711.40977311 W115s An S-O-S to the public spirited citizens of Chicago Wacker, Charles UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA -CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS HISTORY AND LINCOLN COLLECTION; ■ ***:* &Cl*o* AN S-O-S TO THE PUBLIC SPIRITED CITIZENS OF CHICAGO 1 1 * j )A LINOIS by Charles H. Wacker Illinois History and Lincoln Collections An S-O-S to the Public Spirited Citizens of Chicago By Charles H. Wacker "The spirit of Chicago is our greatest asset. It is not merely civic pride: it is rather the constant, steady determi- nation to bring about the very best conditions of city life for all the people, with full knowl- edge that what we as a people decide to do in the public interest we can and surely will bring to pass." DANIEL HUDSON BURNHAM AN S-O-S By Charles H. Wacker SINCE it came into being by Act of the City Council in 1909, the Chicago Plan Commission has devoted itself single-mind- edly to the furtherance of the Plan of Chi- cago. There has been gratifying progress. There have also been crises — times when it has been necessary to flash Banger Signals to our citizens to remind them of the import- ance of the improvements in the Plan, and to warn them of consequences if the improve- ments were delayed. Today I am sending out Another Signal to the people of this city to come to the sup- port of the Plan of Chicago. We must push the projects in the Plan to speedy comple- tion! The Chicago Plan must have the continued assistance of Chicago people! For fully twenty years now I have been identified in an official capacity with the Plan of Chicago. During that time my associates in the development of the Plan have worked hard with me to make a thor- ough, intelligent, and disinterested survey of Chicago. For almost fifteen years this work has been carried on through the Chicago Plan Commission, which has had the ser- vices of a splendid corps of experts. During that time the Plan Commission has accumu- lated a large amount of data, maps and [3] statistics that will be of almost inestimable value to the city in considering future im- provements. We have endeavored to determine what Chicago needs, not only to maintain her present standing, but also to attain to that position for which (as I confidently believe) she is destined: The greatest city com- mercially and the best city to live in upon the North American continent. Throughout my work for the Plan, I have always endeavored, in reaching conclusions, to let common sense govern; to exercise foresight with wisdom and prudence; and to hold to a practical ideal. Looking into the future I now feel that I must again issue a Warning. My purpose is to put myself unmistakably on record, and my hope is that the warning may be helpful in keeping alive the Chicago Spirit and stim- ulating it to new and big achievements. That spirit has been undaunted in the past, and in it, as I have often said, lies the prom- ise of the future. I have referred to the Chicago Plan Com- mission. That body is composed of over three hundred public officials and citizens — patriotic, public-spirited, and truly repre- sentative, selected from every section of the city and from every walk in life. The Commission sponsors a plan (the Plan of Chicago) for the physical develop- ment of the whole city and for the Benefit of All of Its People. It is non-sectional and [4] non-sectarian. It has no private axes to grind and is subservient to no interests. It recognizes that city planning — bringing or- der out of chaos — is a science. The Commission realizes that the virility and stability of our Nation will depend upon what we make of our Cities, where over one-half of our people now live. It realizes that a healthy, contented, and vigorous people is the nation's greatest asset; and that co-operation between Capital and Labor is essential to the nation's well-being. Capital cannot do without labor, nor can labor do without capital. The business man and the banker, the employer and the employee, the artisan and the laborer all have interests in common. The Commis- sion realizes that our national well-being (with which that of our city is bound up) is also dependent upon wise legislation, co- operation, and community of action. The Chicago Plan Commission further realizes that there is no place for congested areas in the well-planned city. Over-crowd- ing makes hotbeds of crime, vice, and dis- order. The city that tolerates vile and squalid conditions cannot be really successful. Hence the Plan Commission regards proper Housing, good sanitation, pure air, sunlight, and places of healthful recreation as among the inalienable rights of man. Disregard of them leads to trouble. Environment molds character for either good or bad. Intelligence, health, and good morals are encouraged by a good environ- [5] ment. Contentment and loyalty thrive in it. Good architecture, harmonious develop- ment, and attractive surroundings tend to lift us above sordid industrial existence into the realm of the beautiful and ennobling things of life. Citizens nurtured in a good environment are those who best perform the world's work. Now what can the Plan Commission show for its efforts during the past fourteen years to improve our local environment? First, it can show substantial progress made toward the creation of 1,138 acres (nearly two square miles) of Park Lands being developed by the South Park Com- missioners along the