Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-01-31
Great scurrying Among the Fat City Hall
Payroll Spiders Is Now the
Result
More Woe for Ingrate's Union in Executive
Body Of the County Central
Committee
Democracy's Strongest Organization Refuses to
Pay Even Tritling Honor to Principal
Jack.in.Ofice.

question. as well as all other matters
involved in the public service of the
city Of Chicago. had been swept away
with one fell swipe of the besom of
Aldermanic independence and the pol
Icy of public progress.
And what Il scurrying around there
was of the fat political spiders who
have for 10 SO many years nestled 80
snugly In this maze of cObwebry.
From the principal spider, all
down to the smallest inhabitant Of
the smallest crack In the City Hall
pay roll. they were lively and active.
They raced about among each other
I'm an agony of desire to do something
to pick up stray thread here ana
there whereby they might resume the
work Of binding the legs Of the travel
ing public In the slumbrOus festoOnery
of the spider administration of Chi.
cagO.
or course. the main pOllcy-the '.get
busy" program--was not forgotten, and
while the main political spider repOsed
In the sanctum sanctOrum Of the pay.
roll headquarters. the stereOtyped invi.
tation to the public fly was sent broad.
cast. won't you step into my par.
lor!"-and urge" me?
~
Among the bitter dIsappointments
which during the past few days have
been dOgging the footsteps OF the City
Hall payroll patriots, one of the worst
attended the effort to capture" the
County Democracy. AZ usual. the
strategic move was accompanied by
much martial music, ana II great beat.
ing Of tOm-toms. II wound up. how.
ever. by huge rattling OF tin cans
tied to the coat tails Of the would-b
captOrs of the Democracy as they scur-
rled In u wild endeavOr to hunt their
burrows.
The canning process was neatly and
most artlstlcally carried out by Messrs.
John Powers ana Robert II. Burke,
the chairman and secretary respective
ly Of the organization In question. On
sunday the payroll boosters made
their first assault upon the great Dem.
| ocratic organization. The plan of at
tack was carefully considered and de-
cided upon In "Carter's" ante.rOOm.
the embryotic statesmen and little tin
NapoleOns OF the present Harrison
movement going over the field and lay
Ing out the campaign with much at
tentiOn to detail. AS usual. however,
1t miscarrled, for there II one thing
which above all others may be said tO
distinguish the conduct OF Harrison
and his payroll brigade In the desper-
ate attempt to hang on to the public
crib, namely laundering tactics, mis-
calculated cOups, and the resultant
fate which the poet tells us SO often
accompanies the plans of mice and
men-they "gang aft aglee." On Sun.
day the payroll patriots marched into
the rooms of the Democracy In the
afternoon confident of their ability to
secure the passage of resolutions that
would be regarded as an Endorsement
OF the Mayors candidacy for re.elec-
tlon. They left the headquarters two
hours later Outwitted and beaten with.
out even having had the courage to at
tegpt to pass the resolutions which
they were so confident of being able
TO have adopted.
senator Powers and Robert T..
Burke, President and Secretary of the
Democracy, simply laughed at the
plight of the payroll men.
| II was the scheme of the Harrison,
ties to have the Mayor invited to lead
| the grand march at the annual ball OF
the Democracy. Under the constltu'
they could not secure the actual In
dorsement OF their candidate, but they
argued that the issuance OF such an In
yitatOn would have the moral effect
of an Endorsement.
| In order that they might muster suf'
fclent strength to secure the passage
of resolutions inviting the Mayor to
the dance there was u marshaling OF
the payroll forces. Commissioner OF
Public Works Block, who has not at
tended more than three meetings OF
the organization in the last year, led
the City Hall forces. There was Il
large attendance from the bridge tend
crs' union, the lamp lighters brigade
the alley inspectors association and
the side inspectors battalion brought
up the rear.
J Many Of those present were not
members Of the Democracy, but Were
counted on to vote as If they We're