Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-01-25
JAY GOULD OR THE PEOPLE?
Washington Heights Deeply Agitated by
Practical Issue between Plutocracy
and Socialism,


sentatives of Jay Gould called public
meeting at the Athaneum inWashington
Heights to obtain resolutions in favor of |
having the Legislature grant him a
franchise to extend his elevated railroad |
over that section Mr.. Lawson n. Fuller
was the speaker. He said he wanted a
railroad there; that Jay Gould was the
man to build it; that it made no differ.
ence if Gould did water his stock; and
that no one else could build so good
road and carry passengers as cheaply.
A number of Nationalsts and Social
lists were present and took exception to
these sentiments. Mr.. Fuller challenged
them to a debate. The challenge was
accepted; and the debate took place at
the AthBneum on the 10th.
The hall was full. Daniel De Leon
opened the argument. He said he would
show that the giving of the franchise to
a private corporation was uneconomic,
wasteful, and impolitic ; and that the
road should be built and operated by
the people and not by individuals and
for profit. To prove this he showed in
the first place from Poor's X. X. Manual
that the fares received from passengers
on the l.. Road was over eight millions;
that the admitted profits were over four
millions and that consequently one half
the fare paid by the people went into
the pockets of the capitalist as profit,
and that this could be saved to the
people.
He then showed the amount of cor
ruption the capitalists were bound to
practise in order to beat one another and
obtain their charter. Next the corrup.
ton they had to practise in order to
keep the Legislature from looking into
their books and ascertaining that they
were violating the law by retaining
larger percentage of profits than their
charter allowed them. And he closed
the argument by pointing out how pro-
per legislative enactments could remove
all these causes of corruption, provided
! the people themselves ran their road.
The people would not have to bride
themselves in the first place to get their
| charter. In the second place they would
need no bribing to hide their large pro-
| fits, since they would run the road at
cost, that is one half the present fare.
And finally that the politician could not
corrupt anybody, either the employees or
| the voters with promises of office if
each employee held his place during good
behaviour, had a right to promotion, a
| retiring allowance after certain num-
| Der of years of work or in case he was
injured and the proper administrative
courts where he could carry his grievan-
ces in case he thought himself wronged;
and he illustrated this by cases now in
existence.
Lawson N. Fuller followed. He looked
when he rose to speak as if he had got
two black eyes. He rambled about, and
roamed over a 40 acre lot of irrelevant
subjects. 1t was evident he had no ar
guments. Statistics, administrative law,
reason--all of which he seems never
before to have heard of-were against
him. His only salvation now was to try
and turn the Natonalists into ridicule
But here also he got left, and some
very spicy episodes took place in this
way. For instance Mr.. Fuller, trying
to show that the people elected very
corrupt politicians into whose hands
greater power should not be thrown,
asked Mr.. De Leon:
Fuller: Were not Jaehne. McQuade,
etc. corrupt menu
De Leon: They were!
Fuller: Who elected them?
De Leon: Your private corporations
and monopolies, your Goulds, and the
men who represented them
Again;
Fuller: When do you expect your
corporation to be organized2
De Leon 1t is organized now
Fuller; Now?! Who are they?
De Leon The residents of New York
City
Thaddeus b. Wakeman closed the
argument ON the Nationalist side with
an eloquent series of arguments, each of
which was telling blow against the pre-.
sent Capltallst metnOuS OF monopollStlC
corporations in particular, showing the
righteousness of saying that could
built rail road" when he only steals it
In closing the Nationalists offered the
following resolution:
Resolred: That rapid transit road
should be built between Washington
Heights and the Battery, but that it
should not be built by private corpora
tions to be run for profit, and thus
create larger centers for the corruption
OF our politics, but should be built,
owned and controlled by the people and
for their use only.
The motion was put and the ayes had