Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-12-27


the taxpayers in particular are asking
is there water meter ring in the City
Hall.
Once aga In the howl for a wholesale
enforcement of u proposed water meter
ordinance has been raised, and the
suspicion that there is a ''nigger in
the wood pile" Is being revived.
what can he back of this deter
mined and continually recurring ef.
fort to force water meters into every
house In Chicago, at enormous eN-
pcnse to the property owners?
Not only Is the expense of purchns.
ing ana installing these water meters
going To cost the property owners
something like u million dollars or per-
haps more, but 1t is going to make an
enormous Increase In the taxes upon
the already overburdened taxpayers
of Chicago.
What IL this water meter crusade for
anyway Who Is to he the beneficiary
of ity
Certainly not the property owners.
taxed to death and receiving nothing
for IL.
Is there Il water meter ring In the
City Hally
II there be. II It not about time fol
the Grand Jury and the states Attor
ney to investigate It?
The ostensible reason advanced fol
the advocacy by representatives of the
administration Of the passage of the
proposed water meter ordinance II that
there II Il wastage of several billions
Of gallons of water every year In this
city from leakage In pipes"
How would the installation of water
meters In the houses Of private proper.
ty owners remedy that!
The Eagle confcsscs 1t cannot figure
out how 1t could. and neither can any
body outside of the special plcadcrs for
the ordinance in question.
Every citizen of Chicago who has re-
sided here for any length OF time
knows that this city has the finest
water system In the world. 1t has
also the greatest and finest water sup.
ply ever provided by the beneticent
hand of Providence. True the supply
has been contaminated, but that Is the
fault of another system.
Everybody knows also that the wa.
ter system of Chicago has from the
start not only been self-sustainng, In,
actually n great source OF revenue to
the city. 1t Is known to all who have
paid any attention to municipal af
fairs that the water fund has In IN,
past been Illegally seized ana used fol
purposes for which IL was not intend
ed. Time ana again 1t has been use,
Ia boost up the funds devoted to Othel
departments whose principal function
seems To have been, from time i'm
memorial the maintenance of an arm!
of tax eaters. The pay roll ana III,
tax eater have been more than once
in the past the main benefciaries ol
the great annual water fund surplus
The present system has been con
structed and maintained under tn,
frontage taxation system. What, then
the property owners naturally ask, 1,
the necessity for this new scheme foi
wringing additional taxation out oi
property owners for their water SUP,
ply?
Is il Ia aid In paving the streets?
lf 80, II iS an Illegal procedure, and
the property owners are up In open
protest all over the city against any
scheme which tends 10 dump any more
taxes Into the mOrasscs which do duty
FOR thOrOughfarcs In Chicago.
l. II 10 give additional lights on the
street corners;
Th"r" i money enough M hand foI
this purpose, aud the efficient head oi
the city lighting department, Mr.. Eli,
colt, j. doing excellent work in this re-,
gard. Besides, the citizens would moi
Kick If portion Of the proposed in,
crease In taxation found its way into
this department, but il wouldn't.
Neither would IL go 10 Increase the
efficiency of the Police and Fire De,
parrmcnts.
This, at least, Is the belief of the
property owners.
Would II 20 simply to increase the
pay rolls II there a ''mCtcr ring" IN
tie CITY Hall back of II. who have
ideas Of their own in the mattcrE
II T. these questions which impcl Tho
property owners and taxpayers Of Chi
cagO 10 inquire what the States At
tOrncy and the Grand Jury are going
Ia do In the mattcrf