New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-17
THE NUISANCE OF CHANGING CARS
PEOPLE STAND 1T BECAUSE THEY WANT
TO AVOID BOTHER

A corresnondent Of The Tribune who lives out
of town writes a letter which he would probably
not have written il he had lived in Columbus-aye
It is the colt unaccustomed TO the harness. not the
trained old horse that kicks over the traces and
objects to the rule of his master when anything
goes with him in an unexpected manner New.
Workers do not spend their time in railing az their
masters-the Metropolitan Street Railway Company.
Enough OF 1t is spent in apologizng TO strangers
for the way the city s run, and they need the rest
for their own business affairs They count the
insolence Of the Metropolitan Street Railway Com.
pany and its servants as inevitable. just Ike the
drouth and learn TO abide II.
1t is a simple complaint that the correspondent
makes one which everybody who ever rode in the
Broadway cars has made at some time or other.
and one whereof the cause is so well understood
that 1t is taken into account in fixing rents on the
West Side above Ffty-third-st. The correspondent
took car distinctly marked "Columbus-ave." to
go uptown. When he got to Fiftieth-st he was told
to get off He asked II this not Columbus
ave car and he was told again-insolently. without
doubt for that is the only In which an employe
of that line ever speaks-to get Oft Being q
stranger in town and his time being limited, he got
off II he had been a resident Of the city and his
time had been unlimited he would have done the
same. Only one person in ten thousand ever re-
fuses Several cars passed while he and others
stood waiting in the broiling sunshine. ana theH
along which took them
The correspondent wants The Tribune 10 tell him
II this is not outrageous impudence or courseth
He wants The Tribune TO tell him II nothing can b
done in the matter That is another question
few attempts have been made. but the just anger
OF the aggrieved persons has generally cooled as Oh
course Just anger never should. and they haze let
go their holds 70 avoid bother. The trait OF Amer
lean character which does more harm than any
other is the desire to avoid bother. II must DO
understood that the complaint Is not usually be.
hao Nha IA
he has TO change after carefully taking car
marked 10 go where he wants 10 go. II the COM
pany would mark three-quarters, or even seven
eighths of its cars "Fiftieth-st" and the res!
"Columbus-ave.." and have them go there there
would probably be complaint. But there are
left A few people. among Americans, who 90
not like TO be trlcked and who do not Ike after
ward TO be bullied because they have been trtcked
And so there was a man once who refused to
get out OF the car at Fiftieth-st when he was
ordered to, because he said that IL had not ,"
taken him where Il had promised to take him. Sew
eral other passengers stood by him and refused 70
get out too. and in the end the car was sent Up
Coumbus-ave. with them. This same man once
tried to play the same game alone, and ne was
run into the carhouse with the car. where ne oe-
cided most improperly, not 10 bother. Another
man once stayed in a car while 1t made several
trips up and down town, refusing to pay any a''
dtional fare till II should take him TO Columbus
ave He said that he had plenty OF time, out III
thu end he got out and decided not TO bother Some
time ago the writer OF these remarks was on MS
way uptown, on a cold night. In closed car on
another line. Suddenly the conductor shouted, Cn
ahead" The passengers looked. and saw that the
car ahead was an open car. What one OF them
said. take an open on night Ike tnisG
guess not! Stay where you are, gentlemen" Every
body stayed and the car went on 10 its oesuns-
ton.
There was still another man who reiused 10 ses
out of the Columbus-ave. car 10 take ano'ns'
Columbus-ave. car when he was told TO- ana ns
was run into the carhouse with the car lie H
down on the seat and prepared 70 sleep when
policeman was called and ne was arrested he was
taken to the station and passed the night 10 cell
In the morning he taken TO the police court
and the policeman charged him with disorderv
conduct The magistrate said that his conduct nau
not been dsordery. and discharged him. lie 'nsA
brought a suit against the company for causing y"
arrest and spent several hundred dollars on INV
costs OF It. That suit. as far as the writer y"
formed, has not yet been decided
From these incidents the correspondent can a's.
his own conclusions to what can be done A'0s'
It as we'll as The Tribune tell him. Tnefe ~
sangune souls who believe that something can
done some time and that n sort OF future exse''s
Is possible for the city in which eorpoSnOs
which receives a franchise shall be the servsn'
the people Instead OF the despot and bully.