The Penn's Grove record., 1905-04-07
dunno WINS IN CHICAGO
Municipal Ownership Candidate Elect
ed yLarge Majority.
RECEIVES PLURALITY OF 24,248

Statements by the Republican and Demo.
cratic Candidates-Mayor-Elect Says
Expert Engineers Will Survey All
City's Railways and Soon One Will
Operate Unde City Management.
Chicago, I%ll.-John Maynard Harlan.
who had won four successive biennial
fights of independents against the reg
ular Republican organization, met de-
feat in the Mayoralty election.
Judge Edward f. Dunno was elected
by a plurality of 24,249, and received a
majority of 945 of all the votes cast.
He also had the distinction of receiv-
ing the greatest vote ever cast in Chi
cago for a candidate for the office of
Mayor, the figures being 161, $50 votes
out of a total of 322,373. Mr.. Harlan.
the Republican candidate, received
137,411. Collins, the Socialist candi-
date, 20,323, and Stewart, Prohibition,
29SO.
John Il. Smulski, the Republican can
didate for City Attorney, was re-elect-
ed over his Democratic opponent by
nearly 10000 votes. The other candi-
dates on the Democratic city ticket
were elected by pluralities somewhat
smaller than Judge Dunno. Frederick
w. Block was elected City Treasurer
and Adrian G. Arson City Clerk.
Mr.. Harlan listened to the returns at
the Republican headquarters. AS
early as 7.30 he acknowledged defeat
and left for his home.
THE people of Chicago" he said,
became infatuated with the idea of
immediate municipal ownership. and
the majority of them cast their votes
that way. l believed and still believe
that our plans for the settlement of
the traction question are the best. but
the people thought differently and
voted in accordance with their convic-
tons. There is nothing much that can
be said about my defeat; the figures
tell the whole story
Party lines and personalities or can
didates were entirely forgotten in the
election" said Judge Dunno. "Muni-
cipal ownership was the one great is
sue before the people of Chicago. and
the returns now show very plainly
how the majority of the people of Chi
cago stand toward the private owner
ship of public utilities. 1t is the great
est victory municipal ownership ever
won in this country.
Every pledge that / made during
the campaign will be solemnly kept.
Chicago wants municipal ownership,
and during my tenure of office it will
be my aim to bring about such a con
dition as rapidly as possible.
1t will be necessary to proceed in
this direction with a great deal of care,
First, l will appoint a corps of expert
engineers to make a careful survey of
all the street railways in the city so
that We will know just how the city,
when it secures control of the lines,
will be able to handle the proposition.
This will take time, but 1 believe that
before many months you will see the
city of Chicago owning and operating
at least one street railway line.
THE traction question depends in a
great measure on the action of the
courts, but in cases where legal pro-
ceedings are pending. l will endeavor
to bring about an immediate settle
ment. Of course it will be years before
the city will come into possession of
all the street railway franchises in
Chicago5but we will gradually assume
control of the different lines, and in
time l sincerely believe the day will
come when the people will control the
entire street railway system of the
CITY,"
The election has created more inter-
QCt in local nO1itinc th0n anr for cavaPal
years because of the personal charac-
ter of the two leading candidates and
the principal issue involved. 1t is the
first time that a city of the size of Chi
cago has taken a vote on the public
ownership of so vital a utility as
transportation. The issue was fully
exploited by both sides, Mr.. Harlan,
while willing tentatively, to try NUM-
cipal ownership, thought it not expe-
iient at this time, and not practicable
for immediate adoption. Dunno, more
radical, believes it entirely feasible,
and stands pledged to put it to imme-
1iate test.
The Republican candidate suffered
heavily from campaign attacks charg-
ing that he was a political assassin.
Alleged unworthy leaders of his own
party who had been thrust from office
and power, largely through Harlan's
aggressiveness in previous campaigns,
were conspicuously absent from his
support. The result was painfully evil
dent before the balloting had been in
progress an hour.
Appeals to fear of domination by
corporate wealth appeared to sway
many voters, and perhaps more than
any other influence was incorrectly
gagged by the Republicans. Harlan
had been savagely harrassed during
the campaign as the reputed represen-
tative of Wall Street interests intent
on fastening burdensome franchise
grants upon the city.