Henderson daily dispatch., May 04, 1934, Page PAGE TWO, Image 2

About Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
PAGE TWO
Insull Dips Into Politics And Virtually Runs Chicago
While He Spends Fortune Returning His Wife To Stage
■: I. IV OF SAM II 'll I I I I
oamu«l.lnsull m«t Gladys^Wallis on Broadway in 1899 and
they'war*'married soon afterward*.
(This Is the fourth of five ar
ticles on how Insull rose and fell.
This article depicts his domina
tion of Chicago.)
(By Central Press)
Chicago, May 4. —In the days when
he held sway in Chicago. Samuell In
sull who had risen from a $.25-week of
rice boy to a millionaire 100 times over
—was the most powerful figure the
nation’s second largest city ever saw.
His electricity lighted the homes and
turned the weels of industry for Chi
cago’s millions, with his gas these mil
lions cooked their meals and on his
electrtric trains many of theem rode
to an id from their work each day.
Greater still than his Chicago utili
ties monopoly was his $3,000,000,000
chain of public utilities from Maine to
Texas which had onetenth of the na
tion's population as its customers.
Every day people in 32 states paid tri
bute to Samuel Insull—for electricity,
for gas, for ice, for water, for street
car rides, for bus transportation and
for similar services.
An Insull Boast
“I can do anything I wish in Chi
cago,” Samuel Insull once boasted, and
that statement was very near the
truth.
Having contributed SIOO,OOO to elect
‘‘Big Bill” Thompson as mayor of
Chicago, Insull actually ran the city
for years while "Big Bill” was threat
ening to “bust King George in the
snoot,” staging rodeos in the city hall
and cutting similar capers. Ther eat
power at the city hall in those days
was Corporation Counsel Samuel Et
telson who had been an Insull atttor
ney and whose law partner still was
in Insull’9 employ.
Meanwhile, Chicago's crime wave
mounted, gangsters continued to shoot
down each other in the streets witn
little interference from the police, the
stench of prohibition graft was reeK
Jts Already Dissolved
Viva* quickest relief from pain. Banishes
neurons strain. Brings peaceful relaxation.
10a, 30c, 60c, pint sizes and at launti.
AU Ready to
BETWEEN
This bank and its depositors there exists
. a,strong bond of confidence, co-operation
;4r)jd business friendship.
We wish to make it pleasant for
you to transact business with us
by attending to your financial
needs promptly, courteously and
satisfactorily. It is our policy to
be helpful to our customers in
every way consistent with safety
and sound banking principles.
We build our business by render
ing a service useful, convenient
and profitable to the people of
this community, and you are
cordially invited to make use of
this service.
Every Depositor of this Bank is
NOW Insured up to
the Amount of
$2500.00.
L
First National Bank
In Henderson
Henderson, N. 0.
ing and the city government sank,
perilously close to bankruptcy. But
Insult's franchises and ratese seem not
not to have suffered.
Insull Money on Both Sides
In 1926, when his utility holdings
were spreading throughout the United
States, Insull turned to politics on a
broader scale and aided in the election
of Frank . Smith, of llinois, to the
United States Senate. Smith was re
jected by the Senate after a hearing
at which Insull admitted that he had
contributed $125,000 to Smith’s cam
paign. At the same hearing it.w at>
disclosed that Insull had also contri
buted $15,000 to the campaign of
George L. Brennan, Smith’s Democra
tic opponent . . . Foxy nsull, had
played both sides.
And politics in Chicago and Illinois
reeked with corruption.
Insull’s business gnius was striking
ly displayed by his service as chan
man of the Illinois Council of Na
tional Defense during the World war.
While similar councils in other states
were spending big appropriations, ln
sull’s council actually made a profit
of $300,000 for the state treasury
Insull did this by staging "patriotic
war pageants” and charging admis
snon, by publishing and selling "patri
otic cook books” which taught house
wives how to prepare viarbread am?
sugar less desserts, by staging "patri
otic food schows” at which these cu
linary products wered isplayed.
An Admirer’s Words
“If they’d let Siam Insull run the
war he could make it pay dividends,”
an enthusiastic admirer said about
that time.
Though Insull was successful m
many things, he failed in one cher
ishede ambition —that of effecting the
professional comeback of his actress
wife who had deserted the footlighife
to marry him. This venture is said
to have cost him $200,000.
Back in 1899 Insull, on a business
trip to New York, dropped into a
Broadway theatre one evening after
dinner. There he was captivated by
the grace and charm of Gladys Wallis,
a reigning young actress of that a day.
Through friends lie contrived to get
an introduction and soon thereafter
they were married.
In 1926 the peite Mrs. nsull —look-
ing almost as" young as ever, though
she had a son at Yale—yearned to re
turn to the stage. Her husband sup-
HBNDEHSDN, fN. CJ DAILY DISPATCH, FRIDAY, MAY 4,1934
!• 1926. at the height of his power, Insull spent $200,000 when he
produced a play, starring his wife, for a brief Chicago run
ported her in this desire.
