The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-26

The public has heard so much of the per-
feet system Of street-railways which Gov
ernor Pingree secured for the city of Detroit
while he mayor that there will be
much surprise to learn that this perfection
of rapid and cheap transit is so unsatisfac-
tory that the Pingree interest in Detroit,
and Tom Johnson and other capitalists in
terested in the Detroit system, have hur-
ried a bill through the Legislature which
empowers the City Council TO purchase and
operate the street railways. 1t is well
known in Detroit that Governor Pingree, in
his efforts 10 force the street-railway COM
panies TO accept lower fares, was over
reached and beaten by Tom Johnson and
other capitalists. All the properties being
bonded for s12 900, OO0 which, the Free Press
says, is twice their value, it is very natural
that Mr.. Johnson and his associates should
be delighted to unload the obligation upon
the people of Detroit. 1t is now asserted
by the Free Press and other Detroit papers
that the street-railway representatives, with
whom Governor Pingree fought all the
years he was mayor, and by whom he was
finally overreached, went to the Governor
and represented to him that it was golden
opportunity for him to carry bill through
the Legislature authorizing the city of De-
troit, through it's Council rather than by a
vote of its people, to purchase the street.
railway properties Of the companies, to the
end that the theory of municipal owner
ship of street railways may be put into sue
cessful operation. The Establishments of
such practical reformers Tom i. Johnson
could not be resisted by the ambitious but
vain Pingree, and he joined his old enemies
to push the bill authorizing the city pur-
chase through the Legislature. The Pin
gree following in and out of the Legislature
was in Lansing. and so promptly did it do
it's bidding that, while the Detroit delega-
ton was Fastening TO Lansing to oppose the
measure, 1t was crowded through the Sen
ate under the spur of the previous question
after having passed the House
The bill in question could not, In the ma
ture of things, be mandatory, but it con-
fers power upon the Common Council to
make the purchase any time within twenty
years The present Council is said to be
hostile, but the next may not be. The
features of the bill which Tom Johnson and
Governor Pingree have advocated, as stated
by the man employed to prepare it for the
legislative committee, is as follows:
This bill as passed authorizes the city to
buy the franchises, property and assets of
the street-railway company. We will ac-
quire these rights subject to the incum-
branceS which are now upon the property
OF the company. These obligations are un-
derstood TO be bonds aggregating about
900. 1t is a matter of public history
that from 1862 on the railway companies
have issued bonds to pay for all the equip
ment which has been put upon our streets.
and that none of these bonds have been re-
tired; also, that bonds have been issued by
the present company to pay for the fran
chses of the old company. In other words,
the city must be obligated to pay not only
| for the present equipment and for every
| horse car and strap rail that has ever been
placed upon our streets, but also to pay
| several million dollars for the franchises,
| which we gave away.
| This seems to be the outcome of Governor
| Pingree's much-heralded efforts to secure
| the people of Detroit cheap street-railway
| transportation. The bill has been carried
| through a Legislature which has responded
| to all of Governor Pingree's demands re-
| garding corporations and taxation. The
| official who assails corporations has been
| induced by the street-railway corporations
| of Detroit to give his influence to pass a
| proposition which, if a City Council can be
found to approve it. will compel the people
| to pay those companies twice or three
times the value of their property.