The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-04-05
Chicaao's Election.

Municipal ownership of public util
tiles carried the day for the Demo-
Gratis in Chicago yesterday in con-
test marked by noteworthy features
of political import. OF two similar
propositions advanced by the rival
political organizations, the people
voted for the one which seemed to
promise the quickest reforms, but
which, under the conditions now eX-
listing in the Windy City, is not in
reality susceptible of immediate con-
summation.
Politics is a great game" once
soliloquized the a1I-comprehending
"Mr. Dooley," of Archey Road, in
this self-same Western metropolis.
Evidently he knew from personal
experience just what one might ex-
pect in the way of surprises. Yes
terday's election developed such a
series of unforgotten incidents in the
careers of the two leading candidates
that anyone who would have tried to
keep track Of them all would have
needed corps of clerks for no other
purpose than taking notes of old
scores evened up at the polls.
Of the failings attributed to Judge
Dunno, the successful candidate, lit
tie need be said in the hour of his
triumph That he won in spite of
all that his enemies charged against
him, permits the assumption that
their allegations did not impress the
people as of present Importance
Summarizing the election from the
opposite point of view, as to why
John M. Harlan did not poll as great
vote as the Republicans expected,
the reasons crowd one another thick
and fast. His Independent record of
years past operated against him in
his own party. Organization men
helped him go down to defeat rather
than forget, for the party's sake, his
refusal to wear the collar Of the or
ganization. His ability had advanced
him from an Independent candidacy
to the party headship, but that could
not overcome the resentment which
s ranked in the breasts of the ma
chine workers.
Again, the cry of Wall Street DOM
lnation was made against the Repub-
lican candidate, with the warning
that burdensome franchises would be
put upon the city. Fear Of such an
outcome turned voters to the Demo
cratic promise of immediate munich
pal ownership, which is known tc
be an impossibility because of pend
ing litigation and unexpired fran
ehises. The prohibition vote went
against Harlan, the temperance
workers regarding him as especially
hostile to them, because of an incl
dent in his early public career. The
negro vote went against him because
OF his opponents strong judicial rec
ord for fairness to that race and
freedom from race prejudice.
Then came the strongly sentimen-
tai issue of anti-race suicide, Judge
Dunno being the proud father of thir.
teen children. Even though they
could not all vote for him, they
proved royal vote-getters, and his
triumph became assured. It revealed
President Roosevelts theory as a
valuable campaign slogan for any
party, and in a cosmopolitan city
like Chicago it caught the popular
fancy.
Judge Dunno will now have his op-
portunity to give Chicago municipal
ownership of public utilities. But
the great likelihood is that he and
many Of his successors will come and
go before the intricate legal tangles
and the troublesome physical prob
lens of taking over vast private en-
terprises for public operation can be
solved on a practicable basis.