Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-09-10
THE FIvE-CENT BILL.

The FVE-CENI BILL.
Probably the most celebrated of Gov
ernor Cleveland's vetos, is the five-cent
fare bill. His enemies are attempting TO
make the most of it with the laboring
people, and are diligently engaged in
spreading the impression that Governor
! Cleveland vetoed the bill in the interests
of the great companies which own the
elevated railroad in New York City.
! They call him the friend of monopolists
and the enemy of the people. This much
will be listened to only so long as the peo-
pie are ignorant of the reasons why he
vetoed that bill, and ignorant of the ex-
act nature of the bill itself
In the first place the five-cent fare bill
was not bill in the interest of the
workingmen. 1t was evidently bill af-
fecting the rich uptown residents of New
York City. For three hours in the morn
ing and three hours in the evening, all
the people in New York City can ride
upon the elevated railroads for five cents.
This is for the especial benefit of the work.
ingmen, who go to and from their work
in those hours. 1t is rare that the work
ing people of New York use the elevated
railroad at any other time of the day, but
the wealthy people who live up near
| Central Park and in the upper portions
of the city, who go down town about ten
! o'clock and return home to dinner about
four, or go down town to do shopping
during the day, would be the persons
who would be most benefited by the
passage of the five-cent fare bill. 1t
would favor the rich rather than the poor,
but Governor Cleveland did not veto the
bill because 1t was going to favor any
class in particular He vetoed it because
it should be vetoed, and because, to use
his own words " The public faith must be
scrupuIOusly kept
The laws of the State of New York
under which those elevated railroads
were built, and under which the men in
vested their money, provided that those
roads shall be allowed to charge ten cents
fare during certain hours and five cents
| fare during certain other hours, and they
further provided that no reduction of fare
shall be made unless it was found by the
commission, consisting of the State En-.
gineer, Surveyor and Comptroller of the
State of New York, that the earnings of
the road exceeded ten per cent. upon the
capital actually expended. AS Governor
Cleveland says in his veto, no such exam.
ination was made and no report was sub
mitted to the Legislature that the elevated
roads were actually earning more than
ten per cent. upon the capital invested.
In other words he vetoed the bill not
because he sympathized with the corpor-
atoms, but because the bill was illegal.
and because it would not stand exam
nation by the supreme court of the
state. Most governors would have sign
ed the bill, throwing upon the supreme
court the responsibility of declaring it
il legal or unconstitutional, but Governor
Cleveland is not a man of that kind. He
vetod the bill, the defects of which were so
shape in which it was presented and
passed by the Legislature, 1t could never
s tand as law, and it is a significant fact
that when his veto message was read to
he Legislature, a majority, regardless of
party, voted to sustain the veto, and from
every side came warm and hearty express
sions of commentator for his unflinch-
ing maintenance of the public faith.
Afterwards commission was appointed
to examine into the earnings and profits
of the elevated roads, and upon that COM
mission was one of the most prominent
men of the labor organizations of New
ork, and that commission reported that
the elevated roads were not earning ten
per cent. upon the actual capital invested,
regardless of watered stock. Conse.
1uently the Legislature had no power to re-
luce the fare.
No man, unless he be a monopolist at
heart, has the slightest sympathy with the
elevated railway companies of New York.
They are grasping corporations that have
aiken every advantage of the people pos
ible. Still the law grants them certain
lights and these rights they are entitled
o.
He closes his long veto message, which
} very explicit, with these words:
but we have especially in our keepine the
onor and good faith of a great State, and we
hould see to IL that no suspicion attaches
through any act OF ours, to the fair fame of the
ommonv ealth. The State should not only be
trictly just, but scrupulousy fair, and In It's re-
atoms To the citizen every legal and moral OBJ
CATION should be recognized. This can only be
one by legislating without vindictiveness or
rejudice, and with firm determination to deal
Justly and fairly with those from whom we ex-
It obedience.
81 am not unmindful of the fact that this bill
In response to the demand of large
ortion of the people Of New YORK for cheaper
ties of fare between their places of employ.