shore of Lake Michi- gan, in line with the Plan of Chicago. Next it can call attention to 30,000 acres of Forest Preserves, acquired by the Board of Forest Preserve Commissioners of Cook County, as recommended in the Chicago Plan. Ten Great Street Improvements under way, and six others of less general importance, add to the record. Of these Michigan Avenue, Roosevelt Road, South Park Ave- nue and Ogden Avenue have been virtually completed. Western Avenue, South Water Street, and Ashland Avenue are going for- ward. Ordinances have been passed for Robey Street, Twenty-second Street, Indiana Ave- nue, Polk Street, Taylor Street, Jefferson Street, Clinton Street, Desplaines Street, and Canal Street. [6] The plan includes the development of a Quadrangle of Wide Streets around the cen- tral business district; provision for addi- tional entrances to and exits from the loop; and the development of a complete system of major through streets to be officially adopted by the city. Besides the foregoing, two other improve- ments of greatest importance to the city are going forward in accordance with the Plan of Chicago. One is the Union Station de- velopment on the west side. The other is the Illinois Central Railroad Terminal on the south side, including the electrification of its train operation. Thus, after fourteen years, the Plan Commission can now show Fourteen Major Projects pro- gressing toward completion. The Commission could not have accom- plished so much without the support of Public Opinion. At the outset of our work we knew we should have to have public opinion with us, and so we earnestly sought to win it. We are constantly striving for a more widespread understanding of our work, in order that we may gain friends and sup- porters. And the fact is that the Commission en- joys to a marked degree the confidence of the citizens of Chicago. It has the loyal and unstinted support of the present city administration under Mayor Dever, as it had that of all the administrations through which it has passed — the administrations of Mayors Busse, Harrison, and Thompson; [7] and of all other governmental bodies with which it has come in contact. We are grateful to each succeeding admin- istration for the support it has given to the projects of the Chicago Plan Commission and the progress made in carrying them out. The officials of these bodies (many of whom have served or are serving as ex-officio mem- bers of the Plan Commission) have recog- nized the Fundamental Importance of City Planning in advancing the welfare of the people, and have co-operated to the fullest extent in carrying out the projects suggested in the Plan of Chicago. The Plan Commission has enjoyed the in- valuable, unprecedented, and public-spirited support of the entire press of Chicago during the fourteen-year period of its work. The Commission has withstood the Acid Test of time, and well deserves unqualified and continuous support. Chicago knows what she needs — of this there can be no question. She needs the fundamental improvements in the Plan of Chicago to make her not only the Metropolis of this country, but also a healthful, com- fortable, and attractive place for All Her People to live and work in; so attractive, indeed, that she will draw the people of the world continually to her doors, bringing in much with them and taking away nothing that will leave the city poorer. The function of the Chicago Plan Com- mission is to see that Chicago gets what she [8] needs. In exercising its function and mak- ing its recommendations the Chicago Plan Commission tolerates no guess-work, no makeshifts, and no "line of least resistance" policy. It stands firmly, squarely, and un- equivocally upon a platform of improve- ments which shall be Adequate not only for today but also for the future. If it ever changes its position in this respect its use- fulness will be over and it should be dis- solved. So much for the Chicago Plan Commis- sion. Now what about the Chicago Plan? The Chicago Plan is a scientific and thor- ough analysis of the present and future needs of our city. It is a practical and economi- cal plan for the mighty task of remodeling Chicago in an orderly and systematic way. The need for a plan grew out of the Changed Conditions which belong to the twentieth century, and out of the marvel- ous! y rapid growth of the city. Without guidance Chicago's development will be in accordance with the extravagant, unintelli- gent, haphazard, and disjointed manner of the past. The Plan of Chicago furnishes the guidance. Every city should have a sound, practical, and scientifically prepared plan, embodying fundamental principles, to guide its physical development. Because of the rapidly chang- ing conditions in our American cities, how- ever, all city plans are necessarily subject to modification from time to time to meet modern requirements. In the Chicago Plan the genius of Daniel H. Burnham pointed out the great possibili- ties for improving and beautifying this city. The Plan stands out today as fresh and sug- gestive as it ever was, although fifteen years have elapsed since it was presented to the city as a gift from The Commercial Club of Chicago. It testifies to Mr. Burnham's keen fore- sight and wisdom, and proves that he and his collaborator, Mr. E. H. Bennett (our present consultant), who, with their able co- workers (under the direction of The Com- mercial Club) produced the Plan, possessed a