The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-02

ties In this generation. In response to
numeros requests The Tribune presents
herewith some facts as to Mr.. Pin
gree's career. and more particularly as
to his course with reference to those
great issues between corporate activ-
ity and popular rights which are 80
rapidly pushing to the front Of our
politics, municipal and state. biog-
raphy Of him has already been print
ed in these columns. but II may not be
amiss to say in review that he carved
out a fortune from the shoemaker's
bench, was brave soldier during the
war and since his entrance into politi-
cal life has often been accused of eccen-
tricity but never of dishonesty. He has
said some bitter things against cor
porations, but then he has had some
bitter experiences with them.
AS MAYOR OF DETROIT.
He was elected mayor of Detroit In
response to the urging of number OF
citizens who were not satisfied with
prior administrations under which
valuable public franchises had been
voted away for song, laws governing
corporate interests had been violated,
favoritism had run rampant and cor
ruption invaded high places. He con-
sented only after other business men
had refused the responsibility. Once
in the fight he went into it to win. and
soon had the whole corporate influence
OF Detroit and of Michigan against
him. AS President Gates, of Iowa COL
lege, one of his biographers, says
1t ought to be true that the strong gov
erning forces, the business, social, indus
trial and commercial leaders of the city
would rush to his support. What did they
do? There was almost nothing of the
power of such interests that was not
NOD ntp,ct trUe 10 ts n M
ber Of shoe-manufacturing firm. The
corporate interests of the city did what
they could to ruin his firm. There was
time when not bank In the city OF pc,
troit was out Of the combination which
refused to take the account OF Pingree
& Smith, a firm OF excellent repute and
standing in the city of Detroit. a firm OPP
Grating a factory and employing more
people than any other shoe factory In the
west, a firm of thirty years standing,
firm Of more Importance to the city than
all the landed estates of the city. and an
institution paying from four thousand TO
six thousand dollars every week to la
Dor. Mr.. Pingree was put out of the
directorship Of the bank he helped to or
thousand dollars worth of stock. His
business was not the only one conspired
against. Some of those who dared to
be his friends. business or social. We're
similarly treated. Mr.. Pingree has been
Obliged to spend thousands Of dollars Of
his own private money to carry out his
plans In the interests of the taxpayers
Of Detroit. The above is q specimen of
the return he has received.
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
Mayor Pingree Is best known for
his potato patch scheme and his sue
cessful battle for a three-cent street
car fare. But these were only parts
of general scheme Of municipal house
cleaning which he undertook and in the
main effected. For instance he found
that a gas monopoly had been operat-
Ing In Detroit for twenty years with
out franchise. and that another had
been collecting 2S per cent. more than
their franchises permitted them to do.
In six years this company had stolen
$5OO,OOO. Pingree stopped that. He also
tried to correct the inequality caused
by the exemption from city taxation of
$LOOO.OOO worth of railroad property
well able to pay its due share of the
burdens of government, but the rail-
way lobby at Lansing was too much
Tor him. When he becomes governor
he will break another lance with that
lobby, and may possibly have better
luck.
Another thing which Pingree did
while mayor of Detroit was to estab-
lish municipal electric light plant,
which cost $6O0.OO0. cut prices in two
and Is now worth 100000 He also
turned the street cleaning department
upside down. and introduced both eff
1ectiveness and economy in it's opera
tion. He greatly enlarged the city's
school facilities. spent 1000, 900 for new
sewers. constructed fine driveway,
established Belle Isle park, one of the
finest in the world and wrought other
improvements all without extra cost
to the public. While warning on the
recalcitrant or Illicit corporations, Pin
gree got the newspapers down on him.
Not one would print his side of the
case. He simply started a daily paper
of his own. posted it on bulletin boards
and thus communicated with the peo-
pie, who never wavered in their sup
port Of him.
THE POTATO PATCH PLAN.
1t is well known fact that there
are in every large city, even at the
best or times, great number of la
boring men who. through some mis-
fortune. are not able to obtain contin-
uous employment at such wages as
Will support them and their families,
and who are therefore driven by neces-
sity to apply to the organized charities
during the whole or portion of the
winter months. Realizing this fact,
Mayor Pingree conceived in the early
summer of 1894, when more persons
than usual were out of employment on
account of the hard times, the idea of
furnishing these unfortunates with con-
tinuous employment by opening up the
vacant lots of the city for cultivation
by the deserving poor. At first the
scheme was ridiculed by many and bap-
tized by various designations. such as
"Pingree's potato patches" THE May
or's potato crop" and "City farming"
Mr.. Pingree, however. believed in his
novel plan and persevered, with the
result that the scheme although tried
late in the season, was 2 signal sue
cess, no less than nine hundred and
forty-fve families raising sufficient
vegetable food for their winter use.
Under Mayor Pingree's direction a
committee was appointed, who secured
several thousand acres of land, but
for lack of funds only 430 acres were
accepted the first wear. This land was
plowed. narrowed and staked in lots OF
one-quarter to half acre each. Seed
and tools were furnished bv the COM
mittee and the land was cultivated by
the amateur farmers under the direc-
tiOn OF a volunteer superintendent. All
applicants were carefully investigated,
and none but worthy persons with fam
lilies were helped.
AS 1t was the middle Of June before
the work was begun. there was not
sufficient time to obtain. in every case,
the best soil. yet when the crop was
harvested 1t averaged about fifteen
bushels Of potatoes per lot. while large
crops of beans and turnips and other
vegetables were raised and daily con-
sumed. tn" estimated total value of
the crop produced was from twelve to
fourteen thousand dollars. at a cost to
the committee of about thirty six hun
dred dollars. This latter sum was
made up bv subscriptions.
THE PLAN A SUCCESS.
Poor people who have been out Of
work for months fought for a chance
A., h nf A<,