Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-10-29

the city administration. which ii il
the hope of these Interested parties. in.
Guiding certain dailics. will he in IN.
ture dominated and dictated to by
themselves.
Now. none of these facts are set
forth or even limited at in the PROPOSE.
ton as it will he printed on the official
ballot and submitted to the voters.
1t is presented under the guise of
great reform which Is to take Chi
cago out of its swaddling clothes and
array her in the garb of a ful.grown
metropolis.
What 1t will really do IL adopted.
Is this:
Ii will enormously increase taxes.
bankrupt thousands of small property
owners and knock whatever little life
there is left In real estate property In
Chicago completely out of 1t.
ChicagO's bonded Indebtedness is
now. we repeat, restricted to ) per
cent of its property valuation. There
IL nothing In this amendment to show
that 1t would not permit the city to he
bonded to 100 per cent of its valua.
ton. Any increase would he u hard.
ship to the already OvcrtaXcd proper.
ty owners. and II an increase he an.
thorlzed IL Is sure to be Il substan.
tial one.
1t has been the policy for some
time past to devise and put into exc.
cution every possible scheme to wiring
more taxes out OF the unfortunate
property owners of this city. From the
to compel the taxpayers to pay six
million dollars for machines to increa 81
their own taxation. all along the line
down to minor plans for leasing spaces
under sidewalks. etc. the general
trend seems to he to grind the last
dollar out Of the property owners.
The new charter amendment comes.
not In the shape of the proverhial last
straw. but rather In that of n vcrltablc
threatened avalanche of taxation.
The affairs of the Sanitary District
have been efficiently and economical.
~ conducted by the administrative
bodies created by the Legislature
which created the district. Why they
should be taken away from such
bodies and vested in the city admins
traton, nobody outside those engaged
in the scheme can answer, although
some of us have our suspicious.
The North AMI West Park systems
are in control of State Boards, aud
they should be allowed to remain there,
FOR the city seems. in all conscience,
to have all 1t can do to attend to the
various duties which it now has
charge Of.
Another idea which seems to he In.
vOlved In this proposition Is the abOl'
ishment of justice courts. This may
sound all very well as a catch cry,
popular for the moment; but when we
come to examine 1t closely 1t loses
much of its glamOr.
While we admit that there are some
justices Of the peace who are dis.
grace to the office, ana whose practices
should be sufficient grounds for de-
priving them of their commissions, 1t
II nevertheless n fact that the great
body of the justices of the peace Of
Chicago are capable. honorable men.
To abolish the entire justice system
would work great hardships on the
people
The justice shop Is the poor mans
n ~ Ia. hn
means To set the machinery of the up
per courts into operation may get re-
dress for grievances under the law.
Merchants and business men can, by
legal process, collect their debts with
out involving heavy and expensive llti-
cation, ana in a hundred and one ways
the course of justice can he facilitated
NJ comparatively small cost, The
police courts. everyone will admit, are,
as they are now constituted, admins
tered admirably. To abolish the whole
system, because few unworthy men,
beers base occasionally obtained admiS-
sion To II. would be nOnSensical as well
ms outrageous. If the law can be
amended so as to make the irregular
practices referred 10 sufficient, on
proof nf them, to deprive the offender
Of his commission, well and good; but
that il very different proposition
from aboIishlng the system altogether
Thus, from start to finish, the pro-
posed charter amendment Is a nui-
sance to the public a most pernlclous
and one deserving of most
emphatic rejection.
Vote mo" on the charter PROPOSE.
ton.