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Show I mi (EKDeii on :PuI)Hc OivuersDip. I ' (Cbicajro Examiner.) Once upon a time a very shrewd, able and ambitious man named Terkea descended de-scended on the city of Chicago, mu as swarm' of even-yesr locusts lights on a Held of young wheat. The results were much the same. 1 The locusts go way fat and noisy; tht field lies bare, stripped of Its wheat. MrTerkes, wo reached Chicago poor and blanched, left rich and ruddy. - Behind "htm he left uncounted ruined investors in his watered street railway securities, and a city became so restive under the street railway system he established i that two months ago it voted over-j wheimlngly to have done with "mag-' nates" and to own and operate its own railways. U v - ?o i ' 1 ': However; Mr. Terkea tettred rich, which is ' why he believes in private ownership. Now he is building under-; ground roads in; London for the purpose pur-pose of getUng richer. And from bis ripe experience he proceeds to inform the world that "municipal ownership is the commencement of a socialist end. and a reign of blackmail and corruption." corrup-tion." Furthermore, he avers that "the city might well pack hogs as run street cars." . . .. In passing, it may be noted that Mr. Terkes and his sort usually run street cars . as though . the passengers were hogs to be packed, without reference to comfort or decency. ' It is note extraordinary thitmen ' of this stripe should '. oppose . municipal ownership. With Uttle capital, except brains and a case-hardened conscience. Yerkes took out of Chicago millions oT dollars, leaving the city In return the most -wretched transportation service in North America. The wonder is that he should have the supreme audacity to say . that municipal ownership would mean "the . reign of blackmail and corruption." The period during which he was developing his "system" in Chicago was the. most. : notoriously corrupt in the political history of the city. He made and unmade Aldermen, sought to coerce Mayors, financed independent in-dependent campaigns and generally carried into politics and public affairs the same methods 'which made him successful and hated-in business. "Blackmail . and corruption!" The chief opportunity for city politicians to levy blackmail proceeds from their control oyer valuable publio franchises. The most fruitful source of corruption is the shrewd . promoter wanting a franchise and ready to pay the politicians politi-cians for it. If anybody should be cognizant cog-nizant of these facts. It is Mr. Terkea. He admitted as much, iBferentially in this brief dialogue: , ; V 'Did the concessions you got in Chicago Chi-cago cost you anything r was asked. v".Tor Jhe. Lord'" . .don't ask me' that." said Mr. Terkes." It was under the excellent system of EfYw I?'b,5ln of public franchises th' Mr- Twl(M got his Chicago properties. prop-erties. He will hardly deny that black-mall black-mall and corruption figured in the very profitable game he played there. |