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

ut is a fact that committee of
principal citizens, appointed for that
purpose, besought the street car mag
nate to permit the paving of Wood
ward avenue, our principal street
which was in a scandalous condition,
half paved with rotten cedar block and
cobble stone, and were fatty refused
the privilege, and were told that II
could not be repaved until the company
was ready to pave between the tracks,
and that 1t was satisfied with things
as they were. The service Of the street
cars was most abominable; slow horses
with small, badly ventilated cars con-
stituted our entire street car system
until 1893. The company said they were
satisfied with horse cars 1t was then
that the city determined to test in the
courts the validity Of the extended
charter. Two of the most eminent law
yers Of the city were engaged, but
these, due to certain influences not
readily explained, refused to go on with
the suit, and when the city began to
look for others to take the case, 1t was
found that every lawyer Of any note,
except one, had been retained by the
company. This gentleman, together
with an able lawyer from another city,
was retained to represent the city's
case.
THE LIGHT PROBLEM.
Some of the bonds being held In
New York. it was possible to throw the
case in to the United States court and
out Of our state courts. About this
time, it devolved upon me in taking
care of the interests Of the whole peo-
pie of the city. to attempt the reduc-
tion in price of gas. which was being
sold for $l.75 and $l.50 per 1000 feet, by
a company doing business without a
charter. The stock of the two plants
In existence was also held principally
in Detroit. Public lighting was fur
nished by private concern at a cost
Of $11.15 per lamp per year, a combi-
nation having been formed which made
1t impossible to procure 1t for less
price. The lights were poor and the
service bad. l determined to go to the
legislature for permission for the city
to do its own lighting. which being
granted, bonds We're voted and plant
erected which furnishes twice the light
per lamp for $7.20 per year, and now
lights the entire city and effects a saw
ing of over $4,000 a year.
'The owners, stockholders and hang
ers-on Of the private lighting compa-
MES were thereafter also counted
among my sworn enemies. These and
other public monopolies were mostly
owned and controlled by a few Detroit
people, who out Of them had grown
rich, and are it's bankers. influential
men and so-called best citizens. But
the city was being bled to death and
the taxpayers mulcted for the benefit
of a favored few. l considered such
conditions to be unjust. The charges
in every case were out of all proper
ton to the value rendered. and for the
same returns we in Detroit were get
ting less value received than almost
any city in the United States. In
short, we were corpora ton ridden
town in every sense Of that word.
"Since l have held public Office my
motto has been: Equal rights to all
special privileges to none So valu-
able was the street car franchise
of the company Of which I have spok-
en- that 1t has been possible to bond
the business. and pay interest upon
watered stock to the value of four OIL
five times the value of the plant. Ir
fact, when the old company sold out to
the present owners for nearly $4,000. 600
all that was worth anything was q
franchise with sixteen years to run
but hopes for more. and some old fiat
rails and primitive cars. 1t will not
seem strange to you after this explain
alton, in my efforts to reduce prices for
the benefit of the whole people, that
I should have encountered the oppOsi-
tion Of all those who claimed vested
rights and special privileges to get rich
of the people of our city. They had
got used to this privilege. Nearly all
Of the gentlemen whom I had antag-
onized were men of great social and
political influence. and social pressure
was largely instrumental in bringing
into line against me any friends may
have had among that class. The COM
panies attacked cried. THE corpora
tions must stick together for mutual
defense" and they did.
You can readily imagine that my ef-
forts to fight the street car companies
In the peoples interests. were sadly
handicapped by the position of our
most influential men. ] had been elect
ed largely upon the platform Of street
railway reform. That II was a popu-
lar cry may be seen from the fact that
I was elected by a majority of 1,70O.
although in a normally Democratic city
of about 5000. In fact, Detroit was 30
sOlidly Democratic that II was difficult
to get Republican to run, and I was