.
AID. Il. Sparks, r., Alton, Madison
49-J. a. Willoughby, H., Bellevllle, 81
Clair.
SIP. T. Chapman, r., Vienna, John
son.
These Senators all voted for the ga
bill! except Messrs. Kngsbury, VII!
oughby and Chapman. Sparks vote
for the frontage and against the con
sOlldatlon features Of that measure.
The following Senators, whose term
expire In 1900, voted for the infamOu
gas bills:
i-Danlel /. Curley, D., Chicago, Cool
G-Wm. sullivan, r., Chicago, Cook.
s-Flayel X. Granger, r., McHenry
McHenry.
i0-De.Os W. Baxter, r., Rochelle
Ogle.
lo-Homer +. Asplnwall, r., Freepor
Stephenson.
l4-Henry II. Evans, r., Aurora, Kane