Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1922-10-21
DECLARATION OF PRlN.
CIPLES AND RESOLU u
TIONS ADOPTED by
THE COOK COUNTY
REAL ESTATE BOARD
CHICAGO.

tdA-pdylHS clllZenS. we DelGV0 that
business is as essential to our civil
lization as air is to the life of the
individual, that it is the machinery
OF business which supports schools,
churches, government and our So
cial institutions; but that as air may
be poisoned and deadly, so may the
evil methods of evil men corrupt and
debase business, and endanger our
life, our property and menace our
government
We are alarmed at the power and
influence of the criminal profiteer.
The American people during the war
were told the profiteer would be shot
He has not been shot, but instead he
is often found as a leader in move
ments to suppress the lesser criminals
which by his example he has created
The profiteer at the top is the gum
man at the bottom, while the former
gets away with millions the latter,
following his example, wants to get
away with hundreds in the way best
known to him. Judges and courts, off,
GERS of the law and legislators in
stead of boldly taking cognizance of
the facts and proceeding to put the
profteers or parent criminals in Jail
and driving them out of the commu-
nifty, have, instead, become the dupes
and instruments of those criminals,
and are leading in the hue and cry
against their criminal offspring so
that the crimes of the parent law
breakers may go unpublished
We apprehend not the slightest
danger in America from violent an
archy or bolshevism, our political in
situations offer no soil for the growth
of such theories But we are in grave
fear of the small group in our coun-
try, brazen, impudent, blind and
greedy, who have no God nor flag,
nor country and are now in control Of
the money and natural resources of
our country, and who are fast assum-
ing the same relation to our people as
have been maintained toward their
people by the similar privileged and
profteering groups in Europe who
were responsible for the. terrible war
and who are now rapidly manufacture
ing other wars.
Inherited and accumulated wealth
in the hands of the few whose minds
and methods are foreign and antago-
nistic to our institutions is America
peril, as it is the only serious men
ace to our individual lives, peace,
happiness and prosperity.
And, whereas, the ownership of our
public utilities in Chicago in private
hands is synonymous with the corrup-
ton of our local government and Of
ficials, and the exploitation of our
citizens is an example and incentive
to- thuggery, and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Real
Estate Board and the people of Chi
cago have repeatedly demanded pub
lie ownership of it's traction lines
and other utilities, and
WHEREAS, it has been found that
the City, while possessing the power
of condemnation to acquire our trans
portation systems, cannot exercise
this power, unless some plan is de-
vised to provide the funds necessary
if such power is exercised, and
WHEREAS, it is absolutely neces-
sary that the power of condemnation
be invoked if the City is to purchase
the Surface Lines from the traction
financiers, as according to all evil
dence and experience, they will de-
mand an exorbitant price for their
properties, and
WHEREAS, there has been a per-
sistent and increasing agitation for
the immediate building of subways
in the downtown section of the City,
and
WHEREAS, subway construction is
so extremely expensive at the low
est estimate cost, four times as much
per mile as elevated and twenty times
as much as surface lines, and if the
City undertake the building of the
subway now, with it's limited finan-
cial ability, it will leave no resources
with which to purchase the lines and
so get control of the System; nor
more than the mere beginning of a
subway system, and
WHEREAS, if the City should in.
vest it's money in Subway System
the cost would be so great that the
interest on the debt would seriously
cripple If not completely destroy the
City's chance of purchasing any fur
Their traction properties, and
WHEREAS, there seems to be con
certed effort in many directions to
block the City from being placed in
a position to exercise condemnatory
powers, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Cook Coun
ty Real Estate Board reiterate its
position in favor of municipal own
ership of public utilities, and
RESOLVED, that we condemn the
proposed subway plan now being agi
tated as insincere and hypocritical;
and
RESOLVED, that, while we have nc
political affiliations or preferences,
| we approve the so-called Thompson
Plan of Ownership and operation OF
the traction properties with its con
demnation and trustee-managemenj
features as the most practical plan
submitted, and be it further IL
RESOLVED, that copy of these
resolutions be sent the Mayor, and
members of the City Council and to
the Judges and other local and State
Officials, and be given such other pub
| licity as is possible and he IL FIR