Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-10-29
Street Railroads I'm General, and Ihe PEN
dIefon Road In Particular.

the leading routes, asked no division of dis
tances. They offered to carry passengers
from one end of the city to the other for one
fare. The Third street Company would have
continued their road from Millcreek Bridge
to she present termination of the Pendleton
Road at Washington-street, for single fare.
But the Council would not permit the people
to travel as far as the Companies would carry
them for FIVE cents but insisted on dividing
the route and parceling it out to different
Companies. Consequently, passenger from
the west to The east part of the city, or to
Little Miami Depot, now pays two fares, be-
sides the detention of a change of cars and
an inconvenient connection, for O distance
which the Third-street Company asked the
privilege Of carrying him for one.
One would think that such feat of mu-
nicipal wisdom was enough toimmortalize all
the Councilmen who were responsible for
it; and that on this achievement they could
afford to retire to private life, assured that
their services would ever be kept is remem-
brance by the extra half dime which every
citizen pays who passes the center of the city.
And when one sees some Of the same mem
bers who put this wanton imposition on the
people, now most active in insisting that the
people shall pay another tax to the city for
riding in their own streets, he can appreciate
the motives and wisdom which they bring to
the subject and he might not be thought of
o suspicious disposition if he should inquire
how a Councilman could reconcile with any
theory Of his own integrity, the imposition
of double fare on our citizens for distance
which the railroad companies desired to
carry them for one.
The people of the eastern part of the city
have special reason to remember this munic-
ipal performance. The have got an embargo
on their progress, that will be an enduring
monument. They now begin to see the way
it works. Two fares are not enough for the
distance which they could have travelled for
one, but the proprietor of the Pendleton road
seems to own that end of the city, and he
proposes to cut it up and serve it out in
slices at FIVE cents each. His patch of road
is Chinese wall, cutting off the Seventeenth
Ward and placing it pretty much at his dis
posal. He has the advantage over any other
company in bidding for the extension, be-
cause it is part of his route, and: d:tributary
to it. All the business it builds up contri-
butes to the profits of his road. This, of
itself, is nearly sufficient inducement to
make the extension. Besides, if it is let to
any other company, there will be change
of cars, and such break in the connection
au he ohooso- to mako
We doubt whether, if the Pendleton route
was in the hands of either of the other COM
panies, any extra fare would be asked for
such extension as they thought the business
required. Railroads make their own business
very rapidly, and within any practicable dis
tance of the city-say any distance practicable
to men doing business in the city--it is sup
posed that railroad wnnld pay We do
not pretend to say how far east passengers
could be carried for single fare. We do
know, however, that nothing but the blum
der or the corruption of certain Councilmen
prevented passengers from being carried
from the West-end to the present termina-
ton of the Pendleton road That extra fare
is an inexcusable imposition. Having Sc
cured that, the proprietor of that road pro-
poses to serve cut that part of the city east
ofhis line of blockade, in slices to suit him
self. His programme is like the bill of fare
at a cheap eating house: every cut is FIVE
cents.
He offers to extend his road to the eastern
line of the city, and carry passengers for
two fares, that is ten cents. Then our citi-
zens could ride across the city by paying
three fares. In consideration of this double
fare he wants the per-capita tax taken off
that route. He is particular to specify that
route and no other. He should be. The
other companies offer reduction of fare to
passengers, as a consideration for release
of the per-capita. He demands release as
consideration for his charging two fares,
They should be kept separate. As further
consideration for charging two fares he pro-
poses to assume only the bowldering of the
tracks; while the other companies assume
that of the entire roadway. These terms
seem so like those which an owner of the
East end in fee-simple would propose, that
it is probable that the proprietor of the PEN
dleton road really believes that he holds that
relation; and so far as the Council could give
it, be does.
However cool this proposition may seem,
it is exactly in accordance with the princi-
pie of the per-eapitc imposition, and with
the original division of the route between
the Hamilton and Dayton Depot and Wash
ington- street into TWO parts. We should
naturally expect that the relics of the
Council which performed this feat would
jump at this proposition. 1t merely takes
the people in and does for them and what
else is q Council made for? How exactly
proper and consistent it would be to release
the capitation tax in consideration of
double fare on the passengers That ac-
complished, an original railroad
could, like Simeon, depart in peace. 1t will
be interesting to note the action of these
relies who have come down to us from the
former railroad Council, on this proposition.
1t is pleasing view of municipal wisdom
or integrity, or whatever people may salts
factorily call il, to see the members who fts-
tened this unnecessary bur len upon the city
by creating a center on which all rotation is
TO stop and pay tribute, displaying SO much
zeal for the capitation tax, and against re-
duCtiOn of fare They ara anxioua too IN