St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-04
THE STREET CAR RACKET.

THE STREET CAR RACKET.
We hope that Mr.. LOWRY has been
misquOted by morning paper; for, IL
he hasn't, he has been guilty OF making
a most ridiculous statement. lie IS ac-
credited with saying that the pubic
cutlery against the raise in street car
fare and the refusal of the company TO
sell tickets On the cars emanateS from
demagogues, and the papers take 1T up
and make mountain out of mole-hlll.
There is nothing of the sort There is
not the fainteSt trace of demagogy III
it, nor are the newspapers doing more
than voicing universal public opinion in
denouncing the action of the street rail-
way company as an outrage. AS the
GLOBE has heretofore stated, there is
no great amount of grumbllng be-
cause the company asserts its right
under the charter to charge the full
Scent fare. 1t is the spirit i'll which 1t
is.done that eXcites public resentment.
1t is stated by the officers of the street
railway company that the raise in fare
was made because the city council COM
PEELED the cable company to accept the
provisions requiring Scent fare Oh the
cable line between the hours of 6 and Z.
There was no compulsion in the matter.
If the cable company didn't want to ac-
cept the charter with that provision III
it, they had the right to refuse to &C
cept it.
But the principal grievance the st.
Paul public have against the street rail-
way company is the entire absence OF a
spirit of accommodation in the running
and management of the street cars. 1t
always pays for those who are dealing
with the public to be accommodating.
But, independent of this consideration,
the public have we'll defined and clearly
established rights which they are en-
titled to enjoy, and are always in po-
sition to assert. There is no one man
nor corporation strong enough to defy
united public sentiment, no matter how
well hedged in he or it may be with re-
spect to legal privileges.
In this instance there is really no
occasion for quarrel, nor the stirring
up of bad blood between the street rail
way company and the people OF the
city, nor will there be if the street rail
way managers come to their senses in
time and look upon the situation as it
actually exists. In all the past the peo-
pie of st. Paul have been remarkably
generous in their treatment of the street
railway company. They have granted
the company, through their city govern
ment, the most liberal franchise owned
by any similar company in the world
to-day. They have submitted to incon-
yeniences and lack Of accommodation in
street car service that no other people
ever submitted to-; and that, too, with
comparatively little grumbling. All
these things should be remembered by
the street railway company, and its
dealings with the public should be in
spired by these remembranceS to mani
fest in return a liberal and generous
conduct, and not to show disposition
to be governed by spirit of spite and
reprisal.
If. however, the street railway COM
pany insists upon pursuing an obstinate,
mulish policy then it is clearly the duty
of the city council to take all the steps
within its power to force the company
into reasonable measures. In the first
place, the people of the city are entitled
to demand of the company better cars,
and to have them run on better sched
ules than now prevail. In the second
place, they are entitled to have more
lines eld larger area of the city ac-
commodated with street car service.
And in the third place, they are
entitled TO conductor on each
car, to wait on the passengers and
collect the fare. In this last particular
people who ride on street cars are en-
abled to protect themselves without the
aid of he council, if they are SO minded.
A passenger can take seat in street
car, and there is no law to COM
pei him to pay fare until collector
has come to him and MADE demand for
the fare. This point was recently de-
cided in the Ohio courts in a case that
went up from Cleveland, where party
recovered damages against the street
railway company for ejecting him from
the car because he refused to deposit his
fare in the box. The courts held that
the company must have collectors on its
cars, and that there is no compulsion on
passenger to pay his fare in any other
way than to the duly authorized col
lector.
AS before stated, there is no occasion
now for fight between the street rail-
way company and the public. The pub
lie are still in an accommodating mood,
and if the company will be like-minded
the relations of amity will be restored
very quickly. But if the company is dis
posed to force fight, then it must pre-
pare itself for the licking that it is sure
to get. A word to the wise is sufficient.