vision far in advance of their time. All those who are active in the work of the Chicago Plan, and who are keeping it con- stantly abreast of the times, never cease to wonder at its clearness, definiteness, and comprehensiveness in dealing with the fun- damental problems of the future as well as the present. Every one of the Plan improvements un- der way could Stand Alone as fully worth all its cost; but when the improvements are re- garded collectively, both those under way and those proposed, then it appears how closely they dovetail, and how efficiently they Function Together. There you have the essence of the Plan of Chicago : Unity, Order, Convenience, Economy. The Plan is a Standard of Ideals: "Ideals are like the stars; we cannot touch them with our hands, but like the storm-tossed mariner on the troubled seas, we may follow them and ultimately reach our destiny." [10] President Cleveland once said: "In all practical affairs mere idealizing, however earnest, accomplishes nothing. To be of value it must carry with it a definite pro- gram which the ordinary citizen can under- stand." The Chicago Plan meets these require- ments fully. The Plan is not only Ideal, but it is Practical; it is Economically Sound; it carries with it a Definite Program; it is easily understood by all. If consummated, the Plan will enrich in the highest human way every man, woman, and child in Chicago. I have alluded to the headway which has already been made on the Plan. I want also to speak of what remains to be done, and to say, as emphatically as I can, that we must not rest complacently upon past achieve- ments, but that we must Go Forward earn- estly and with all possible speed with the execution of the improvements already un- der way and those to follow. The Central Business District of Chicago is two miles square. It is bounded by Lake Michigan, Chicago Avenue, Halsted Street and Roosevelt Road. The fact that 32.5 per cent of this area is occupied by railroads, and the further fact that Only Four out of twenty-four north-and-south streets extend the two miles between Chicago Avenue and Roosevelt Road, emphasize the need for the re-arrangement of railroad terminals, the straightening of the river, the establishment of fixed bridges, and the development of additional street facilities to en- r 11 1 able the central business district to expand normally. Right at the present moment the very important plan to Straighten the Chicago River between Polk Street and 18th Street (which is involved with the re-arrangement of railroad terminals) is before the public authorities for action. Without this straightening it will be impossible to Extend Five Loop Streets (Market, Franklin, Wells, La Salle and Dearborn) from their present termini south through the area now absorbed by railroad uses, to connect with Wentworth Avenue, Archer Avenue (the great southwest diagonal thoroughfare), and with the other south side streets. Subways, when constructed, must be of a nature beneficial to every section of the city, since our citizens must be provided with rapid, through and uninterrupted transit so as to permit the transportation facilities of the entire city to function as a unit. Comprehensive subway plans should con- template eliminating the elevated and sur- face street car lines within the central busi- ness district to the greatest degree practi- cable. A Major Street Plan is a plan to systema- tize main, or major thoroughfares. It in- cludes the opening of necessary new streets, and the widening, extending, or improve- ment of existing streets. The purpose is to design streets to handle the kind and volume of traffic which they will be required to take, in order that the entire street system may be co-ordinated through the provisions of di- rect, ample, continuous, and convenient main routes of travel through the city. I desire to emphasize the value of such a plan as strongly as possible. Now is the Time to lay out a system of major through streets for official adoption by the city. This could not have been done intelligently until a Zoning ordinance had been adopted. If we now add a major street plan to the zoning ordinance, which estab- lishes the use and development of land, then the public authorities will be better able to plan intelligently and economically for street paving, street lighting, sidewalks, sewers and other public utilities. Such pro- cedure will undoubtedly bring about a great public saving. The undertaking to make a Regional Plan is also timely, and should be strongly sup- ported; but that very plan will make im- perative the laying out of a system of major through streets within the City of Chicago, because it is obvious that the re- gional thoroughfares must be designed to function with the city streets. I do not believe that any one can be satis- fied with Chicago as it is. I believe every one would be glad to see the Congestion upon our streets relieved. I believe every one would find elements of direct personal ad- vantage to himself if he could go about his business unhindered by traffic jams. But if the congestion of our streets is seri- ous today, think how it will be augmented [is! by the Increase of the Automotive Vehicle and the Skyscraper — those two twentieth century phenomena! Yes, we must take drastic measures now to provide better fa- cilities for the movement of persons and vehicles to and fro. It would be pure folly to let the situation