| Show CHICAGOS C YOUNG MAYOR A Chat With Carter H Harrison About Hlnisolf His City arid Public Matters Watt a 1 ovo nan webs htsy Home Dty b0 lreldent Tbloko or TIlnJolIlon Ye e wide Olii Cllrl 1urkliurl > 4t Wuiili < lClil iK < > > llondlo 11 until end How the Mnjor tontruli Itlie Chnti of Oho lrc11 nrj mill IIrldoIl07 nub I Licuare CIher and the TrltTCho ran Iouyklllll In ChIall me i Chicago Dec 16 1897A year ago te Pas simply a reputable young hula ss man He cut no special figure In the politics of his state and as a national quantity ho had no place In the eyes of the Democratic party fm he 1q I the most Popular mayor Chicago has ever had In his six mortha term of oflke ho linn shown each strength of character that the county editors are advocating his nomination aB the nt Demooratlo 1 candidate for the goveinorshlp of nil coin and Henry Wntteraon and leading Democrats from a dozen different sections sec-tions have proposed him as the best presidential candidate for the Democracy Dem-ocracy In the campaign of 1500 I retie re-tie to Carter II Harrison aged thirty tense the oung mayor of Chicago and wail odds the most Interesting character I char-acter In national and municipal poll lien today IN THE MATCHS orricE Let me tell you something about him I hue spent a day with him at the city b1I her and have had a chat with Urn about public matters IIo Is the Dost Democratic mayor I have m met For an hour this Burning he sat on a kind if a throne In what was the state nceptlon room oC the mayors DC the Gast and heard the complaints oC the people About fifty persons women tnd mn old and young black and hlte were In the room Some were politicians some were not but all were lined up by n policeman who stood Hi 1 feet In his stockings and each coat plea a chance at the mayor In his turn Kith a pad beside him he took tote of every rope disposing of such u he could at the time and telling the others that their matterswould bo Investigated and that they would get their answers tomorrow This he does micro day He Is alike accessible to all and the politician takes his turn with He rest Idler on I saw him dispatching dispatch-Ing public business In his attire Hero he Is Just as Democratic Those who hare Important business can always itt at him and he looks Into every miter relating to the city for himself Chicago has ling been noted as having corrupt clt > council Young Harrl m Is the heel mayor who has had the nerve not only to veto the bills of the boodlers but nisei to prevent bills being passed over his veto This can only be done by a too 0 thlyda vote and the major prevents this by going to the councilmen and demanding that they support him He has In this way already saved Chicago thousand of dollars dol-lars and has so acted that the men who offer and those who take bribes ore oft atl 10 attempt such schemes of stealing the city s money ns have been boldly carried out In the pastA past-A POLITICAL MASCOT And still Major Harrison tells me he Is not a leformcr He does not believe Upl lsb lieve In such I municipal movements ns have been going on In New York and he thinks the political machines we now have ore amply good enough for good government lIe prides himself on being n Democrat and IB ready not only to help his party here but other Democrats all over the Union Since he has ben mayor he Iona done a dozen different things which will give him friends In any Democratic national convention Take the Tennessee Demo erllts Cur Instil nee Thy will not forget how when Governor Tanner refused to go to the Nashville exposition say Ing that he could not rink the yellow fever young Major Harrlton stepped Into line and olTet the bad Impression created by the Illinois governor Louisville Louis-ville will not forget that he came thereon there-on ton eve s of the cleetlon to spoke for the Democratic candidate for mayOl nor 111 Indlanapoll Detroit lIuICalo Syracuse or New York Harris supported sup-ported the Democratic candidates for major by speeches In all of these places and It a singular thing that In every case his man was elected He spelns te be a sort oC n mascot In poll tics In lots own campaign he was nominated chiefly RB being the son oC his father IIIB lIt speech shod that ho had n decided Indlvlduallt And after It It Is I said he could havo been elected under any name He Is n mabl1tle speaker and he made from five to twenty speeches a day during the thirty dais preceding his election lie carried the people with him and sons elected by a greater mujorlty than anl mayor oC Chicago has had PEN picTunn OF MAYOR MARDI SON What kind of n looking man Is he Well he K I Judge about live feet tight Indies tall Ho Is broad ehoul dred and full oC muscle IIo makes you think of a fighter and still you do not feel that he carries about a chip on hs shoulder IIe ions a pleasant smpalhetlc face free from snobbloh ness or concIt IIIo forehead Is high nod almost square Ills ryrs of a deep blue look out from under brows of black and the thick thatch of hale nbovo them Is I black mixed with Gray Ills nose Is large and straight his laws strong < and i arm and his taco ns n whole n oomel hat handsome one lie docs In busln cloth and were today a snufCcolorrd suit a slouch hat oM n dark ovcrcoat 110 hung UII his hat and coat himself as be mma In and went about his business In a business busi-ness way Ho Is a college graduate hWi had n course oC law nt Yale and three j ears study In a German university uni-versity but his language Is every day English such as any