The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-27
BIG BANK IS
SILENT ABOUT
SHADY DEAL
Attitude Hints Something Wrong
In School Lease Transfer

The Union Trust Company
does not want to get the Chi
cago Tribune into trouble by
telling the truth about the
transfer of the Tribune school
land lease to the big Dearborn
Street bank.
This confession was made to
the DAILY WORKER by Vice
President R. F. Chaplin. 1t is a
fiat admission from one of the
highest officials that there is
something shady about the
Tribune's handling of its school
land lease.
The President Is Out.
The Union Trust Company is at
present housed in the Tribune
Building at Dearborn and w. Mad
ison streets. Last December the
Tribune transferred its school lease
on this site to the Union Trust
Company, since it was moving to
its own north side building.
The DAILY WORKER reporter
asked to see the banks president in
an effort to learn what tie Union
Trust Company had paid the Trib-
une for the valuable school lease.
The money consideration involved in
the deal has been kept a secret.
Since the banks president was out
of town for week, The DAILY
WORKER reporter was referred to
Vice President Chaplin.
Have you heard of the charges
made against The Tribune and the
Union Trust Company in keeping
secret the transfer of The Tribune's
school lease?" Mr.. Chaplin was
asked.
"Yes, heard all about it," said
the banks vice president, very good
natured.
"The DAILY WORKER wants to
get the facts about this DEAL" he
was told.
Trouble Looms On Horizon.
eyes, / have heard something
about that, too" he said, indicating
that he had read The DAILY
WORKER.
The question was then put direct
to Vice President Chaplin "How
much did the Union Trust Company
pay The Tribune for this school
land lease 2"
Vice President Chaplin immedi-
ately countered with $50 you want
to use me to get The Tribune into
trouble?"
would your truthful statement
about this deal get the Tribune into
troubled" was asked.
1t was here that Vice President
Chaplin Immediately got interested
in other subjects. He did not want
to talk school leases any more ex-
cept to charge that Miss Margaret
Haley, of the Chicago teachers, had
been talking about the plundering
of school land leases for a long
time, especially about the scandal
surrounding the Tribune's 99-year
lease, but that all this was ancient
history.
Passes Buck to Tribune.
IF the Tribune wanted to reply
to these charges it would no doubt
have done so long time ago." said
Vice President Chaplin.
"But why doesn't The Tribune
reply to these charges, if it is inno-
cent of any wrongdoing, at least in
an effort to clear itself?" and then
the previous question was again
hurled at Mr.. Chaplin, "How much
did the Union Trust Company pay
the Tribune for this lease?"
II am not in a position to give
you this information" was Vice
President Chapin's final defense.
"You had better see Mr.. Holden, my
superior, and if he is willing to
give you this information, it is en-
tirely up to him."
Patterson Still Thinking"
In the meantime Joseph Medill
Patterson, editor of the Tribune, is
evidently thinking this matter over,
as he told The DAILY WORKER |
he would do. No statement has
as yet appeared in the self-styled
Worlds Greatest Newspaper" ST.
lence still shrouds its palace on the |
"Gold Coast" In the meantime the |
school children are still attending
classes in firetraps and 'tin cam
portables, jammed so and So into