Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-03
CHICAGO OFFICIAL
REsIGES POSITION
BECOMES A SOCIALIST AND TELLS
WHY
Commissioner of Public Works Joseph
MediII Patterson Writes Eccentric
Letter to Mayor Dunne--Latter
Will Accept Resignation
By Associated Press

CHICAGO, March 2.-Commissioner
of Public Works Joseph Medill Pat
terson has rendered his resignation to
Mayor Dunno. The resignation was
sent by Mr.. Patterson to Mayor Dunno
Wednesday, but nothing was publicly
known of the resignation until a copy
mailed by Mr.. Patterson at Washing
ton was received by the city press as
SOciation here.
The letter written by Mr.. Patterson
to Mayor Dunno in part follows:
1T was through common belief in
the cause of municipal ownership of
municipal utilities that l first became
acquainted with you, and in this letter
of resignation l desire to express pub
licly just how much my views have
changed. They have not diminished,
they have enlarged.
81 used to believe that many of the
ills under which the nation suffers and
by which it is threatened would be pre-
vented or avoided by the general in
auguration of public ownership Of pub
lie utilities, but my experience in the
department of public works has con-
WINGED me that this policy would not be
even one-fourth of the way sufficient"
Mr.. Patterson then cites the cases of
Great Britain and Germany. In the
former country, he declares, where
mas Dttll successfully
developed, the problem of the unem-
ployed is becoming of tremendous in
tensity. In Germany, where govern
ment ownership of railroads has been
inaugurated and municipal ownership
of public utilities is paramount, the
poor are growing poorer and the rich
are growing richer, with an accelera-
tion hardly less than that so evident
in the United States.
He calls the attention of the mayor
to two instances in this city where
large corporations have attempted, as
he says, to override the law. The let
ter concludes as follows:
The universal ballot gives every
male citizen an equal political oppor-
tunity. Common ownership of all the
means of production and distribution
would give everybody an equal chance
at music, art, sport, study, recreation,
travel, self respect and the respect of
others. I, for one, cannot see why these
things should be concentrated more
and more in the hands of few. 1
believe that the ownership from which
money springs should be vested in the
Whole community. In other words, as
l understand it, / am Socialist. l
have hardly read a book on Socialism.
but that which 1 have just enunciated
I believe in general to be their theory.
II IL be their theory, / am Il Socialist.
You will find, and other advanced
liberals and radicals who believe as
you do will soon find, that you are
merely paltering with skindeep matters
when you stop short of Socialism"
Mayor Dunno at once wrote Mr.. Pat
tersOn, accepting his resignation and
promising to reply to his letter in the
near future.
Il have accepted the resignation of
Mr. Patterson with sincere regrets"
said the mayor. He says he has
resigned because he is a Socialist. l
do not think that it was necessary for
him TO resign because he cannot ac-
complish everything the Socialists
'~ant accomplished. He has evidently
become disheartened."