, 1880-12-11
1ndre Drummond's Long Expected
Opinion Given at Last.
eb, Ordinance Valid rs an Exercise Of
tho Police Power.
1,edsions Of tho New York, Pennsylvania,
and Illinois Courts.
Tho Companies Given until Jan. I to
Amend Their Bills.
f,ars Of tho clsy's Lawyers loss tho Corpora.
lions May los .he 8est ol Them.

Ma decision III tie lOnR-reHdlllh Snlt DttNcCil
tho stockhvl,lcrs IF the three streetrnilway
.ompanies OF ulo city nnd tho corporation,
Sustaining tho validity Of tic ordinance
nssscd by the City Council over two years
sao by which these companies were required
n nay license fec Of $50 per car Oil all the
street.cars r,in R1ltI operated by thetl. twill
r, remembered TINT Immediately after the
massage of this ordnance the Stockholders
n tlls different companies began proceed
ings Ill tho United Stntcs Court to test its
validity. An application was mule 10 Judge
ptodgett IN August, 1875, for m Injunction
In restrain tho city from collecting tho license
fee, aud tho Directors Of the several comIa-
ules from paying over the amount Bills
Of complaint wcre filed il each
ease,-by Henry II. Allcrton as stock
holder Of tho Chicago hallway Company,
saaInst tho CITY and the Directors Ut the
SoutI, Side Company; by 1Iarvey D. Kitcl,ell
,agaInt the city nnd the CllEcago West DIvis-
ion Railway Company, and by Davl.l L. Ma
srudcr against the city and the North CHI
cago City Hallway Company. judge Dlotl-
gctt, holding that tha imposition OF tho H.
eeniso fec WIS an act Which went beyond tho
polIcS powers of the city, granted tho inIunc-
tlon III each cnsc. A demurrer WIS flied to
tho several bills by tho counsel for the city.
and the question cnllo Oil for hearing before
Judge Dr,imlnond and.Jutlgn Dlotgett, sit
ttng together, some tlulc III November, 1878.
II has bcGn hell under attvlscnent aimee TINT
time, and was yesterday decided III favor OF
the city by .Judgd Dvnmmo1,d, judge Btod-
Rctt still holding To his original opinion,
upon which he granted the injunction. Tile
precise effect of Judge Drnnllnol,tl's dccis-
lon viii bu gathered from the lengthy opIn-
ion delivered by him, verbatim report Of
which Is given below.
The city WINS represented yesterday by Alr.
r. S. Tnthill, who was Ctty-Attorney Mt the
time the license fec was imposed, md coll
Quoted tho initial proceedings Oil behalf Of
tho corporation, md Mr. Bradley; tho Snuth
Side Hallway Company by Mrssrs. Hitch
cock aud Dnrce; and the North Sido CnW-
pany by Mr.. W. G. Goudy. Judge Bett1wltl,
counsel for tho West Side Company. was uli-
AyoilabIy absent.
JUDGE n1sUMMoNp,
10 delivering his opinion, said:
Tho case which dispose Of this morning Is
SssuSo as tE,o Ghc"gu Uity ia!way II cu1"auy @ y
lies subs,nntially aro involved, and wi,icn de-
pend upon the same fncla: Thu question arises
C. s,h s%arsr u Mars s bill Sf esp".. ,sa a,'e 0
u u tho p," City OF chisnao 'v ,,usseJ "'9 n,
ordinance rco,jrlnr tho enn,un1,ica WIN srcrntn
iho s1rcct-cars for, tho cnn.cynnc1 Of plssen-
tbe civ Of Chsny' IN ntu,, licn,1s,. 1t s.,,r.
lin ,iH,e rnch vrnr and Il, nav fr thu snine ti1e
sum u sM fnr cnct cur operated or run. 4
!aie Out the Ilce,,so. Tho Cu,,1p,,,,y obtu,fiuu
thp l!consu WAX Ty.lrcti IN nra ts,nst,irt11.lsjY
iasysIy cur 90 opefatea and :rMn IN tte ety !.
