CHICAGO, SATAN’S SANCTUM
CHICAGO,
Satan’s Sanctum.
| “I am to speak of stories you will not believe; of beings you cannot love; of foibles for which you have no compassion; of feelings in which you have no share.”—W. Mc. Praed |
By L. O. CURON.
C. D. PHILLIPS & CO.,
CHICAGO.
Copyrighted 1899 by
L. O. CURON
PREFACE.
The present Mayor of the City of Chicago was recently re-elected. A largenumber of independent voters, deeming one issue a dominant one, which, infact, was no issue at all, assisted in again bestowing on him the mostimportant office in the municipal government.
The legislature had repealed a law under which evil, through thethreatened action of corruptionists in the Council, might have beenvisited upon the city. That they were powerless to inflict it had beendemonstrated prior to the repeal of that law and prior to the election.His competitors entertained, upon the question of the extension of streetcar privileges, the same views as his own. Both were men of as greatability as he, and each had, and still has, a reputation for personalintegrity not surpassed by his. Both were men more mature in years, andpossessed wider business experiences than he. Hence, either of them couldhave been safely entrusted with the[Pg 4] powers of the executive. Neither ofthem, however, could invent, for campaign purposes, so catching, sopowerful, and yet so sophistical, a political phrase as “The streets maybe dirty, but they still belong to the people.” To the inventor of thatcry the Mayor owes no small political debt.
It might be inferred from the large vote he received that, as a publicservant, he had been tested and not found wanting. With respect to hispersistent opposition to the extension of street car privileges, withoutadequate compensation to the city, and for a period not in excess oftwenty years, it should be said he bravely and manfully did his duty,following, however, not leading public opinion on that question. Alldanger from that source had disappeared when the polls opened in Aprillast. His competitors stood, on that morning, as honorably pledged tothrottle it, if it again appeared, should either of them be elected, as hedid.
It cannot, however, be said that during his first administration he didhis whole duty. It is a[Pg 5] peculiarity of the American people that theyalways praise, with exaggeration, an official who partly does his duty, ifthe part performed is regarded by them as especially serviceable to thepublic. He had the benefit of so much exaggerated praise from a pressthat, for nearly two years then last past, had been condemning him, thatsome people were charmed into a sort of hysterical admiration for him. Hehad the happy faculty of concealing the shortcomings of his firstadministration, under cover of a supposedly overshadowing danger. Therebyhe caused his previous record to appear as if free from blemish, and thathe had performed every duty—and performed it well. The very adroit use ofthis faculty is the only reason why h