New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-14
"NO SEAT. no FARE"

An ordinance compelling the railroads operat-
Ing in this city 10 furnish scat TO every pas
scnger would be n most Interesting experiment.
We hope II may be- passed and have fair
chance 10 prove It's usefulness or establish the
impo>Sihiliiy Of SO regulating traffic under the
peculiar conditions which here obtain. Not that
we have much faith in the workings Of such an
ordinance but that We should be- glad once for
all to place the responsibility for the dlscom-
fort and ovcrcrowding in our streetcars and
learn whether it IS due To the mcanncss OF the
companies or TO unreasonable Impotence and
inconsidoratcncss on the part Of the public or
to a real imposSibIlity of making the present
transit facilities carry in comfort the crowds
which must be- transported.
We SUSPECT that the trouble Is due 10 all three
causes Certainly IN" companies run no more
cars than they can help They want each ear
full al the point Of least travel. letting II over
flow elsewhere. instead 81 full ~ the point OF
most travel, leaving II half empty elsewhere
ON the other hand. the people not blame
less. Rather than wait two minutes for n seat
they will Jam into fail ear. 1t is common to
see a packcd car followed by one with plenty OF
room lust because passengers will not wait
even when they see IN empty car. hut make
ing into The first vehicle that comes along. The
two tendencies seem to react on each other 10
Increase the evil The utter neglect of the pub
lc comfor; 10y the companies for years taught
people TO crowd and endure crowdng until now
they push and squeeze even where there i no
necessity and the companies in turn calculate
on the liberation Of ovcrcrOwdcd cars and de-
fend themselves when asked not to take on
,,hn hog h1 M
that impatient travellers would mob them If
denied the privilege Of standing. Perhaps the
traffic is too heavy for the railroads and hang
ing TO n strap may he better than walking for
many weary workers AZ any rate. the con
gcsiion for which nobody except the poll
tlcans who block rapid transit is to blame
has made the problem Of the railroads exceed
inclv difficult and encouraged the had manners
Of travellers How far the crowdng Is really
necessary we shall never know until We try
10 prevent il. and therein lies the value OF the
ordinance proposed.
London and Paris and smaller European
towns have no trouble in stopping tho nuisance.
For one thing they began earlier forbidding
conveyances to take more passengers than they
could seat, and the public there has never
learned that II was one mans nacnablc right
TO rob another of the comfort of the seat he
pays for by treading on his toes and sticking
elbows i'm his face. II Is to be doubted II the
same rule here would he accepted with good
grace by the ill-brcd persons who persist in
s,ufling themselves into open cars kicking the
knees Of men and women, wiplng their shoes
on women's gowns and tapping coats in their
faces This IS an outrage which the companies
ought to prevent. even II they cannot stop
crowding in closed cars The open cars carry
many more passengers than the others. and. If
run as frequently. ought to accommodate the
traffic more easily. We nope that no seat. no
fare VIII be made the legal rule Then we
shall ser what the railroads can do n they will
and how far the citizens are TO blame for their
own misery Those points settled, we shall