get so bad that any sort of relief will be grasped, no matter at what expense. Consider the one fact of Motor Traffic and its relation to wide streets and good roads. Many people who favor inadequate street widenings are still thinking, as was said during the automobile show just closed, in terms of the horse and buggy, although there were 15,280,295 registered passenger cars and trucks operated in the United States on January 1, 1924, according to the report of the Department of Commerce. At the automobile show we were also told that "The building of wider roads and the elimination of congestion in cities have be- come Industrial Problems of the First Class, and Chicago's proposal to double the width of the main paved arteries within a hundred- mile radius of its center is one that should have the support of every man interested in the manufacture or use of cars." Think of it — an automobile for every seven persons in the country! While motor truck service is still in its swaddling clothes. Such conditions cannot be ignored. We must reckon with them. Take, too, the facts of the skyscraper, the huge apartment building, and the tene- [14] ment. They demand Street Facilities on a much larger scale than was ever dreamed of before. In Chicago today the loop is built up to only 50% of its capacity, and yet the con- gestion of traffic upon loop streets is nerve- racking, dangerous, and uneconomic. We call it "intolerable," but that is a fiction, for we do tolerate it. Street congestion will grow worse with the erection of every additional skyscraper until our streets will have become so over- crowded that it will be impossible to do any business, or even to move around in the downtown section. The example of others is full of profit for us, if only we will heed. New York, for in- stance, laid out its street system in 1811. It made every north-and-south street 100 feet wide, and provided 155 east-and-west streets, running from river to river. Of these east-and-west streets fifteen, prac- tically every tenth street, were made 100 feet wide, and the remainder 60 feet wide. Now, in 1924, New York finds the 100- foot street totally inadequate for modern re- quirements and is planning various meth- ods of relief. Many improvements which New York needs today cannot be made at all, and those which can be made are tre- mendously costly. Country roads and city streets to be laid out in the Greater London District will have a right of way 120 feet wide in most cases — 100 feet as a minimum width — if the present [15] plans of the government are carried out. The plans involve a total of several thous- and miles of additional new construction, designed to make London the center of the most adequately roaded section in the world. And here in Chicago, where we have but few streets even 100 feet wide, we are talk- ing of limiting La Salle Street (destined to be the second most important street in the city, if adequately widened), to a width of only 80 feet with a roadway only 56 feet wide! Comment is unnecessary. The only adequate method of dealing with the problem of congestion in Chicago is to follow the suggestions in the Chicago Plan. The present generation should be not only willing but glad to incur the cost neces- sary to build comprehensively to secure the gratitude (to say nothing of the advantage) of its children and children's children. If we take this course, posterity will rightly interpret our humanitarian and practical spirit and will emulate it as well as profit by it. In the eyes of posterity Chicago's effort to plan for the future will stand out in bold contrast to the Lack of Foresight which is so serious a defect in our national practice to- day. For an instance of the prevailing lack of foresight we do not have to look farther than the present physical layout of Chicago itself. It is a welter of confusion; but the Plan of Chicago points the way out. rial If the men and women of Chicago want to get out it is squarely up to them. What are they going to do about it? It is a big task. Let them grapple with it now and the end can be attained economically. If they wait there is no telling what can or cannot be done. Subways, sub-sidewalks, overhead side- walks, alley sidewalks, escalators, arcades and what not have been suggested for the relief of congestion, but when all has been said, the major projects of the Chicago Plan Commission are still fundamental. They are a§ necessary to Chicago as a caisson foundation is to a skyscraper. These projects: The River Straightening and the extension of north-and- south streets; the improvement of various east-and-west streets; the two-level improvement of South Water Street, connecting Michigan A venue with Market Street on the upper level, and the freight yards east of Michigan Avenue with those on the west side on the lower level; the connecting of Jackson Park with Grant Park, and of Grant Park with Lincoln Park — such projects as these will have so vital a bearing upon all other projects (how- ever commendable) that they must be set- tled First, after which the others can follow intelligently. Consider the Pedestrian. He certainly gets little enough consideration otherwise. He is regarded as just a nuisance, and when he is a "jay-walker" he IS a nuisance; but no more so than the reckless or inconsider- [17] ate automobile driver, who respects no one from the traffic officer down. The pedes- trian repays the inconsiderate