A Social Event
Accordingly, Insull imported from
London a well known English actor
for her leading man, lavished money
on a high-priced supporting cast and
rented a Chicago theatre where re
hearsals were held for kees. The pro
duction chosen was Sheridan’s “Schoql
for Scandal”, with Mrs. Insull in the
role of ady Teazle.
The opening nightw as one of the
most brilliant social events in Chi
cago’s history—the Armours, the
Fields, the McCormicks, and all the
rest of the elite were there, resplen
dent in Paris gowns and jewels worth
a kings ransom, n his box Samuel In
sull beamed with triumph and satis
faction as gale after gale of applause
swept the theatre.
But what had been an outstanding
social success proved a sad commer
cial failure. The public failed to ap
preciate Mrs. Insull as an actress and
after a short time the show closed—-
and Samuel Insull charged his $200,-
000 loss to experience.
At least a million dollars is said to
have been spent by Insull on the Chi
cago Civic Opera company, his pet
philanthrophy, which he completely
dominated as president and principal
guarantor.
Opera—A White Elephant
Following several years of deficits
which cost him plenty, Insull hit upon
the grandiose scheme of erecting a
44-story office building to house the
opera, figuring that its revenues from
office rentals would take care of the
opera losses. In November, 1929, this
magnificent $29,000,000 structure was
completed. Insull welcomed crowds m
the lobby on the gala opening night,
smiling complete satisfaction with
himself and his work.
But the deficit, instead of decreas
ing, became bigger. It grew from
$528,000 in the 1928-’29 season to sl,-
079,473 in the 1930-’3l season.. Vast
areas of office space were unrented.
Purchasing agents for Insull’s big
companies aided naturally in solving
this problem, it is said, by "suggest
ing” to supply dealers that those who
weretenants of Mr. Insull’s office
building would fare better when it
came to getting big contracts.
Three Homes
At the peak of his career, Insull
maintained three luxurious homes. His
town residence was on Chicago’s fam
ed ‘Gold Coast’’; a few miles north of
Chicago he had a magnificent 430-
acre estate with a mansion of 42
rooms, surrounded by Italian gardens
and marble statuary and shimmering
pools upon which graceful swans glid
ed; on the top floor of his skyscraper
opera building in downtown Chicago
he had an apartment of a dozen
rooms, equipped with furniture im
ported from England.
e was considered Chicago’s "first
citizen”. Opera singers anxious to re
main in r his good graces, and other
wellknown persons came to him tor
advice wherfe to invest their money-y
--tand -Smwiel Insull took virtually every
dollar of it. They never saw it again.
It had taken Samuel Insull 40 years
to reach this pinnacle. His downfall,
which came with terrific suddenness
in the summer of 1932, required hard
ly as many days.
r. I Kin
KJuvajAfeo eatxxtfti
hSSSme
Season Has Been Success In
Games Won and Lost;
Few Games. Played
Rain washed out the final game of
the 1934 schedule for the baseball
team of Henderson high school yes
terday with Zeb Vance slated as the
foe. The game had been moved from
Tuesday to Thursday by agreement
between the two teams.
Much difficulty was experienced in
carding games for the local school,
the team making but one trip out of
the county, that to Creedmoor. It
chalked up victories in every instance,
except one, when Middleburg took a
close decision from them at the coun
ty school in an extra inning affair.
Coach Hank Powell has had rough
sledding with all his teams through
the year, having very little experienc
ed material for any of them. He has
had very good succes, rounding into
shape presentable teams for each
sport.
Graduation will make inroads in his
squads, leaving the mentor with the
same problem next year, that of us
ing inexperienced material for his
teams.
PIEDMONT LEAGUE
Club: W. L Pet
Charlotte 6 3 .667
Wilmington 7 4 .636
Norfolk 7 4 .630
Columbia . 6 4 .600
Greensboro 3 6 .333
Richmond l 9 .100
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Team: W. L. Pet
New York 8 5 .615
Cleveland 6 4 .600
Detroit 7 5 .583
Washington 77 .500
Boston 6 7 .462
iSt. Louis 5 6 .455
Philadelphia 6 8 .429
Chicago 4 7 .364
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Team W j£ p c t.
. Ndw.Yqrk. 1 3 .786
Chicago *-10 5 .667
Pittsburgh 7 6 .538
Boston 7 6 .538
St. Louis 77 .500
Brooklyn 6 8 .429
Philadelphia 4 9 .308
Cincinnati 3 11 .214
At the time ln*ull built hi* 44-tlory opera building he *»»d
“I can do anything I wish in Chicago”.
Todafriffotmes
PIEDMONT LEAGUE
Greensboro at Richmond
Charlotte at Wilmington.
Norfolk at Columbia.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago at Philadelphia.
Cleveland at Washington.
Detroit at New York.
St. Louis at Boston.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia at St. Louis.
New York at Pittsburgh.
