Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-05-31
Pointed Questions Asked Regarding the Trans
actions Of Public Bodies and Of
Political Leaders.
Gossip Of the City and Of the Country
Forms the Subject Of Com.
munications.

Chicago Eagle. May 20:
Dear Sir-ln this afternoons edition
of the Daily News find the following
from the pen Of Mr.. james Boyle. the
American consul In Liverpool:
Liverpool Is one of the foremost
cities In municipal socialism. 1t owns
the waterworks Zone Of the best sys-
TENS In the world: 1t operates the
street ears: II supplies the electric light
ana power: II has one of the largest and
best public bath systems anywhere and
proposes to erect the finest Turkish
bath In Europe: IL provides public laun.
dries for the poor districts; II furnishes
flowers ana plants for the windows In
the slums; II sells stcrilized humanized
milk for the children of the poor at cost
price; IL has u salarled Orgnnlst to play
Its famous municipal organ: Il gives
municipal lectures-nnd all these I'm ad.
ditiOn to the usual undertakings OF
municipalities, such rs parks with con.
certs. technical schools, etc. But the
greatest socialistic undertaking by the
Liverpool municipality is that OF pro.
viding dwellings for the very poor. the
dispOssessed tenants Of demolished In.
sanitary dwellings Of the slums."
| With Mr.. BOyle's beatltic picture of
Liverpool. do not care to dwell at
much length. because II is evidently the
production Of man ignorant Of the
subject upon which he speaks. He
talks about great number Of public
gifts Of which the municipal govern.
ment Of Liverpool II supposed to he the
fairy godmother. but Its municipal
water supply Is the only proposition
worthy OF the notice Of man Of ma
turc mind ana judgment. have no hes.
itatiOn In saying that ChicagO's water
system absolutely discounts that of
Liverpool by 30 per cent In point Of ex'
cellence.
hut Il word on the other side Of the
case.
The poor In Liverpool live In squalor
that the average American mind can
hardly comprehend. In London It IL the
same. So In all the great English cities,
To gain an Idea one should read Dick.
ems.
TO come back to the general PROPOSE
tiOn. viz, American municipal govern
ment versus British municipal govern,
ment, as discussed by the Daily News
apropOs of BOyle's manifesto.
The News says:
Liverpool does not stand alone IN
this matter, by any means. Cities like
Birmingham, Sheffield. Glasgow and
London are performing important mu
nicipal service by which the strong and
influential citizens show their cOnvic
tiOn that their fellow citizens must be
assisted, not exploited. These munich
pal undertakings are almost uniformly
successful. Why? Consul Boyle gives
the reason In a few words: Speaking
generally, municipal government IN
Great Britain Is honest, intelligent and
energetic, ana as Il rule politics has but
little to do with the engagement or re-
tentiOn of civic employees
This statement made In u sweeping
free-fOr-all kind OF way by the News
IL enough to make patriotic citizens
eyes water. II IL 80 unfair ana untrue
l will take the case of London, invOlv
ing the biggest city ana the biggest liz
In the bunch. ana tell the editor OF
the Daily News las for Boyle he Is only
n spOils job holder ana unworthy OF
special notice. II few things on whicl
he Is apparently not posted.
In the first place, the sO-called civi'
government of London or of any Other
great city or community In the British
Isles, Is not purely n civic government
so-called, hut Is really under the jurls
dicti0n ana control of the national gov
ernment. The House of Commons OK
erclses supervisory control of every
important public Improvement In Lon
don and nothing outside of n measure
such as to provide II new coat of var
nish for the Lord Mayors coach, caI
he done without an act of Parliament
in the Metropolis of the World"
The "NletropOlis of the World" by
the way, Is composed of II multifariou'
number of towns, cities and burghs
each of which Is In the main owned by
some plutocrat or landocrat. while thu
whole aggregation Is controlled by I
number OF plutocrats ut large who ar'
the landlords of enormous tracts run
ming all over the immense territories
covered by the numerous communities
constituting the City of London.
Under the influence of these auto
Gratis, the common peOple-the working