The H,iHltcr 1f tho Cur ind statiny that Il .iecso
had Nah . Mn a' pctv .t ta ws nIs1 ss
form fal|Ir0 to post Or Keep suuh ccrtiilctG iii
the chr,
1nu oniy question IL, tho cnsc Is whether this
Operating tic lie srcct-cars i M IN TIC Iii city S Chi.
cago hive bcun n,ltsil,sized to Construct
the!r railways u.,d operate shom by various
Tins possed. % "i thcso or'liaa',ces s %avo % bre' N
ss21Sa xsa'a @ S nsS ,ns ;a, y H. 9f yre te II ~ ss &c
Junies hny. lie slght ,s, rt,n i,eit cars for Tic
trnlist uf pnsxouers tist,iph The city, 1t cni,-
not bc said. therefore, TINT tho elect Of tho
although It Is called n liccnse, Woi,lt, ho to gtvu
tho companies thu privilege Of running their
eats. TINT thoy hare, by vlrtue OF tho or,lI-
csn bo nc dui,ht that tho Legislature woulrl ilavu
the rikht, uuter ,hU CONSTITUTION of lsIH
which WIS III forrc when tho franchise wns
ot thelr Franchise. rhnt Il tnx wbich ia On.
ttreIy independent of thp ynillo Of tiio curs,
Trucks n,,ti t,ihnr fanril,tn primarily of thi
corporations and su trtntctl by tho Cpnstltu
ton OF 1871 md Of 1HtU. hut tIcru nrQ
1uary llil)cltItics with this Drunch Og tua SUBJ
lect There Hre certain eot,tliIions required l1y
ito Constitution, of iS.D rs prerequisite 10 tia
thu. tho Legislature has nulhnrlztai tl,n clty ID
i!npstsa n Tux: nn,l / tI,erof.,rc. without utytnu
any ..tcItltI npiiion unDn thnf pnrt Of t,G cnsu
pfesef tD nlnr;. nv ti,tislt,n uiiOn nnutiIpl
ground. and for mi, rresent In sltslain tho Ortll.
nAnce rs
nxGutATroy or THE poL1cu POWER
Of ,he ct,. Th,s i. ,,,rsvs = -, ,ha1.ti,, ,,,,v,r
liz hs liz ~, =. s.o Gn. ~ ~. ~ ~ 1in,, ~
1sni,u,ios' ~. - .ne1e"a ~ Ma put L ~
Shm rn,re< LIZ ta Gna =. ~ .t1 "uu. M
necfnd ,si,h ~ W. G.ay Ner uhsy vuta ~
Yyrn ,drntt tta ,t, <.n ~ w ~ uy tSy, -. ~ =,
.or,ai i'.a.t..s tnht neenlseo OF tnn pricg " tA
Jet Gy yir,ur at M ,m,1Ico nny7,.r tIIt
city can, to n great pxteut, reg.
u'ato ttlU running Of tho Cnrs, and prescribe
tlles and laws ns 10 speed, atoppgc, ,lltl Cthel
things chnnccttd With tho opc.,aiit,n OF tho rnll.
ways. This h,aa not slcen nt,estiO,lrd by the
!ns cannnt be considered police regulation
BECAUSE It ls nanlYestly uu oxerols. nf ti,v tax.
lnx power or tho v1ty, II Ia nrred thut tho prjt<
9 tie ltcut1so IL 30 rxr Tint ttn iuteuf ID ,jiuttI
ie4t. 1t is yury difficult Hl lny dawn any N,yG.
!9e rl,e unt,tj ths subject; tO h0l Tint II pNr.
t!cular sum mny Du within tho police 1,nwer Of
the city, ui,d At,uth0r sum pcyond tic power
and meru tas.
!, uy tho general law OF 1877 for the tncurpor,l
ton Of cities n.i yInGs in lhis Rtate il is mi.
Ndel thlt tllo CITY Council in eltna shall huyt
authority IT, ljcpiso intcktneil, tlr,Iyuun. oulnI.