The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-10-16
TELLS HOW HE
CLEANED CHICAGO
w. E. Dever, of Chi
cagO, Tells Kenosha Home
Folks About Work.
FIRST PUBLIC VISIT
Address Tuesday Night Marks
First Public Appearance Here
Since He Left Kenosha.

A little more than thirtyayearSngO
q young man, who for more than q
year had been working in the beam |
room at the tannery in Kenosha, said |
farewell to his friends hire and went
to Chicago to seek fame and fortune. /
| That same man came back TO Keno |
sha, his old home town, on Tuesday
evening for his first formal appearance
here since the day that he left it as a
common laborer. He came back as the
mayor of the second largest city IN
the United States, this man being
Mayor William E. Dever, Of Chicago.
Mayor Dever was here Tuesday
night as the guest of the st. Mat !
thew's Mems club, where he made a
most interesting address following the
first dinner Of the club for the sea- |
son, In which address he told of some
OF the difficulties which he has met
and mastered as mayor Of Chicago.
"It was the call Of the old home
town that brought me here tonight"
said Mayor Dever as he opened his
address. "It no doubt was something
akin to the spirit of vanity that
brought me here tonight to come back
to the city where was laborer to
show my old friends what have.
done in the years. My experiences
Aere wsTs altoS ether pleasurable; KcF
hosha vas an open town in those dNyss
and lively ones was twenty-one and
while have the tgnderest memories
OF Kenosha, I see no reason to die
into this past too deeply"
He declared he had hoped to find
many Of his old friends here but had
discovered just one, Judge John G.
Slater, who was one OF his most
interested listeners.
! He told but very briefly how he
had travelled the cursum honorum in
| Chicago, passing from alderman to
the superior court bench, judge of the
appellate court and then to mayor Of
the city. He then revealed to the
folks back home some of the real
problems which had come to him to
solve since he took charge Of Ameri-
cas- second largest metropolis.
Mayor Dever said that he found
when he becaI.- mayor that the great
est handicap to efficient government
there was the system of representa-
ton on the city council, announcing
his support for plan similar to the
one in use in Kenosha where the
councilmen are elected from the city
at large.
"The city council of Chicago is made
up of fifty members, not elected at
large, but from different wards" he
said. each of these men comes to
the council imbued with the purpose
of helping his particular ward and all
are struggling for his community. /,
hope the day will come when they will
elect at east part of the aldermen in
Chicago from the city at large"
He dazzled the folks at home with
the figures for expenditures annually
in Chicago-$4 100000 for current ex-
penses, $56,000,000 more for schools,
other costs not included in these
bringing the total up to $120,000,000
year. He told of several big pro-
jects which have been carried on under
his administration in the line of
public Improvement, mentioning the
building Of the South Side Termi-
nal, the Furniture Mart, and open
ing of various important highways
in the. city.
Comments on "Experting"
He declared several Of these projects
had been started with "much red fire."
monies appropriated had been largely
consumed and yet little accomplished.
He pointed out in one case where two
and half of the three million APP
propriated had been expended and
little accomplished.
"The funds had been spent on ex-
perts and what exporting they did,
Is have never been able to find out"
he added.
Mayor Dever also told of the difficult
ties met in the handling of school
affairs there, maintaining thst the big
problem was to secure men OF zeal
business ability to serve on the COM
missions.
Praising Colonel Sprague, who ac-
cepted his appointment as commits
sioner Of public works and who has
made great success there, he de-
cIared that "if one thing was needed
more than another in the great muni-
cipalities, it was that business men
Of wide experience should forget priv
ate life and be willing to take off their
coats and go into service"
Cleaned Up Chicago.
Mayor Dover left the most interest
ing part Of his address to the last
when he told how he had brought law
enforcement to Chicago, work which
he declared could be done in every city
lAif they wanted to enforce the law"
nH