Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-04-22

FIRST BLOOD FOR THE PEOPLE.
indianapolis Street Car Company
Comes to Time.

comes To Time.
new Indiana law provided a Scent
street car fare for Indianapolis, and pre-
scribed severe penalties for its violation
by the company. The first day of the
new laws effect hundreds of passengers
tried to ride for three cents but were
elected from the cars. Riots and tie-ups
were the order of the day, but the second
day the company announced that it would
accept three cents as fare until the courts
could decide upon the legality of the new
law.
The proclamation of Gov. Mount was
issued declaring the laws of the last ses-
sion of the Legislature in force, and the
people who patronize the street ear lines
supposed that the company would at least
obey the Scent fare law until an injunc-
tion could be secured from the courts. The
more cautious, however, were careful to
secure the exact three cents in change be-
fore boarding the ears, and at all the up
town drug stores and groceries nckels
We're rapidly exchanged for pennies. and
thus equipped the wound-be beneiiciaries
entered the cars.
AT every tender of a Scent fare the
conductors resolutely refused to accept it,
and when told that the 3-cent fare law
was III lOTce tHey SlollulH lndt
they knew no law except that issued by
the company, and it demanded 5-cent
fare. Many of the passengers became in
dignant, denouncing the company and de-
clared that it was an outrage, but the con-
ductor stood with hand extended for his
fare and another grasping the bell rope
ready TO stop the car and put the passen-
ger off if his demand was not complied
with.
One of the parties. consisting of twenty
young men, which was organized to take
an excursion over the city, boarded a
North Illinois car. and when the illegal
fare was demanded refused either to pay
or leave the car. A squad of road police
was called and presented such formida-
bic array that the excursionsts left the
car.
Judge Cox of the police court was one
of the victims of n futile attempt to get a
ride for three cents. He refused To get
off the car and was caught by the conduc-
tor and motorman and elected after a
struggle in which his fingers were badly
smashed. The company was no respecter
of persons. and men, women and children
alike were elected from the ears upon re-
fusal TO pay the illegal fare.
Friday morning the city administration
was getting ready To arrest every conduc-
tor who elected a passenger for not paying
five cents, and strong hints at receivership
and cancellation of charter had been made
by the Mayor, when the company backed
down.
There were riotous scenes in some of
the streets downtown. however. preceding
the surrender. The company had repeat
ed verbal instructions to conductors to
pay no attention to the law fixing fares
at three cents, and had posted in the barns
a glaring notice that 5-cent fares should
be collected.
Street car employees were more savage
in their efforts to enforce this order than
they were the day before, and frequently
came in contact with men who were deter
mined not TO pay more than the legal fare.
In some instances citizens went to the
help of passengers. In one case this led
to Il handto-hand and foot-to-foot fight.
Windows were broken from the car and
one citizen was kicked. Police Superin-
tendent Colbert arrested one conductor
for putting blind man off a car. but 9TH
erwise there was no police interference.
The county grand jury was called togcth-
er and instructed to investigate the viola
tions of law by the company and its em-
| ployes.
Il