Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-04-27

council and afterwards removed to
California from which state he was
sent to congress.
Mr.. Kent was one of the citizens of
San Francisco who unearthed the
huge grating that was going on in
public life out there and the exposure
resulted in sending number of Off.
cials to the penitentiary.
Mr.. Kent and the other members
of the Citizens committee have print.
| ed a complete report of the result Of
their labors which we have before us.
On page "a of this printed report
we find the following which we repub.
lish for the information of Chicago
people:
"The Home Telephone bribery was
an attempt on the part Of some own.
ers Of capital in distant cities to OBJ.
tain franchise for a system to com.
pete with the Pacific Telephone and
Telegraph Company, the local or.
ganization. AS the Supervisors were
to offer franchise which fitted the
apparatus Of the Home Company
only, and hence as no one else could
bid against them, and as the Home
Telephone Company had no invest.
ment in San Francisco to protect,
here, as in other cases we have con.
sidered, the claim Of extortion was
not present. These promoters were
seeking q greater income on their
moneys and did not hesitate to de.
bauch the city's officials to prevent
competition and make the profit pos.
sible. The franchise was successfully
obtained. the Supervisors receiving
an average Of $1,000 each for their
votes.
"The Pacific Telephone and Tele.
graph Company bribed the supervis.
ors to prevent the Home Telephone
Company. or any other organization
from obtaining telephone franchise
in San Francisco. No attack of any
kind on the Pacific Telephone and
Telegraph Company was threatened b,
the Supervisors. and the sole purpose
Of the crime was to maintain profit
which might be cut by the competition
Of business rivals. The SUPERVISOR
were paid in all over $4,000. Tht
managing committee OF the board o
directors swore before the grand jur,
that they did not know how the fund.-
were procured for the bribery
George Mills Rogers stands fore
most among Chicago's ablest law
yers and public spirited citizens.
The County Democracy appears L
be the only Democratic organization
that has not been torn asunder b!
dissension.
The way the poor taxpayers In thu
residence wards are soaked to hell
the telephone gang Is something aw
full. Take the Twenty.third ward as |
sample. Alley after alley has beel
. paved with bricks in this ward at ,
great cost. Alley after alley is fille'
J with telephone poles which In SOM
instances do not leave room enougl
for teams to pass. II the Board o
Local Improvement had the good o
the people at heart, It would hay,
obliged the monopoly to put Its wire
underground before the alleys wer
paved.
The Independent voter will have tn
field to himself this year. Everybod,
Is feeling more or less Independent
when II comes to swallowing Who'll
DOlitical ticket
Talk about bugs. Our horticulture
? department now has the floor. Tn
high salaried City Forester Is quote,
] as saying: "Other cities plant frui
} trees on the streets. Chicago shoul,
follow their example. Glen Ellyn TO
r instance plants fruit trees on 1t
streets" Glen Ellyn is flag station
{ In neighboring county and becaus
of this Chicago taxpayers are aske,
} to plant fruit trees In their streets
~6A
Andrew J. Ryan stands high In tn,
estimation Of all Chicagoans, both as
I lawyer and as citizen.
Candidates who prefer bill boards L
newspapers as vehicles for reachiul
D the public always land In the sour
We have had many examples of bill
board politicians In both big partie
r In the last two campaigns. In ever
; instance bill board popularity led t
defeat at the polls. A bill board
I like red rag to bull. In publ
I. opinion and the bill board candidat
is canned, like other articles depend
!. Ing upon bill board fame.
Il The County Democracy will leav
Chicago June 20 for Baltimore. II will
take its full band Of 100 pieces alon
and will represent Chicago at tn
Democratic national convention In
ntting manner. A large steamboa