motorist for his indifference with bitter dislike, and out of carelessness on both sides has resulted the Mayor's Safety Commission, an important agency in reducing the number of accidents. The pedestrian finds that he has fewer and fewer rights in our streets. The Sidewalk, at least, should be his undisputed domain, but even his rights to the sidewalk are being cur- tailed. In Chicago it is now seriously pro- posed (has, in fact, actually been done in several instances) to narrow the sidewalks in order to make wider roadways for street traffic. The Chicago Plan Commission Positively Disapproves any such Makeshift, plainly foreseeing the whole future reaction to a course of action so unsound economically and so unfair to the pedestrian. Statistics show that less than one-tenth of the people of Chicago own automobiles; that only one-half have access to the auto; and that fully one-half do not use the automobile at all. Chicago is already well on the way to its goal. A break in the forward movement of the Chicago Plan will be Calamitous in its effect upon the welfare of the city and will shatter the hopes for the future, which are today so promising and so well founded. When once we know what we should do to go forward it is Stagnation to Delay. Stagna- [18] tion means losing out in the march of progress. It is fatal in the end. Yes, I repeat, Chicago's Enlightened Self- interest demands speed in carrying out the projects proposed in the Plan of Chicago. The Chicago Plan is Practical. It pro- vides for doing now those things which must be done anyway at some time in the future. To do them Now means Economy. To de- lay means a greatly increased or even pro- hibitive cost. We must make the Chicago Plan the Ideal for Chicago. We must work for it and dare to stand and fight for it. This is, in effect, the position of the Chicago Plan Commission, which, ever since its establish- ment, has urged the complete execution of the Plan and has admonished against delay. Delay has already made some improvements once contemplated now prohibitively costly. Difficulties need not dishearten us, for there is no difficulty that cannot be over- come by the "I Will" spirit. If it is our Legal Procedure which is too burdensome, expensive and unwieldy (as it certainly seems to be), then we must act to secure carefully planned remedial legis- lation. If it is the Bonding Power of the city that is too limited to permit improvements and public works commensurate with the im- portant position which Chicago now holds, then we must find ways and means to in- crease the bonding power through action by the legislature at Springfield. [19] The older cities on our eastern seaboard have already found that if they, as municipal corporations, were to serve the needs of their large and growing populations, and of their business interests adequately, they must be endowed with larger financial power. There are 253 municipalities in the United States with a population of 30,000 or more, 183 of which reported financial statistics to the Federal Census Bureau (1921). Of the 183 cities reporting, 131 have a per capita debt larger than Chicago's, and only 52 owe less money per inhabitant than Chicago does. The great advantage which other cities have over Chicago in the ability to borrow money to make needed public improve- ments is shown by the following table taken from these Federal census statistics. Of the twelve largest cities in United States, three (Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore) did not report their financial statistics to the Census Bureau. The remaining nine largest cities, arranged according to size of their per capita debt, are : New York $182.93 Pittsburgh 107.91 Boston.... 107.29 San Francisco 96.75 Philadelphia 81.16 Los Angeles 75.03 Buffalo 70.58 Chicago 32.31 St. Louis 19.42 (Since the report of 1921 was made St. Louis has increased its bonded indebtedness $112.88 per capita over and above this amount) [so] The Chicago item includes the bonded indebtedness of the city, the schools, the park systems, the county (within the city ) , the forest preserves (within the city), and the sanitary district (within the city) . So far as its public debt is concerned, Chicago is in a class with cities like Grand Rapids, Michigan; Davenport, Iowa; Ken- osha, Wisconsin; and Oak Park, Illinois, — cities with populations of from 40,000 to 140,000, the largest of which is less than one- twentieth the size of Chicago. Furthermore New York, Philadelphia, and other large cities are permitted (which Chicago is not) to deduct from their munici- pal indebtedness all bonds issued to finance municipal public works (such as waterworks, wharves, and the like), in all cases where the income from such works is sufficient to pay the interest and amortization charges on the bonds. Chicago cannot incur municipal indebted- ness in excess of five per cent of the assessed valuation of property. This produces an amount of money very far from sufficient to take care of the present and future needs of the city. How can this situation be remedied? In two ways only. One way is to increase the present five per cent limitation. (New York's limitation at the present time is ten per cent.) The other way is to assess on an increased precentage of the full value, in- stead of on 50 per cent of the full value, as at present. [Ml The idea is sometimes advanced that High Taxes are due to Chicago Plan