Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-03-28
JOIN E. OWENS.
From the Chicago Law Journal:

|
cago. 1t shows in n nutshell two
things: First. that the City of Chi
cago should repair the streets and side
walks without any further t.ifiing:
and. second. that the City Attorney
has shown eminent ability In the dis
charge of his duties. Two classes of
citizens are Interested in this report
the party injured and the citizens who
pay the taxes. Both of them suffer
and between them stands the City, At
torney who represents the city. When
the average taxpayer reads that suits
have been brought against the city In
1902. aggregating SIo.00O.00O. he is
astounded. He knows that the num-
Der of suits will multiply unless some
radical action Is taken by the city at
once to remedy the present deplorable
condition of the streets and sidewalks.
The City Attorney must defend nc-
tions resulting from the neglect of the
street Department. the head of which
declares he IL powerless to remedy
the existing evil for lack of funds.
While do not agree with Mr.. Owens
In his political views. I must frankly
admit that as City Attorney he has
treated the bar with courtesy. has
shown great ability and decision of
character. tried most of his own cases
and has saved the city from large
judgments in personal injury cases by
getting the Judges to adopt separate
city calendars. From his standpoint
this Is u good stroke and has put n
quietus on the bringing of many suits
and has made 1t possible to reduce the
average size of judgments against the
city to less than Onc.half what they
formerly were.
The average Judgment against the
city in 1890 was Sl.5I7I.4G; In 1901.
S1.610.JG: In 1892. SIG3Ai.,i6 %: In
1893. S167I.34 In 1894. S1.15S.I1: IN
1895. $1.222.OO: In 1896. S1.O41.OO; In
1897. $1.124OO; In 1898. S02SOO: in
1900. $1.132.OO; In 1909. S0I1.OO: in
1901. $4,000: In 1902 owens admin.
istration). $64S.OO.
stretched point by allowing the max
ing of special city calendars; but the
situation was u serious one and called
for an extreme remedy. II the 49,
suits tried by Owens In 1902 had been
tried as suits were tried In 1894 where
the average Judgment was Sl.1jS.I1,
the total amount of the judgments for
1902 would have been 1.I0S, 1865 In.
stead of $5l0,05O.OO. This separate.
calendar-move was saving I'm itself tO
the city of S91S. la5.6S-almost one
million dollars. This was u great
stroke for the City Attorney and u
blow to the business of many personal
calcn,lar-system cannot he defended
and II adopted as to. other corpora.
lions would he u menace to the rights
of lltlgants In Chicago. When upwards
of one hundred cases are placed on Il
! city trial calendar and called cOnsccu.
lively. the litigant whose ease II not
at the top of the calendar cannot eX
, pect even fair Judgment because tn,
jurics who sit alternately soon begii
to think that II they render ordinar!
sized ver,licts the city will soon be
come bankrupt. II the same results
would follow In case the traction com
pnnics succeeded In having special
: trial calls made there would he u gen
eral uprising Of the Chicago bar. II
Is possible that II special calendars
were made In traction eases the pre-
, sentatiOn of the evidence ms to the
neglect of the companies might enrag1
the juries ana hence the attorneys fol
4 traction companies have not yet dared
D.. to suggest this cause.
) rs II not time that some action was
| taken by the Street Department OF
. the City of Chicago to render til,
streets ana sidewalks safe when Il
appears that there are now more per
, sonal injury eases pending against the
City Of Chicago than against the cities
Of New York. st. Louis. Minneapolis
Boston. Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Den
:. YER and Omaha? In fact. New York
), has less than LOO personal injury
, eases pending against II. and all the
other cities mentioned I30. making IN
: all about 1900 eases. while Chicago
had pending against 1t on Jan. I. 1908
2,324 cases. II judgments In these
u 2,324 cases We're entered for $1,I5S.OO
the average Judgment for 1894. these
judgments would aggregate $4.OSl,
$4,000. nnd II judgments We're entered
In these eases for the lowest average
to wit. $ti4S.OO. still the Judgment,
would amount to S1.6O5. 052.OO
= "Since 1893 the number OF persona
4 injury cases have been rapidly multi
plying against the City of Chicago
The number OF such suits pending
!, against the city Jan. l, 1898. We're lI
, on Jan. I. 1894. 1O5: on Jan. I, 1898
: 800; on Jan. l, 1896. 1876; on Jan. I
1897. no: on Jan. l, 1898. Nl: on Jan
I. 1890. 1,115: on Jan. l. 1000. 1.5l4
, on Jan. !, 1901. 1850: on Jan. !, 1902
300; on Jan. l. 1903, 2.324. As thu
Street ana Sidewalk Department neg
, lected its duty the city was made Il
. pay more In judgments than woul'
have laid the best cement sidewalks
In the greater part of the city.
"When it be considered that thu
Y City Attorney IL only a young mal
$ little over one year In office ana still
i under 30 years of age, ana dispose,
of So suits, where the total dam
ages amounted to $510,95O.OO. ana I'll,