The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-18
D|SIRUST Of P|N|1REE
Is Beginning to Permeate the
Peoples Minds.
is ACCUSED OF CHANGING
Right About Face on the Cor
pOratiOn Question.

changes being enacted these days In Mich
igan politics have astounded the oldest
heads In the business. It Is no one par
tieular incident-such as the Alger-Pin-
gree reported comblnation-but q general
metamorphosis all along the line that Il
making the wise heads wonder what the
next few years win bring forth. Most
Of ali, the apparent change in Governor
Pingrees' supposedly rOck-ribbed personal
policy q being commented on with
amazement.
With all the eircumstantial evidence
massed against him. there are still very
few politicians or newspapers who dare
assail the Governor on the ground Of
treachery to his. old tenets or with the
charge that he Is playing into the hands
of those corporations of which, such q
short time ago. he was popularity believed
to be the lifelong enemy.
Still, the growing distrust among the
people Is tending to convict the governor
Of chasing after false gods. After the
Mcleod decision was handed down by
the supreme court the general feeling
was that the municipal ownership cru
SADIE had been properly and quietly buried.
Press and public united in pronouncing
the epitaph, Let 1t rest In peace" A
few days after the decision was read by
Judge Moore and the papers had printed
It in full the governor expressed himself
in vigorous fashion anent the alleged in
fiuences he said were behind the verdict
of the highest tribunal of the state.
He said then that he saw no other way
Of doubling on the supreme court ex-
cept by changing the constitution OF the
state. But not more than forty-eight
hours after that interview, which APP
peared In the Times-Herald OF last Sun
day, the governor was by all visible in
dIcations helping to engineer through the
city council of Detroit a so-called munic-
ipal security street railway ordinance
with a forty-eight year franchise at
tached. That marked change N Gov
ernor Pingree's ideals and intentions Is
commonly believed to have taken place Is
best understood from the tone of the De-
troit press of the week just ended On
Wednesday morning of this week the De-
troit Tribune printed the following edito-
rial under the head, THE Security Ordi-
nance Trap:
During the summer of 1Se5-the exact
date Is Of no conseQuence-the common
council of the city of Detroit granted
to the Detroit Citizens Railway company
new franchise extending its rights in
the streets for thirty years and authorize
ing 1t to fix fares at ments, the COM
pany to sell six tickets for a quarter.
Every alderman in the council who was
under a cloud voted for that franchise.
Every recognized street railway lobbyist
in the city Of Detroit was present In the
council chamber whipping aldermen into
line. Hired claquers swarmed the lobby
and applauded the questionable speeches
of the questionable aldermen In advocacy
OF the franchise.
In one corner sat Hazen 8. Pingree,
then mayor of Detroit. Mr.. Pingree
watched the proceedings intently, and
when the vote was announced his indigna-
ton knew no bounds. In the presence
o fthe crowd he swore that no six-for-a-
quarter franchise would ever be granted
to the city Of Detroit while he had the
power to prevent It. Mr.. Pingree kept
his word, so far as that particular fran
chise Il concerned At the next session
of the council his veto message was read,
and the attempt to pass the franchise
over his veto failed by two or three votes.
This bit OF history Is pretty well known
to the people Of Detroit, but 1t may be
worth while to recall It, In view OF the
fact that a scene similar In many re-
spects to that OF Ave years ago was
acted in the council chamber last night.
1t was unlike the other in a few import
ant details. however.
Mr. johnson was again seeking for q
franchise, indirectly. II may be saba
franchise, by courtesy
dubbed with the adjective security"
This franchise Is to run not only thirty
years, but even forty-eight years. in case
a voluntary corporation Is nowise respOn-
sible to the people OF Detroit fails to carry
out a Utopian scheme for municipal own
ership by the city's next friend" The
street railway lobbyists were on hand last
evening, but many OF them were more
conspicuousIy on hand at aldermanic rem
devious earlier in the day.
A lobby Of claquers was there. and Mr.
PinEree was there. but Mr.. PingTee was
not swearing that no such franchise
should ever be granted II he could pre-
vent II. On the contrary. he was there
as the advocate Of the franchise. deluded
by the belief that he can accomplish
VIVA. experienced street railway mana
gers would not even undertake. Mr.. Pin
gree's stan was present. lobbying among
the aldermen Street railway attorneys
were there directing their forces In the
council The franchise passed By vote
OF is 20 ~ Some OF the aldermen who
voted for that other franchise Eve years
ago voted for this. Others. who we're no
this last Offering o. Nr. Johnson, but
every alderman In the. chamber. whose
personal integrity the people ever had
good reason 20 question. votes Yea"
Aldermen whose honesty has 1sTeT been
inpeacheA voted for the ordl. 70 u true.
but even they. themselves. must admit
that they were training n Questionable
company.
SO much for the reincarnats0n Of Hazen
s. Pfngree-
The TrFbune editorial writer then went
on TO show what EVIL scheme be be-
Ilsved this security franchise nAskss.
Care was taken not 60 make any direct
charges against Governor Pi1gres. Bat he
vas held Gp 10 that unpleasant mirror %
unpleasant Observation-Disclosures deadly
parallel The other neEspapsss % the
city gave veas 20 similar utteeances ne