Brooklyn at Cincinnati.
Boston at Chicago.
t in§s
Columbia Wins Opener
Mueller, hard hitting shortstop for
the Columbia Sandlappers, slapped out
two home runs and a double to ac
count for seveen of his teams’ 15 runs
as they turned back Norfolk yester
day in the South Carolina capital 15
to 8, giving the Sandlappers the open
ing game of the series there.
Hornets Take Lead
Bobiby Durham, left hand flinger for
Charlotte, southpawed the league
leading Wilmington Pirates into sub
mission, turning them back 4 to 1,
When I
CLOCKS for the kitchen, 2
living room, every room in ■ BB MB ■[ H | sßm ft
the house will be found in
many beautiful design*, y
Count... I
Electric Appliances
WAFFLE IRON—golden- . 1
brown waffles are no tridri Are Ihe AnStVer fl
to make with a greaseiesai
Electric Iron. It*Ban|9kfc
top* twn • •
iWhen it is a matter of doing
things in a hurry and doing
t^. em we |l you can trust an elec
tr*c appliance with the job.
[The automatic feature with
TOASTER-This Electric which most of them are
crisp toast right at the taS equipped, turning the heat on
and does it qtdckiy. and off as required, makes
especially trustworthy.
\ These handy household appli*
are fast becoming house*
hold necessities. Every day
An electric iron i. to lenrTrh developed
really . household neeesn* . ena tneir assistance in light'
XUStS&SS&i enmg the homemakers task.
Iwpection of the complete line
■ tlectric appliances at our
mMk *f orc reveal that many of
Mljgj them are much less expensive I
fujE th « n thought. Also, you
PERCOLATOR— Good t^e , eaßy terms at
coffe., made right u j<m \r {' they can be purchased,
elbow is what this lovely *rO Obligation I
percolator promises. I£%F
CAROLINA I
TABLE STOVE—-An POWER & LIGHT I
appliance that will **
susas - COMPANY I
allowing them but three safeties; to
give his team first place in the stand
ing ladder at Wiimington yesterday.
Bohl tripled and scored on Sigman s
single for the only Wilmington tally.
Rained Out
Greensboro and Richmond were
rained out yesterday in the irginla
capital. V
PIEDMONT LEAGUE
Charlotte 4; Wilmington 1.
Columbia 15; Norfolk 8.
Oreensboro-Richmond, rain.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
All postponed, rain.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
New York 5; Pittsburgh 3.
Boston 6; Chicago 0.
Brooklyn 3; Cincinnati 2.
St. Louis 8; Philadelphia 7.
HAS MAN HELD BUT
HERSELF CONVICTED
In police court today Emma Alex
ander had sworn out a warrant
against Mat White, charging him with
assault and beating her. After hear
ing the testimony, Mayor Irvine B.
Watkins amended the warrant to
charge the woman with assaulting
and beating White. Wihite was dis
charged and the woman was convict
ed. Both were colored and both plead
ed not guilty. The judgment of the
court was that Emma Alexander be
confined in the county jail 30 days,
commitment not to issue on
,of. the costs and beimr nt P
havior 12 months. S g “ M W
A last remnant of the Ara 1
dians whom Columbus found * In "
maica still exists there, and alt? Ja '
much mixed with Negro and ° Ugh
blood, the type is unmistakable.
Political Notices
CANDIDATES AltE Her^T
NOTIFIED THAT ALL I> OJ )
CAL NOTICES APPEARING tv
THIS COLUMN OR ELSEWhfpH
IN THIS NEWSPAPER arp
CASH AND MUST BE PAID FOP
WHEN ORDER IS PLACED
FOR SCHOOL BOARD
I hereby announce myself a canA
date for member of the Vance Count!'
Board of Education in the Democrat {
Primary June 2. Your vote will 1
greatly appreciated.
J- ALVIS TURNER.
FOR SHERIFF
I am a candidate for the office of
sheriff of Vance County in the Dem o
cratic Primary June 2. Your vote
and support will be highly appreciate
L. A. JACKSON.
FOR CORONER ~~
I am a candidate for the office 0 t
Coroner of Vance County subject ; 0
the Democratic Primary, June 2.
Your support and vote will be g,eat
ly appreciated.
C. O. KING
FOR HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
I hereby announce myself a candi
date for the House of Representa
tives in the next General Assembly
subject to the Democratic Primary,
June 2.
If elected I shall advocate econ
omy in government as I did before
Your support for this office will be
appreciated.
O. S. FALKNF.R.
AL* B. WESTER
Insurance-Rentals
1-4 Century Service and
Experience
Phones:. Office 139-J—Res. 617-J.
NOTICE!
To Merchants
We have moved to the Crowder
building, corner of Court and
Montgomery Streets.
Our stocks are being enlarged
to include full lines of cig
arettes, tobaccos and light gro
ceries. Come To See Us.
R. E. Satterwhite
Candy Co.
Wholesale Only—Phone 170