im- provements. This idea is unfounded. Up to the present all ten of the principal Chi- cago Plan street improvements now going forward have added Less than Two-Tenths of a Cent to each dollar paid for taxes. Even if it were necessary to Double the amount of these bonds in order to Complete these ten essential improvements, it would only amount to the small sum of Four- Tenths of a Cent on each dollar of taxes, or 40 cents on each $100 of assessed value. Under these circumstances property worth $10,000 would pay only $40 per year for the total cost of completing all ten of these projects; and property valued at $100,000 would pay but $400 per year. In view of So Small an increase in taxes (to cover sinking fund and interest) no organization is justified in opposing Chicago Plan im- provements. The money spent for these improvements is Invested, not merely expended. The Advertising Value alone of these great bet- terments is beyond calculation. They have advertised Chicago favorably around the world in a way which money could not buy. Every one of the Plan of Chicago im- provements completed or under way has added Real Material Value to the individ- uals who were assessed to make it. Higher Property Values mean increased revenue to the city. With Fair Tax Levies upon the in- creased values which have already taken fflSl place, and the further increases bound to come, Plan improvements, far from being the cause of high taxes, should be the means of Reducing Taxes generally throughout the city. The Cost of Chicago Plan improvements has always been Far Less than the Benefits which these improvements have produced. The Michigan Avenue improvement, for instance, has paid for itself six times over through the increased property values re- sulting from the improvement, to say noth- ing of the great saving in time and money because of the widened thoroughfare. The Object of the Chicago Plan is two-fold. On the one hand it is to make a greater Chi- cago Commercially and Industrially, by means of improvements adequate to safe- guard, develop, and promote Chicago's busi- ness interests. In this way our interests will be protected from possible serious inroads on the part of progressive competing cities. On the other hand the Chicago Plan will make Chicago a Better City from Every Humanitarian Point of View. We as a city have suffered much from public indifference it is true, but we can profit now from the lessons of the past. We can broaden our knowledge of the city's needs; we can intensify our interest in civic affairs. We can frown upon bickering and quibbling ; we can do away with dilatory tactics . Business Men should support the efforts of the Chicago Plan Commission because the very life of the city depends upon its facili- U3 1 ties for doing business and its ability to meet competition. People buy where they can buy most cheaply, and that city which places itself in the most advantageous eco- nomic position will get the business. Chicago might have had the automobile business if our people had been alive to their opportunities. Now we have the chance to obtain the airplane industry, because Chi- cago is the logical place for it, if we provide adequate airplane landing fields and the other essentials to attract that industry here. But unless our business men awake we shall Lose This Opportunity also. The Plan of Chicago should have the aggressive support of Labor. The Plan stands for the highest standards of living, for better working conditions, more recre- ational facilities, and the stamping out of overcrowded conditions, with their atten- dant evils. Every Citizen has a sacred obligation to help make his city (his home) greater and better. Some are enthusiastically at work, but not enough. Men and women of Chica- go, let us present a United Front. Every one will be rewarded for the effort he puts forth now. Selfishness, sectionalism, and narrow policies must not be allowed to stand in the way of the city's progress. We must put "the greatest good of the greatest number" before everything else. I repeat, Every Element in the Life of this City should be enthusiastically behind the Plan of Chicago because it materially im- r 24 1 proves business facilities, increases traffic cir- culation, enhances property values, and pro- motes the welfare of all the people. The Plan recognizes that Chicago is the Center of the Population of the United States and that within a radius of 500 miles live over half the people of our country. It recognizes that Chicago is the Natural Gateway between the East and the West; that it is the foremost Railroad Center on this continent and that rail and water can best be brought together here. It recognizes and asserts that there should be no cessation of the effort to crystallize a strong public opinion in favor of more Com- mercial and Industrial Harbor facilities for Chicago, so that every citizen may under- stand how his interests are affected. The city or commercial harbor is used lo- cally for passengers and the handling of coal, fruit, vegetables, and other merchan- dise. The industrial harbor is used in con- nection with the handling of commodities which are in transit through the city or which are required for manufacture. When Chicago becomes an Inland Sea- port, which it is surely destined to become through the development of the St. Law- rence seaway, a transfer harbor adequate to care for ocean-going vessels will be