Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1921-09-15
Chicago Tribune Sued For
10 Millions By Windy City
/ Mayor And Administration
Thompson and Other Officials Charge Cy's Credit Has
Been Impaired and Municipal Business Hampered
Result of Articles Published During Campaign

CHICAGO, Sept IA Whether q
! city or other municipal corporation
may sue a newspaper for libel, alleg
ing damages approXimating the value
of the establishment of the latter and
through Il possible verdict, for the fall
sum, virtually put the newspaper out
of business, will be one of the CHIEF
issues in the case of the City of Chi
cago against the Chicago Tribune, to
be called for hearing September %.
The suit, filed in circuit court in
! December, 1920. after the bitter Hi
nois Republican primary campaign
asks damages of $10,000,000, alleging
that published charges against the fl
nancial part of Mayor William Hale
| Thompson's administration had i'm
paired the city's credit and hampered
the conduct of municipal business. A
similar suit has been filed against the
Chicago Daily News. In each in.
stance, the city sued in it's corporate
capacity.
SO Articles Are Cited
Thirty-siX news items or editorials,
published by the Tribune between
June Is and September Is, 1920, are
cited by the city's attorneys as the
basis for the suit. Many of them de-
clared flatly that the city was broke
Others referred to the use of scrip
for paying city employees. In several
instances, it was stated that the city
treasury faced huge deficit and one
item quoted Lieut.. Gov. Oglesby, 4
candidate for the gubernatorial nom.
nation, as fixing this figure al S16,
00O, 900.
There were also two excerpts from
other Illinois newspapers as repro.
duced in the Tribune, one being taken
from the Kendall County Record, and
the other from the Dixon Telegraph.
Two letters "to the editor" from
Tribune readers were also cited.
None of these publications, the
citys declaration charged, was pub
lished with good motives but to pro-
duce the political and financial inter
ests of the newspaper, land certain
other persons and corporations, es-
pecially certain public utility corpor-
atoms, associated with the defendant
and acting in cooperation with IL"
Activities Are Shown
1t was charged that the publica-
tions were designed to give the i'm
preston that the city was unworthy
of credit and that it would be danger
Gus to invest in its bonds IT to enter
into contracts with it for the sale of
materials, labor or supplies.
To show the basis of the alleged
damage, the declaration sets forth
that in it's activities ON behalf of 4
population of 100000, the city oper-
ates property worth $3.50, 900. 900. The
documentary list of this property in
cludes the Chicago City Hall, 30 pO-
lice stations, 140 fire engine houses,
Fairgrounds and small parks, about
rs bridges, Pip miles of streets with
apparatus used in maintaining them,
a water works system with six cribs
in Lake Michigan and ten pumping
stations on shore, a municipal tuber-
culosis sanitarium, and many o.ner
properties of great value"
1t is averred that the materials an,
labor necessary to operate these prop
critics cost $50,000,000 year and tha
the city also has to purchase about
$7,000,00O worth of new property
every year, exclusive of school proper
ty, which additions are made largely
through the medium of competitive
bids. Good financial credit is nam
ed 'as necessity for conducting til,
municipal business and it is alleged
that whatever injuriously effects the
city's credit results in its having to
pay higher prices for its materials
and restricts the number of competi-