The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-04-08
K|DNAPS ITS RIVALS
HOW GARY, IND, GOBBLED UP
TOWNS RIGHT QUICK.
Required But Five Minutes Time in
Which to Increase It's Population
From Twenty to Eighty Thousand
Souls; the Sons of Captains of
Industry; the Profits of the Chi
cago Undertakes.
Especial to The Tree Press.l

Especial to The Free Press1
Chicago, March 6.-The kidnapping of
cities at Chicagos side door, in which
Gary, East Chicago, Indiana Harbor,
Hammond and Whiting have been mer-
rily engaged under the new Indiana
statute, promises some historic devel
opments before the end is reached,
Gary, by action OF its municipal au-
thorities which took less than five
minutes, increased It's population from
10000 to 10000 if the annexation it
proposed be agreed to by the people
in the annexed cities. This followed
close on the heels of the annexation
ordinance passed by East Chicago
which, officially at least, gobbled up
Hammond and Whiting. 1t was only
necessary, therefore, for Gary to Cob
Bile East Chicago to acquire the gobbed
cities, but it is Il likely question
whether this annexation will get any
further. In East Chicago the council
laws required a two-days' notice for
Il special meeting. Gary's effort was
to annex first. It's council learning
that East ChicagO's final action was
due in a few hours, convened immedi
ately, and prestOl the annexation or
dinances formally gathering in East
Chicago, Hammond and Whiting, was
introduced, passed and signed by the
mayor. The mayors of Hammond and
Whiting declared that the interests
of their communities and Gary were
widely divergent and that they would
fight annexation in the courts Gary
was spurred to action by the determi
nation of East Chicago to include
Gary in the swallowing process which
was proposed, and if Gary had not
kidnapped East Chicago first, East Chi
cago would have kidnapped Gary.
Sons Of Captains of Industry.
The visit OF Andrew Carnegie to
Chicago will long be remembered by the
favorable light in which he put Chi
cago millionaires and sons of million
aires in contast to those of other
cities, Pittsburg for instance, although
Mr.. Carnegie did not mention Pittsburg.
Addressing the Press club or Chicago
first on the need of international peace
and then on the subject of multi
mlIionaires he said: 81 do not believe
the heads of industries in this country
are primarily millonaires, nor are
they ambitious to become such. They
are men first of all Why should they
be ambitious of mere money gather
ing. What is the result OF great wealth
ny, hn al, Of 1n 4 lxrr
Good or bad! Speaking generally
bad! Yet You have in Chicago five
striking exceptions 10 this general
rule. Here are the names of five
athers-Armour, Swift, Morris, Far
well, Mccormick. You know their
sons and it is the glory of Chicago
that there is not black sheep among
them. They are carrying on the bust
ncsses that their fathers founded. and
am0ng them all there is no faint Of
scandal, no family disgraces, no weak
ncsses, nothing for honest men to be
ashamed of. You may we'll be proud
of these sons who have inherited mil
lions and used them worthily. / do
not know another city that can be
compared with your own i'm this re-
spect.'
Cost of an ordinarily Casket.
EXtOrtionate prices of undertakers
received a judicial black eye, in
verdict cutting into the bill of Chi
cago funeral director" on the testi-
mony of w. i. Gerry, general manager
of the Western Casket and Undertake
ing company, the concern which has cut
out the middemen's profits. An un
dertaker i'll Kenwood, an aristOcratic
part of the city, charged $500 for a
casket which he later admitted when
called to the witness stand had cost
him only $3.50. His entire bill was
1852 a jury cut his charge down to
S30250. He admitted that he was paid
a commission his livery charges and
rebate by the cemetery on the grave.
He declared that no undertaken could
get along on less than 100 per cent
profile charged 800 per cent. The
Chicago Undertakers' association is
greatly aroused by this case, it's mem
bers declaring that legitimate busi-
ness, theirs was menaced with eXtinc-
ton by the big concern with continual
business and consequently able to get
along on profits of 20 to % per cent.
The retort was that in Chicago 49,
O,00O-half-of funeral expense could
be saved if the small undertaken and
his profits could be relegated to the
past. Sentiment, however, does and prob
ably will continue the methods which
have been i'll vogue since time imme-
mortal. regardless of the profits eXacted
and of the hardship in some cases which
the eXactiOns cause. The ''cOffin trust"
| which sells to the small undertakers
has been potent factor in maintains
ing the time honored system.
His Bicycle Was Stolen.