Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1911-01-28

l0or &Vt0outvy Woulo Like AnotU0e
way and the First Ward Bail will be q
recognized feature Of the administra.
tion as Of yore, with one important
exception-the First Ward gang will
not have to divide.
~
The heart Of Denis J. Swenie, the
veteran fire marshal. was broken when
Harrison removed him during his last
administration; the heart Of William
Musham, the veteran fireman who
succeeded swenie, was broken when
Harrison removed him. Both died
soon after their removal. But who
knows how many hearts were broken
by the killing Of 600 people at the
Jroquois fire? The coroner's jury 1t
will be remembered held the mayor
and his building commissioner to the
grand Jury to answer for alleged ON.
cial neglect Of duty in this matter.
~
The one thing that Harrison's eight
years In the mayors chair showed
was the fact that Chicago could be
run automatically.
The holding Of Mayor Harrison to
the grand Jury by the coroner's Jury
after 600 lives had been snuffed out
In the IroQuois fire, calls attention tC
some other things that occurred dur
Ing the last Harrison administration
In consequence Of the violation o.
building ordinances.
During Harrison's last administra
tion that awful fire trap. the Colum
bia Theater. which Harrison, per
mitted to run wide open, burned from
pit to roof, In fifteen minutes. on Mon
roe street. Fortunately there va,
no performance at the time and l,00t
lives that surely would have been lost
otherwise, were saved.
But the non.eniorcement Of the or
dinances by the mayor still continued
The Orpheum Theater, opposite tb(
City Hall, on Washington street
burned from pit to roof under Harri
sons administration. Fortunately M
audience was In It at the time. Blu
the attention Of the public was callet
to Harrison's non.enforcement Of tn,
fire and building ordinances. A pub
lie howl followed; official hypocritica
cant from Harrison, and nothing dom
las usual.
The st. Luke's Sanitarium. 21s
street and Wabash avenue. burned
Twenty.nine lives were lost, includ
ing q member Of the Board Of Al
dermen. during Harrison's last admin
| istration.
More amendments to the fire ordi
nance.
More apathy and Official neglect Of
the part Of the mayor.
The Lincoln Hotel on Madison
street burned during Harrison's las
administration. Twenty-Five lives wer'
lost. The ordinance violated. Nor
howl. More non.enforcement by tn
mayor.
These things showed Harrison's OF
fetal laxity In convincing way.
The Chicago Eagle frequently call
ed Mayor Harrison's attention to tn
non-enforcement Of the laws govern
ing theaters. as our readers will recol
lect. The following from the Chicag,
Eagle of February 10, 1902, are sam
pies of warnings given Harrison:
Chicago Eagle, February Is, 1902
The city authorities have been fore
warned about the dangerous condi
tion of Chicago theaters. II anything
occurs they will be held responsible,
for It.
Chicago Eagle, February 15, 1902
The Building Department does no
enforce the ordinances governing
theaters.
In spite of these and other warn
ings, in spite Of a report by an hon
est building inspector that the Iro
quois theater had not complied ant
was not complying with the ordi
nances, the Iroquois theater was per
mitted by the Harrison administra
tion to open.
The result was that when 600 limo
cent and valuable lives were sacri
feed, Harrison was held to the gran,
jury by the coroners jury, presidet
over by that honest Democrat Coro
ner John Il. Traeger.
In smaller city the mayor nigh
have been lynched.
In big, forgetful Chicago he was re
leased on a writ Of habeas corpus b.
friendly Judge and now has tn
nerve to ask people to make hin
mayor again!
The Democratic precinct Commit
teemen and the Regular Democratic
organization chosen by the people q