Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-04-17

Tie benefit of the people. The street
railroads. OF Chicago have not been
merely for the benefit Of the stockl,Ol,l.
ers: and let me say there ARE 500 peo.
pl" who ARE Interested In the stocks
ana bonds Of the street railways Of the
North Side and the West Side. let alone
the South side.
I'VE have ben challenged to show
where We have lessene,l our fares I'm
the last fifteen years. II we give more
for the money we certainly have lessen.
ed the fares. II II well known to all Of
you that a person can now ride twelve
ar tiftcen miles In Chicago for , cents.
1T Is claimed that the street rail.
roads have never done anything for the
city Of Chicago. What are the facts.
The city of Chicago receives from the
North Chicago Railroad In taxes an,l
In different ways about SI2OWW II year.
Hesldes that. we pave the streets. Now.
they say that II all right: that we use
the streets aud ought to pave them. At
the time we were running horse cars
that sort Of nn argument might have
had considerable force. Hut nt present
we 10 not use the pavements In the
which We have placed there. The paw
Ing of streets In the city OF Chicago has
cost the street railroad companies nn
immense amount OF money. running
into the millions. II l. only lately. 10
. I,e sure. that we have been running
electric cprs and cable ears. hut still
we have done u very great deal Of paw
ing In the last three years.
Then II II claimed that "" never
give to the city anything when we get
our ordinances. How sane men, hon
est men. can stand up and say such n
thing as that and publish II In n
ualnnhlet and sign their names To II.
can only account for from the fact that
as a general thing people sign their
ranas to pamphlet In II crowd with
our taking the trouble Ia read II. Every
one Ia the city of Chicago who knows
anything knows that the street rail-
r0nd companies. particularly the North
aud West Side railroads. have paid an
immense amount of money for their
privileges. They built the bridges that
eros, the rivers. | will 20 more into
detail. They built the Wells street
bridge. the Clark street bridge, the
Dearborn street bridge, ana that takes
lu the abutmenls and everything per-
tanning 10 them. They paid for one
half Of the Lake street bridge, the same
for the Adams street bridge; they paid
SlUuOGO toward the building of the via
durt ana the building of the Taylor
street bridge. Thcy paid for Onc-lalf
a.. the Division street bridge. onc-half
of The North avenue bridge. ana n large
amount FOR the building of the iIalsteh
street bridge. They have also paid
large amounts for damages claimed
against the city. For the last ordi-
nnGcrs passed they paid s75,nuo. These
sums have amounted to s2,3Co,Wo, and
yet the statement Is made that the
street railroad companies have robbed
The city of its streets aud have given
nothing for them"
Mr.. YerkrS was catechlsed NJ length
by Senator Iitiler.
senator Iittler-iiow many people
are employed by your companyt
Mr.. Nerkes--We have on the West
Side and N0rth Side about 1000 peo-
pie.
Mr.. !.ltiler--YOu said awhile ago that
you paid as good wages as are paid
anyW here else. Please state what You
do pay.
Mr.. Yerkes The different railways
pay different wages. They run on n
scale of from ~ cents To - cents per
hour.
Mr.. l.lttler--Can you state To the Seil-
ate whether the city of Chicago has
been receiving any benefits from the
granting of franchises
Mr.. Yerkcs-Th has never been an
ordinance passed in the lasi ten years