Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1915-10-23
"0FFIClAL" GRAFT
Bogus "Official Organ" Draws Attention
to Long Record Of Grabs for Coin
on Official Connections.

useful an organ with "ofhciaF' connec.
ton can be to them. .,.
Many people remember when It gave
employment to members Of the Berg.
Gray.Burns gang Of specialists" This
gang Is recollected by numbers be.
cause Of the money they we're relieved
Of by It on the strength Of forged ere.
dentials purporting to be issued by the
Federation Of Labor and the Trades
and Labor Assembly. This gang when
not engaged In special" newspaper
work used to get active among bust.
ness men just before Labor Day every
year by soliciting subscriptions from
them on the strength Of the fraudu.
lent credentials referred to.
But, returning to the officiaI organ,
many business men and contractors
doing business with the City Hall
have reason to remember It because
Of its alleged influence in the past.
Some Of the intended victims kicked,
among them, the inventor Of q smoke
consumer who told daily papers and
others about the way people repre-.
senting the "onicial organ" had ap.
preached him with a promise Of the
adoption by the city Of his device II
he gave q 5000 contribution to the
official organ" Another act Of the
"oflicial organ" was to apply for list
Of dealers selling to the city and then.
offering these dealers its valuable In.
huence In exchange for ads In its col.
umns. Agents for this "ofiicial or.
gan" have had the gall under past ad.
ministrations to present letters to
business men, contractors and others
written on city stationery advising
them (if they knew what was good for
them was the evident intimation) to
secure influence by patronizing the
organ" According to reports on file,
one Of their favorite schemes was to
go to people who had business with
the city and represent that an influen.
tial alderman was interested In their
business and that for a stated con-
sideration everything would be fixed"
satisfactorily.
or late, It is alleged that the won.
derful influence Of a member of the
General Assembly Is on tap to people
favoring this marvel Of "ofiicial" or.
ganism. One prominent railroad man
has been at work for some time on
a matter that may be brought before
the next Legislature In relation to &C.
tivities Of this nature. Indirect brib.
cry may be popular In some quarters
but the Criminal Code OF Illinois Ia
not one Of them.
In the meantime, In order that no
mistakes may be made, we advise our
readers to listen to the bowls Of the
publication that the cap fits. "A gull.
ty conscience needs no accuser."
The so-called Chicago technical high
schools for teaching trades" turn out
one good product to ten loafers In
their output. They should be abol'
ished and the millions wasted upon
them spent for giving children de-
cent education along real educational
lines.
Reference to person who collected
campaign contributions ostensibly fol
Busse, but really for himself, calls at
tention to minute report which has
been shown to us, of similar activities
of persons called RYAN and BURNS
in the possession of a well known de-
tective agency. The Chicago Record
Herald OF December 81, 1904, pub
lished an account Of the holding up Of
Angus Mckay & Co., well known bust
ness men, by an alleged Smoke In
spector" calling himself ]. p. Ryan
and the endorsing of the check given
to him by one J, j. Burns, who cashed
1t in a La Sale street saloon. s. II
Woodhouse of 1241 State street said
he was asked to put an ad. for 5000
in an alleged Official organ for his
smoke preventing device. He sait
the man told him that an influential
alderman was back of the paper and
that his pull" would secure the adop
ton Of his device by the city. Presi
dent Peet OF the Sanitary Laundry
told of giving up campaign funds" to
two bogus smoke inspectors.
~
OF Chicago's 1900 advertising agen
cies not a half dozen pay any taxes
Make them all pay license of $1,000
year or get out of town.