Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1922-02-11
HOFFMAN CALLED
A MENACE

Oak Leaves, the leading organ of
Chicago's leading suburb, Oak Park.
which has $4,000 inhabitants and
gives 5000 Republican majority,
spoke for the majority of the Repub-
lican voters in its issue of May %.
1920, when it said: I'VE desire to call
attention of Republican voters to the
menace of Peter Hoffman to the Re-
publican ticket.
The story of Peter Hoffman is one
of the amazing stories of politics. He
lives in Desplaines, the smallest of
six country districts of Cook County.
By pure political work he has kept
himself in office for fourteen years
He is not endowed by nature with
such duties as fall upon the Coroner
of Cook County nor has he any train
ing to fit him for the work But in spite
of this the other five districts of Cook
County have taken no part in the i'm
pOrtant duty of selecting a coroner
The district in which Oak Park is To-
Gated is by far the largest of the
country districts. We may say with
out successful contradiction that it
has voters of intelligence averaging
higher than any other country dis
trict. 1t is our duty to see that the
office of Coroner of Cook County is
filled by man of high character and
competent.
NO official has such power in the
great city over the unfortunate and
those involved in tragedy as has the
coroner. There are hundreds of ways
to misuse this power for personal ad-
vantage. BY maintaining a press
agency Coroner Hoffman has given the
idea to voters that he is an ideal man
for the place. But he is not.
1T is difficult for the ordinary voter
to know anything about public officials
but in most Offices the offending in
cumbent Injuries people able to fight
back. But when the coroner offends
he hurts the poor, the outcast, the
unfortunate and the weak.
Ten years ago this journal at
| tackled Mr.. Hoffman's method of form
| ing juries for inquests. 1t was the
custom then to have a number of
: followers to each deputy coroner.
| These followers sat on the jury and
the fees were kept in the family.
| When the few real jurors obtained
were given their certificates emitting
| them TO fees, the deputy coroner
would cash them at a big discount.
| This was a nasty way to obtain a
revenue and defeated the very pur
| pose of the jury system which is TO
| have the case heard by disinterested
citizens and not by professional poll
ticians who heard perhaps a half doz-
| en- cases each day.
MIR. Hoffman, however, hopes that
| his machine built up during the
years he has misused his authority
will overcome the opposition. His
machine will not succeed. -"
Alderman Albert introduced an or
| 100000 for the immediate relief of
| Chicago poor.
| So long as it is popular in some
| courts to compound felonies, persons
| who steal enough can always afford
Less fortunate persons will have to
do time Money counts now days in
the administration of the law
Outside of advertising a lot of So
called advertising agents, what has
the Chicago Association of Commerce
ever done?
The Hoffman Guards, as Popular
| Pete's faction of the local Republi-
cans is called, will never charge I'M
less there is a payroll in sight.
Dennis ]. Egan would make a good
mayor in the opinion of many people.
Aid. Thomas r. Caspers of the 26th
ward, is making a good record