West Chicago Landowners' Protective Association to Jane Addams, September 12, 1906

Chicago, September 12, 1906

Dear Sir: --

Sign the enclosed petition objecting to the widening of Halsted Street at once if you want to prevent the loss of your business and property on that street. It costs you nothing and you incur no liability in signing this petition because we must have the signatures of the majority of frontage on Halsted Street immediately. While the expense of this fight which will not exceed 20 cents per front foot, should be borne equally by all the property owners, we repeat that because we must have the petitions signed now, these petitions are absolutely free to you and those who desire to help in this work financially may enclose their contribution.

As usual in a crisis of this kind, property owners fail individually to do their share of the work and to assume their proportion of the expense, depending entirely upon their neighbors. If you are not willing to help you can rest assured that Halsted Street will be widened and an elevated road will be extended through the street with the accompanying depreciation of property values. It will be too late then for regrets.

This scheme of widening Halsted Street is fathered by influential positions and contractors who have no real interest in Halsted Street and the association hears daily that these promoters are acting in the interests of an elevated railroad. That is why the parties interested are so anxious to widen Halsted Street. Can you afford to have this street ruined as Lake Street has been? A street encumbered by an elevated railroad and having its pavement demolished by heavy trucking does not improve. Besides, many of [page 2] the best attractions and industries of the street will be driven away permanently; for instance, theatres cannot be operated if the proposed shortening of the lots occurs. What can take the place of these interests?

The property on the East side of the street will have to pay for the expense of the widening, which will be about $4,000.00 for each 25 foot lot. Owners of lots on the West side of the street practically will receive nothing, as the amount allowed for damages will be offset by the assessment for so-called benefits.

This is your last chance to object to the great expense destruction of business, loss of property without compensation and exorbitant assessment to both sides of the street. The petition must be signed by the owner of the property, not by agent, and the legal description of your property should be taken from your deed or tax book. Then send the same in the addressed envelope enclosed herewith to us.

WEST CHICAGO LANDOWNERS' PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION,

By the Order of BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

For additional information, call up Main 2312.

[page 3]

The Honorable, the Board of Local Improvements of the City of Chicago:

The undersigned, owner or owners, of the following described property fronting on the line of the proposed widening of Halsted Street, from Chicago Avenue to Twenty-second Street, in the City of Chicago, do hereby remonstrate and object in accordance with the Statute in such case made and provided, to the proposed widening of said street, and pray that your Honorable Board will stay all proceedings, as provided by Statute, and do further object to the proposed widening of said street for the following among other reasons.

First. The proposed widening is unnecessary.

Second. The cost of said proposed widening will be so large as to entail an extraordinary and unjustifiable assessment.

Third. The proposed widening would so interfere with and interrupt the business of the property owners along the proposed line of improvement, as to cause many of them large and considerable losses, which could not be measured and for which damages could not be had, and, in many instances, would result in the entire destruction of the going business of many of the property owners located along the line of said proposed improvement.

Fourth. The proposed improvement would place an unfair burden of taxation upon the property owners along the line of said proposed improvement.

[page 4]

Board of Directors,

Gentlemen:

Please enter my name as a member of your Association.

Chicago,          1906.

Name,

Address,