The independent., 1903-04-16
MAJORITY RULE VICTORY
Questioning Candidate saves the Day In
Chicago

CnlcaSO
Especial to the Nebraska Indepen-
dent by the National Federation for
Majority Rule.)
In the Chicago election last Tues
day. there was great victory for ma
jority rule The question was two
fold: Shall the common council re-
new the street railway franchise be-
fore the legislature provides an en-
abling act for municipal ownership"
and, OF more importance, Shall the ac-
tion of the common council be referred
to the people for final decision?
Mayor Harrison, who has stood be-
tween the people and the renewal OF
the franchises without submission to
popular vote, and who was nominated
for the fourth term, said No. The
republican nominee, Graeme Stewart,
a successful business man, but the rep
resentative Of the republican machine
and the monopolists, said No. The
issue, however, was not thus pre-
sented in the republican platform nor
by the republican nominee. Mayor
Harrison, however, emphasized the
real issue, and he was supported by
Clarence Darrow and many other OF
the Altgeld democracy. Daniel l..
Cruice, ex-president of the Illinois
Referendum league, worked against
the peoples cause by accepting
third-party nomination.
The vote stands: Harrison 1923;
Stewart 1895; Cruice 9,999; Brecon,
socialist, 11,212; Hams, prohibition,
2,4S4; Sale, socialist later, 1,O62.
Not only was Mr.. Cruice in the field
against Mayor Harrison, but there was
a split with the Bobby Burke faction.
The situation is thus described by Mr..
Lahiff, one of the campaign managers:
"Instead Of being surprised that the
plurality was rot larger, the surprise
really is that we won at all, consider
ing the treachery against our ticket
of men who made vast fortunes out
of the democratic party; considering
also the hundreds of thousands of
dollars spent on behalf of the opposite
ticket by the corporations whose OBJ
ject was to steal the streets and con-
troll by bribery and corruption all pub
lie utilities for the next twenty-five
years. A feature of the fight that
should be noted was the activity of
the younger element of the party. The
young democrats were recognized in
the management Of the campaign to
an extent that was never approached
in any former fight, and these young
men will, am sure, take off their
coats now and tackle the work of
building up superb organization"
Twenty-Five of the 35 aldermen
elected, are pledged as fcS.ows by the
Illinois Referendum league:
Il hereby pledge myself to be gov
erned in all my official actions by the
will of the people as expressed by the
majority voting the Little Ballot
therefore ! will oppose the passage
of any ordinance for the settlement of
the traction question unless the same
shall have been submitted to the vot-
ers of Chicago and shall have been ap.
proved by majority of those voting
thereon"
This is the pledge of more than a
majority elected this year, including
Mayor Harrison. And a majority of
the aldermen who held over are
pfCuSCu. IHcy WCIc plcuSSu ldSL year
by the Chicago federation for major
ity rule. The pledge is that they will
obey the mandate of the people as ex-
pressed by the Little Ballot" These
pledges, combined with the mayors
veto, which it takes two-thirds vote
to override, insures the people of Chi
cago referendum vote on the settle
ment Of the traction question
The questioning of candidates, last
year and this, has been one of the
means whereby the traction question
has beer reserved for a referendum
vote. Without the questioning of can
dldates the monopolists would have
won. 1t prevented the monopolists
from securing a two-thirds majority
over the mayors veto. The question
did not get to where the mayor had to
use his veto, for the monopolists knew
their strength.
The way the candidates came to be
questioned is now an interesting bit
of history.
About month before the alder
manic election of last year Mr.. Geo.
H. Shibley of Washington, D. c.,
chairman of the National Federation
for Majority Rule, was passing
through Chicago and found that al