Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1920-06-26
CHICAGO IS To
FIGHT CON.CON
Action Against Legislative Repre-
sentation Means Battle.
PREDICT BASIC LAW DEFEAT
Cook County Delegates Assert Pres.
sure viii Be Brought to Bear
to Squelch Entire Pro
gram Mapped Out.

ingficld.-TrUublc Is brewing in
the constitutional convention. Chi
cagO delegates are back ut the SEES.
sion this week, but still angry over
the alleged unfair limitation placed
on Cook county's representation in
the state legislature the past week
by the basic law makers.
Unless something more equitable is
worked out and agreed upon they
predicted the defeat of the new basic
law and the waste of 100000 of the
taxpayers money. That Is the est.
mated cost of the convention.
Downstate has decided, on the first
reading, to take twO-thirds of the sen.
ate and Il majority of the house per.
manently, regardless of whether Chi.
cago has more population ana voters
than all of the other 1O1 counties.
pays more than half of the taxes.
builds an overwhelming majority of
the mileage of permanent roads. and
contributes n large percentage Of the
Inheritance tax.
This means that Chicago's repre-.
sentatlon In the senate Is not only
limited to Onc-third, but Is actually
reduced. II has more than onc-third
now. Chicago Is said to have been
cheated out Of this representation by
the refusal of dOwnstate legislators
To obey the present basic law and
redistrlct the state in 1910 accord.
ut least two senators and six repre-.
Ing To population. BY that process
Scntatlvcs have been denied Chicago
Chicago Is denied at least four dele
gates, by the same trick, In the pres
ent constitutional convention.
Chicago delegates are threatening
TO start trouble. They assert frankly
no delegate from Chicago can sup
port constitution with this appUr
tionment plank In II, and that every
one who desires To remain In politics
must openly oppose such constitu
| ton.
Therefore, they argue, why not On
courage union labor. the mnnufac
| turcrs, the railroads, and other agen
cles which are interested In the con
| stitution, to line up against it-unlesS
| the downstatc delegates agree this
week to do what is fair relative tC
| Chicago representation.
IL Is the general belief the ThOmp
sOn.Lundln organization will not as
sist In the adoption of the new consti
tuition and would welcome II goOt
| excuse To get out on the house top,
at once and begin yelling against II
There Is opportunity 10 revise tn,
scheme on second reading. But II 1:
| now the plan of downstatc leaders e
! prevent consideration of upportI0n
ment on second reading until ChIcag,
| delegates have voted on first readlnG
upon all other important articles o
the new constitution
In answer To the statement of Dele
gate Barman of Mucoupln county that
| the element of taxes that come from
| Cook county Is not factor In de
| tcrmlnlng It's representation, Delegate
| De Young took the former to tasl
1 for such a statement, showing thai
| Cook county pays two-thirds of III,
| inheritance taxes Of the state, 10 pei
| cent of the hard road tax ana We
4 will receive less than 600 miles o
| hard road out Of the $500 miles pro
4 jected, and also pays one.half of tn,
| general taxes of the state.
| 1T Is taxation withour representa-
1 ton and you cannot deny II by build
ing up any false premises for you
arguments for limiting Cook count,
upon territorial basis" he said. "B,
this plan You will diSfrnnChise thou
sands of workers in my own distrc
4 state counties vote worth as mucI
as $40 votes In my district"
Following the adoption of the liml
tatlOn proposal, Delegate Charles ]
Michal asked that the cOn.con recess,
during the Democratic national con
| VcntlOn.
His request was lost in a food o.
remarks that reused his ire He
called attention to the fact that thu
! convention had recessed ten days fO
the G. O. i, national meet, when nonC
of Its members were delegates, anC
only two We're altcrnatcs.
There are four members in the con
con, he said, who 90 to san Francisc,
as delegates TO the convention ther,
and others who wish to make the trip
"If this Is the spirit that Is goins
10 he manifested here" he said, wheI
he failed to get serious consideration
of his request, 81 shall take 1t upor
myself hereafter to be against ever,
proposition advanced here, and ther,
will be others with me.
"If this Is going to be party affair
and you are going TO fight me, l vii
fight you with the same standard"
Delegates Michal, O'Brien, Quinn
and Dove go to the Democratic con
ventlon as delegates.
The committee of the whole adOpte,
the report of the agriculture commit
tee to authorize the legislature to es
tablish rural credit system.
would have the state provide fund
to be loaned to purchasers of farm
land in the hope of decreasing ten
antry and increasing the food pro
duction.