required. "Three factors determine the commercial supremacy of a city by the sea; first, its potential tributary commerce; second, the size and accessibility of its harbor; and, [25] third, the development of its docks to meet the requirements and accelerate the increase of its commerce." Fixed Bridges are sure to come. They will necessitate the establishment of a Barge System, provided with adequate dockage, transfer and terminal facilities, upon the Chicago River and its branches. Besides that, Chicago needs ample Termi- nal and other facilities for barges, in con- nection with the lighterage system now being developed on the Mississippi River, and which will be extended to Chicago when the Lakes-to-the-Gulf Waterway has been com- pleted. We agree unqualifiedly as to the import- ance of the Lakes-to-the-Gulf waterway in- dicated by the following extract from the 1909 Report of the Chicago Harbor Com- mission: "A Lakes-to-the-Gulf waterway would afford water transportation to and from the Gulf of Mexico, and give easy access to the Panama Canal. If the movement for im- provement of the tributaries of the Missis- sippi River shall be successful, the Lakes-to- the-Gulf waterway will give Chicago water communication with all the vast area reached by these water courses. "Through these routes Chicago manu- facturers and jobbers may distribute their goods to a large and rapidly growing popu- lation. Lumber and coal may be brought in from the south. Ultimately, the raw cotton [26] of the South may be brought to mills to be developed in this area. Sugar, coffee, and the less perishable tropical products will also make use of such a route. It is probable that in the future traffic north and south be- tween Temperate and Tropical Zones will increase more rapidly than that east and west. "To derive the highest benefit from the Lakes-to-the-Gulf waterway, Chicago must be provided with adequate water terminal facilities for the handling, storage, and trans- fer of goods. The question of a satisfactory northern outlet or connecting channel with Lake Michigan for this waterway, becomes a matter of fundamental importance." As a result of our apathy, Chicago has not received the river and harbor appropria- tions that it should have received from the Federal Government, and we are lagging behind other important cities on the Great Lakes in harbor development. Our apathy has also resulted in a lack of Federal appropriations sufficient for the pur- chase of land and the construction of a new, adequate, and sanitary Post Office. Chicago is the pivotal point of the nation's mail service, and its inadequate postal facilities seriously injure the commercial interests not only of Chicago but also of more than two hundred important cities in the nineteen surrounding states. There is no division of opinion with re- gard to yet another need in Chicago, and that is for a convention hall of a size ade- [27] quate to take care of the largest conven- tions. With no difference of opinion, there- fore, and with several years of discussion behind us, why have we no results to record? Again because of apathy, and because of sec- tional differences and lack of co-ordinated activity. We missed our opportunity to secure the automobile industry; we may lose out by not making adequate provision for the airplane industry and for our postal and convention requirements; and unless we now interest ourselves aggressively in the matter of har- bor development we shall miss the greatest opportunity of all. Only vigorous and con- tinuous demand will secure for Chicago what it needs. The Plan of Chicago recognizes that Chi- cago is the Great Central Market; that it has a labor market such as only a metropolis can supply; and that our hinterland, the Missis- sippi Valley, is the richest in the world. It recognizes that congestion is an eco- nomic waste, Increasing the Cost of Living and undermining business prosperity. It recognizes that Chicago is a wonderful city with Possibilities which no other city in the world possesses. Our industrial and com- mercial Advantages can be so developed that business will find every reason for moving into the Chicago district and no reason for moving out. With its Lake Front properly developed, its Streets and its Park and Boulevard Sys- tems improved and connected, its Forest [28] Lands preserved, and its wasteful and dis- figuring Smoke Nuisance abated, Chicago can be made a city combining beauty, un- surpassed recreational facilities, and com- mercial advantages second to none. The Plan of Chicago further recognizes that Chicago is fast becoming a Cultural Center which ranks high in the world of art, literature, science, music, education, and medicine. In a word, the potentialities of this city are so nearly unlimited that no ideal is too grand or too great for it to aspire to. Chicago's location is strategic, and nature has been good to her. Let us make the most of it, but let us remember that nature can- not do all. Chicago stands today at the threshold of a great future. She is within Striking Distance of her true goal. This is her moment of great- est opportunity. It is also her hour of Gravest Need for wise guidance, when a mistake would mean so much. Now — right now — tomorrow may be too late — is the time for Chicago to Prove Her Faith in the Future. Chicago, February 16, 1921* [29] UNIVERSfTY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 3 0112 072584383