Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-08-13

right to charge a 5.cent fare for twenty
years on extensions Of old franchises Is
said to limit the power Of the Council
The Allen law does not extend these
franchises. II does not compel the
Councils to do so. They may refuse to
extend them unless the conditions NEE,
their approval.
No new franchise 10 open up streets
where there are no car lines can be
granted unless on a petition signed by
a majority Of the frontage. This Is the
same principle which limits paving
the streets by special assessments un.
less a majority Of the propcrty.owncr.
by frontage ask for It.
The City Council under the old law
could send a line down a new stree,
against the protest Of the property.
owners. Neither could an adjacen,
owner enjoin the occupation Of the
street. II the city 80 ordered that end.
ed his rights. Under the Allen law he
can stop the company until its right to
occupy II Is Investigated by a court.
No remedial street car legislation Ind
been given the people for nearly a quar-.
ter Of century before the passage OF
the Allen law. New laws keeping race
with the developments OF the times
were enacted for all business and In.
dustrial interests. The old street car
lines were started with a comparative.
~ small capital. Horses anu hay were
the motive power.
Since then the cable and electricity
have been substituted. In place OF thu
horse and feed barn are power houses
and elaborate and costly equipments.
Any respectable lawyer will tell yo,i
the old law Of 1874 gave the. companies
no right to use the streets for cabl.
ana electric power. TO keep step with
the march Of the inventive genius OF
the age the law was violated. 1t IL con.
coded legislation was imperative.
Twenty years time was u sufficient
franchise term In the horse cur ora,
Under the present system Il II not.
Would one Of You risk your investment
on Il one.year leaseY Would you eX.
pect your ncighbOr TO do no?
The street car companies Of this State
Invest u large capital. A longer lease
or franchise to occupy u street II rea.
sonablc. ] believe the cities ought to
require compensation. They ought at
all times TO regulate by fair provisions
the use of the streets. I voted for the
Allen law. l believe II just. The only
defense It needs IL TO tell what It Is.
From the disturbance In certain quar-.
tiers We are led to believe u ffty-year
term for franchise Is something nev-
or heard OF until the Allen bill suggest
cd II.
In thrty.four States of the Union
the term IL either nifty years or pcrpr,.
ual. Some Of those States have large
street car interests. and possibly know
az much rs We do. Every steam rail
road company that cuts u farm In two
has u perpetual right Of way and nifty
years OF corporate life. All the steam
railways having terminals In Chicago
occupy streets without being harassed
continually.
The Democratic platform declares for
municipal ownership of natural mo-
Eopolies which of right belong to the
people, This means what socialists
call public utilities" This means the
ownership by the city or State of all
telegraph ana telephone
lines, the express, Insurance, and bank
ing business, mines of metal ana fuel,
and everything else that happens along.
The Allen bill Is said to postpone this
economic millennium by lengthcning
the franchise period. | hope 1t will.
What could be expected of the man
ngement of any of these great interests
by the Democratic partyy
That party In their Cook County ami
State platform demand the repeal of
the civil service laws. These barriers
removed, these industries would be-
come a house of refuge for the heelers
and flag ends of the party. The fact
that .Altgeld reduced the State institu-
tons to beggary In less than four years
Is Il warning of what could be done
with public utilities" In partisan
hands,
The magnificent enterprises of the
country ought never he prOstituted to
soclallstlc schemes In the hands of any
political party. II Is contrary to the
development of the individual, which
Is the characteristic of an AnglO-SaXon
republic.
1t Is no strange thing to find the
Democracy Offering the people new
iostrums. In 1892 the people decided
IN Illinois to try the remedy of n Demo-
ratio Governor. That course of med-
line lasted four years. The like of II
ias never been seen before In this
state. As a financial emctic It was
efficient and searching. Not n dollar
If public funds escaped the operation.