Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-10-07
M'LEAN ON TRUSTS.
His Lamentable Exhi biiion of Ignorance
About His Home G. ~ Of Cincinnati.


About His Home G ty Of Cincinnati
know city where there were II sep.
aratc, di-tinct street railways. Each road
had president, a vice president, Il board
of directors, superintendent, a treasurer
and secretary, a set of boOkkeepers,
set of clerks, and sets of workingmen to
build, relay and repair the roads. A com
blnatlon of capital was gotten together.
They said: I'VE will buy these roads as
chenply as possible, bringing all the para
phernalla of business to bear, threats of
competition. threats Of reduction Of fares,
and we will, by hook or crook, buy these
roads We win put them under one pres
ident, one vice president, on treasurer, one
superintendent and one set of worklngmen.
The plan was carried into execution. OF
IL roads, 10 were bought up, 10 presidents
done away with and 10 sets of officers and
10 sets of worklngmen. Where each road
had its president, Its officers and working
/ men, 1t is now under a single head. For
Illustration, say there were 300 men doing
the mechanical work of the IL roads Now
suppose so men can do the work. That
combine we know today as a trust.-John
Il. Mclean on trusts.
McLean's opposition to combinations
of capital that work injustice to the
public is, in general, the same senti-
ment expressed by Senator Hanna and
Senator Foraker, except that Repub-
lican leaders know what they are talk
selves to an opinion for publication.
Mr.. Mclean has not lived in Cincin-
natl for Is years, and his lack Of
knowledge, therefore, regarding the
streetcar consolidation in that city
which is referred % above, Is possibly
pardonable, although 1t would be mex
cusibie in Cincinnati schoolboy. The
Cincinnati Times-Star has the follow
ing to say about McLean's unfortunate
citation of trust evils:
The Cincinnati Street Railroad company
employs 30 per cent more worklngmen,
more mOtormen, more mechanics than
were ever employed heretofore under the
separate street railroad orga izatlons 1t
Is true that the high salarlt | officers have
been cut off, such as ornamental presidents
and secretaries. The executive branch OF
the street railroad business in Cincinnati
has been confined to one set OF officers.
but under the new arrangement the street
railroad business has been developed and
there is more need of. .wOrklngmen and of
mechanics than ever before.
/ In addition to this the combined interests
under one management, have gone a step
farther and established their own manu-
, factories of cars, so that now at the Ches-
! ter Park shops the street railroad com
pany turns out new cars for their system
/ of roads. This would have been impossl-
: BILE under the old system, with II distinct
railroad organizations.
Formerly with the separate systems the
rolling stock was poorly cared for. The
cars were shabby. Clnclnnatians remember
the time when, under the old system the
rolling stock was of the shabblest char
acter simply because the different com,
panies did not put the ears through the
repair shops more than once in three OF
four years. Now, however, every car on
the Consolidated lines goes through the
repair shops once a year. thereby necessi,
tating an Increased number of working.
men. Mr.. Mclean made a mistake when
he cited the Cincinnati! Street Railroad
company as an awful example of cOmbi.
nation or trust which was to be avoided.