Evening star., 1921-09-15
CHICAGO LIBEL SUIT
INVOLVES BIG ISSUE
city's $4,000, 900 Case
Against Newspaper Might
y
Put It Out Of Business.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
CHICAGO. September 15.-Whether
city or other municipal corporation
may sue newspaper for libel. alleg-
Ing damages approximating the value
of the entire establishment of the
latter, and, through a possible verdict
for tho full sum. virtually put the
newspaper out Of business, will be one
Of the chief issues in the case Of the
City Of Chicago against the Chicago
Tribune. which is to be called for
hearing September 20.
The suit. fled in circuit court in De-
cember, 1920, after the bitter Illinois
republican primary campaign Of that
year. asks damages of $4,000, 900. al
leging that published charges against
the financial part Of Mayor William
Hale Thompson's administration had
impaired the city's credit and ham
pered the conduct of municipal busi-
ness. A similar suit has been filed
against the Chicago Daily News.
In each instance the city sued In It's
corporate capacity.
Thirty-Six Articles Cited.
Thirty-six news items or editorials.
published by the Tribune between
June Is and September is. 1920. are
cited by the city attorneys as tha
basis for the suit. Many of them de.
clared fatty that the city was "bfoke-
Others referred to tha use OF scrip for
paying city employees. III several In
stances 1t was stated that the city
treasury faced a huge deficit, and one
| item quoted Lieut.. Coy. Oglesby. a
candidate for the gubernatorial noml-
| nations. as fixing this figure at $l6'-
| 100000.
None of these publications, the city .
declaration charged, was published
with good motives, but to promote
the political and financial interests OF
| the newspaper "and certain other
persons and corporations. especially
certain public utility corporations as
sociated with the defendant and act
ing in cooperation with it."
! It was charged that the publica-
tions were designed to give the i'm
preston that the city was unworthy
| Of credit and that 1t would be dam
| gerous to invest in its bonds or to
| enter into contracts with 1t for the
\ sale Of materials. labor or supplies.
| Basis of Damage shown.
| To show the basis of the alleged
damage, the declaration sets forth
that in it's activities on behalf of a
population of 100000 the city
| operates property worth $350.0O0.0OO.
The documents list of this property
includes the Chicago city hall, 80 po-
lice stations, 40 fire engine houses.
Fairgrounds and small parks, about
| IS bridges, 2,112 miles of streets,
with much apparatus used In main
| tanning them: a water works system.
with six cribs in Lake Michigan and
ten pumping stations on shore. mu-
nicipal tuberculosis sanatorium and
| many other properties of great
| value"
It is averred that the materials and
labor necessary to operate these
1 or 4
/; that the city also has to purchase
about 100000 worth of new prop
! erty every year. exclusive of school
property. which additions are made
largely through the medium of COM
petitive bids. Good financial credit"
ing the municipal business. and it is
alleged that whatever injuriously af-
| fects the city's credit results in its
having to pay higher prices for its
materials and restricts the number of
competitive bids. The declaration
the city finances caused some persons,
firms or corporations who otherwise
would have bid to refrain from do
| ing so.
| Paper Makes Statement.
The Chicago Tribune gave out tie
Z. following statement last night in re-
gard to the suit against it:
I AT the t1Ine OF ming this suit the
city hall machine controlled the may
| or's Office of Chicago, the Chicago
city council and the newly elected
governor.
1T had made it's plans. which after.
ward proved successful, to elect the
speaker of the house of representa-
tives and to control both branches OF
the Illinois legislature. It confidently
| expected to nominate and elect the
entire circuit court Of Cook county
| giving it substantial control of the
| nisi prius judges. the Cook county ap.
pellate courts and the jury commits
sioners. 1t has already openly threat
| ened the supreme court of Illinois.
"The rich men and corporations OF
Chicago were under duress to contrib
ute to its support and to its leaders
! while various reform and civic asso-
Citations had been intimidated into in
activity. There remained but the
Tribune fighting it's complete domi-
nance of the community.
! ITO coerce or destroy the Tribune
was the immediate purpose of this
| suit, the intimidation of all news
| papers and prevention of free speech,
| it's second objective, and, as the Trib-
! une has evidence to prove, the over
4 turning of the republican form of
government was it's ultimate goal.
1.-The Tribune meets the issue in full
confidence that all the constitutional
preserved unimpaired and that this
attack upon our republican form of
government will be overthrown as