one of the 4000 Iollecmn under him can understand lie IB n loon of slmplo tastes IB fond of his home and his bicycle caring more Cor a rump with his doublers than fora dinner with pUblic men where he has to make a speech GltllAT IS CHICAC1O It was In his omce that I met Major IIorrlon I got his utlntlon nt once by BIeaklng of Chlellgo A ChlcabO man will always talk about Chicago He may bo as reticent as the sphynx und ns dumb as the dead but question the sbmtles eif Chicago and his tongue will I rattle like a ion sheller opeiated by n 12 foot windmill As to thin Carter Harrison Is no exception I spolie of the Greater New York and asked the major whether Chicago could ever equal It He replied I have no doubt whatever but that Chicago will eventually turpnsi New York Had New York not taken In I froe IJrooklyn and alt 1 of the surrounding I villages we should have overtaken It In 1900 As It Is we now have by our police census about lbOOOOO people We had only 1100000 In 1SJO Knowing a growth of 700000 In seven years We double nor population hero about every twenty yours How about the Worlds Fair Did It help Chicago There Is much difference of opinion about that replied the young major The general belief Is that tho fair retarded the city but I think not The Worlds Talr brought n great deal of ready money Into Chicago Just when times were the hardest and the rest of the United States was sunVrlns from a money famine The result was we did not feel the hard tlmesand perhaps It Is on that account that we dont neov feel the wave of prosperity which Is sold to be swooping < over us Then y ut do not thing the times have Improved I cunt Be thAt tloey havens yet WHAT Tin MAYOllSUIP COSTS Tell InO somelhlng about the ofllce of mayor or Chicago Does It cost much to get it I can tell you Just what It cost me was the reply My campaign assessment assess-ment was 15000 I paid that and In addition my total Incidental expenses for the campaign were 1133 Of this 1100 went for some cartoons and 1lc bares As to spending money for lager beer and things of that kind I did not I buy three I glasses of beer during the whole I cnmpalgn I What Is1 the salary of the major It Is J10000 a year and It ought to be J20000 was the reply The placo 10 no Ineouro I havo never worked 80 hard before ns I am woklng now There are you know about H 000 people peo-ple employed bj the city and we spend hero more than 30000000 a year 18 A MANS Mm SATO IN CHICAGO CHI-CAGO How about the condition of the city Mr Mayor la a mans life safe nl night on the back streets of Chicago Y Yes replied the major life and property are as safe here as In any city on this hemlsphre That mon Stead seandallzo uo In his hook JC Chrlt Should Como to Chicago He wanted I 10 crate a sensation and sell lobs hook Stead came here tram London If there IB a moro llelouo tricked and sensual city In the world than London I do not know It I sea Stead has now attacked New York In the same way as he attacked at-tacked Chicago CHICAGO NOT A WIDE OPEN CITY And Just here remarked the young mayor emphatically I want to any that I Chicago has i been misrepresented and misunderstood rI Is net the wide I open oily that many outsiders cob pose Sly this I I mean that It Is I not at all bad morally for a city of Its size You can scorch this town ovr and you clll not find a faro bank Ora roulette to heel nt worl In It There IB no public gamhllng of any kind cooing on I have the city carefully watched and I know It There ay he some games jf poker and crops In the poorer quartero that we cant prevent but as to gambling on n largo scale that doe not and shall I not rube DONT WANT DIt PAntOIUHRT loco about the Dr Ial khurst muve burnt and matters oC that kind Wo hove lout little vice oC Ihat sort for n 0111 oC our size and such as oho ro Is I li I kept In the background I dont believe In movements like that Inllu BUrnted by Dr Inrkhuret and lots crowd in their attempts to reform the municipal government Such methods are not eICoctlve and I think Ihey are I degradingl dont helle In turning our Iollremen Into a sot oC spies It to a had policy all around I If you dont Iow what Is going on how 1st cnn you reform such evils as on JC wo have to get our knowledge oC thm by aklng and spjlnI prefer pre-fer to hove the evils remain rather than to do so sal < l the mayor I think the wmk can 100 done In other ways And besides Mayor I1Arrlson con ttnlled I am not n reformer I think Iho world Is I fairly good ns It Is I I want It to be better of course but I lont think mans whole nature will be revolulloulzed during my term oC omcc CHICAGO AND ITS nOODLn COUNCIl Hov about the hoodlers In the city council It 10 sold Chicago has n lot oC such councilmen I dont believe she boos more than some other cities I see Philadelphia which poses 00 tho city of brotherly love mod perpetual photo Icon lately had a ccanebal about n sole oC Its gae bran eloise by the city council I belled nil oC our iiuca are none too good In this respect but I know that Chicago It I Improving Only a i few yeara 00 there were not more than five mn In the council who were not owned In ROme teuy or other hy corpotllllons Now there are twentythre or more than onethird of the body who cannot be bribed The mn stand out for reform re-form It 10 nhnost ImpossliM now for any boodle bill to go through aB It requires n two thirds vote to ass bill ovpr my veto I underBtand one such bill was passed during poor term salt I Yes It was but I Vetoed It and they could not pass It over my veto said the major as a determined look como Into his eyes ns much aq 10 Bay and I will do It ninln If they try PENITENTIARY FOR nitllllNO Do yon think such bribing of legl laloro and councilmen should be pun ISheI Yes I do was the reply Not only the men who take the bribes but those I who glvo them should be put In the penitentiary and those who do the bribing should have the longest sentences sen-tences The men who nro bribed have often tho excuse that they arc poor but the bribers are generally rich men who corrupt others tu add to their wealth A NEW SCHEME roil STREET CAR FRANCHISES How about the giving valuable franchises fran-chises to corporations for nothing I dont believe In It said Mayor lIarrlson They should hc hnsde 10 glvo i up a percentage of their arnillg In the city which gives the franchise Take the slrct cars for Instllle Chlcnllo pas every year more than 18000000 In street car Care The faro Is Iho cents and the profit Is elder mous I would not reduce the tare for I Ihlnl nO ccnlB a ride 10 IItll magi and If you cut It down to three or four rents the estrangers 100110 DR much by It as the Cltlzns I would make out the tranchlse so that one ont oC each fare should go Into the colt 3 troaoury to form aspen1 ol fund Cr keeping UI the street This would give the city Iwenty per cent or the rerlpl and this year wo should have a fund oC 3GOOOOO Crom thl source tor keeping UI our streets 1 would cove laxation and nil charges Cor street 1m provcment 1 dont think It Is nt all right fool n mn who h11 hen assessed once for pooling dews 11 pavement In Crolll oC loll properly to he lised IlKniu to ehangoe It It the pavement It I changed Iho lily shoul pay the Mill WHY UNCIH SAM SIIOULD OIVE CHICAGO I 23000000 Will Chicago over be a seaport byway by-way oC thc Gleal Lakeo What do you Ihlnk oC the schm oC n great ship canal whlrh Is now proposed ronnect log toll oC floe lake cities with the sea I dOllht whether It 11 tactical but I do Ihlul that our llOlnOKO canal should bo taken UI and laid for by the govrnment This Is I one oC the great cnglneerlng works oC the age It has coot us In the neighborhood oC 111000 000 mod when complcted vessels dtllw InK nine or ten fret will sail through It Into the Jlllonol river nM on down Into the Mlfsls lppl Whon this fanil Is llnlshed nil the sewago of Chicago will now tho other way It will go down ante the river Instead of Polluting Pollut-ing our drinking water In the lake It Is a national nICnlr and the government should pay the whole bill THE PRESIDENCY Dy the soul Mr Harrison there Is much talk of you as the possible demo cratle candldato Cur the cnmpnlgn oC 1500 Will you be a candidate for tho nomination No I am mayor oC Chicago and I have plenlY to do without bothering my head about such reports Besides I alii a CrlOOll and sUlportr or WIlliam J llryan I believe and hopo that he will bo the nominee Then you have no Irosldentlal Om bltlon No I am not RO foolish as that Hut how ahout the vice preldency Tho elrcumBlunce may mole nron I and IInrrlson the best ticket I dont think the otnco of vice Pies Idcnt Is a very desirable one was the reply I would rather be mayor of Chicago than Vice President of the United States Here you can do things and you hay enough work 10 tax your beat energies The Vice Prosldnt IB to Il great extent a nonentity In the machinery of the government lie Balls the Pronto to order and draw lobs alary That Is about all SILVEIt NOT DEAD You speak oC IIryan lIB the coming calldldal f your patty Mr Mayor will not the sliver qllestloll be a dead Issue In ItOO That cannot bo said the mayor oC Chicago CD1t 50111 never be a dead Issue Is-sue until we have both sllvet and gold ns our monpj It mal not be the main Issue but It will certainly bo one of the Issues Without there Is a rodlcal Improvement Im-provement In the times It will twerp the country In 1900 Hut do you not think the McKinley tariff will bring back good tomes I cant sec toot II Is being ao nor that It will It may be helping the rich InnnuCnctnrr but It la not role Ins ha I wages of too poor The prices r huts coats pontoleons and shoes are higher The wages are the same I believe our next great national Dm OTatlr campaign Is gol I g to bo one of the people against thi corporation It will he I an antitariff fight nn antitrust anti-trust Hunt nnd nn anilcorporation light I dont mean to say that the battle will be on socialistic lines but It will bt 1 based on the fact that as the corporations ret their rights from the people and are sunPot led by the people peo-ple they should he ruled by the proplc and bo the servants oC tho people MONEY MAKING IN CHICAGO Joel one more qucotlon Mr Mayor How about moneymaking In Chicago Ale there still fair chances for poor young men 10 malo fortunes her Y Yes but not such opportunities ns In the past Tho rapid Increases In the value of real estate havo dlsnppiared A little money will not suffice to do great things as It inco did Umlness Iq moro In oho hand or organized rub 1101 and bloc big corlnmtlnn often swallow up the smaller fry Still there will always he n challe fur broln8 muscle and individuality here Poor boys are climbing up tho ladder of fortune for-tune right along nnd good places tee nlwajs waiting for the men best fitted for them In some respects Oboe newer cities of tho far west have now erenti r admntages for cortaln classro nC young men but It seems ti me that Chicago will for years be one of the het among tho mOlloymnng centers of the United htates THANK O OAItPENTEn |
