The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-22
THE PHILADELPHIA FRANCHISES
Text of John NannmaIzcr'S Letter to
Representative Il. II. Foederer, Jr.

CuSSed here today Inc letteT OK MI
Wanamaker to Representative Robert |
H Foederer. jr-, again making the OF
| fer Is as follows:
! Hon Robert II FoerdcTcr-
Dear Sir: / was absent in another /
part of The State when your interview /
vas published on Tuesday last and did not /
/ see it in fun until yesterday. My JUstli'- /
cation for addressing you is that you de /
myself, my motives. ana my personal al |
fairs Because Of my letter to the mayor /
/ Of the city proposing to give S2,7V4,"3e lot /
/ the franchises that were given TO You /
and your associates for nothing. You have /
/ seen fit to indulge in = personal attack |
/ upon my motives and sincerity The good /
! taste and pCOpTiety OF this course on your |
/ part l shall leave to your own maturer
/ Judgment and shall not engage with you /
IN any controversy upon that subject
My personal affaiTS-and pardon me II
! I say yours aISo-are really Of very little
/ concern compared with the momentous
public question of the audaciOus appro-
pTiatioG by private citizens of public iran
ChiSes and property OF enormous money
! value That issue your attack upon me
was intended To obscure, and shall not
aid You in this object by a Tetort- snail
do nothing that viii divert the public gaze
from the authors and beneiiclarleS OF the
scheme of spOIiatIon represented by the
legislation which has put you and your
/ associates in the possession Of valuable
charters and municipal grants without a
/ dollar of return TO the public
| YOUr defence Of the mayor, through
! when your franchises were obtained, for
fllngIng away the letter containing my Of
! fer to the city, was natural and to be eS-
pected, but il was clumsy and COntTadic-
tory to that officials own declarations
| You say he signed the ordinances with
out any knowledge of the contents CT my
letter and without any intention OF avoid
iCg such knowledge and fastening his ap-
proval. The mayor himself, however,
says he cast the letter aside because he
/ thought it contained 4 proposition from
some one other than myself and related
to the matter Of the ordinances and his
action upon them. Thus, YOU see, your
excuse and the mayor do not agree, and
yours obviously Is wanting in the nerve
which his blunt and audaCi0us aVowal
contained So much for your success as
a volunteer champion Of recreant public
officer.
''Thc vital part Of your communication
was the statement that my proposition to
pay N,5j9eO to the city for what you got
/ for nothing was not intended seriously,
and. in the gambling slang you found so
apt, was merely a bluff You say l did
not expect or intend that the offer should
be accepted, that the mayor could not
have gwen the franchises and because,
using again what you similarly regard as
appropriate slang, my offer had a string
I do not mean that your statements in
this respect shall so unchallenged- ana l
/ desire to give you lncOnteSIdDit eFlueLct
! that the proposition ! made to the mayor
!; | was made in all sincerity ana jhat All JAe
/ objections which you say exist 70 the &C
ceDtance Of that offer shall be removed
/ You say that I had no charters ana that
( the councils could not have made the
{ grants to me. Very well Tor the sake OF
argument be il 50. But there IS TO legal
or other objection to you and your col
! leagues selling to me the franchises OF
which you are now the GoneeS and owners
without TscOmpense TO the city
I Y therefore renew the offer which I
! made to the mayor TO pay 2s herein
I stated, to the city OF philadelphia S-.5y5--
( G3a, and in addition thereto VIII add
l $50 ESQ as 2 bonus to yourself and your
/ associates personally for the conveyance
. Of the grants and corporate pTiviIenges
n
! string 70 the proposition
When You and your associates assign
% me lat Sdp3O5l $500 pF1l5i up. e-l'
cent-O! Of the corporations you now pos
I sess. with the engineers plans. / VIII pay
To You the sum OF 500 and VIII pay
TO the city Of Philadelphia the $3.50 500
h under the conditions stated in my letter
, And $i.562o19 Of which amount I
> ! should stipulate should be used for the
: deepening Of the Delaware River chan
l. mel. and 81 .01G go be applied TO the build
) ing OF public schools and for the purpose
= / Of public education
d In ADDITION to this [ viii agree on the
e, surface roads. covered by your charters
e and the ordinances, that 3-cent fares only
i shall be charged between the hours Of G
" a m and a and > and : p. m and
not over cents for the other hours. and
"a will further agree that any time within
is ten years the city Of Philadelphia may
- resume the franchise upon the payment
: of the actual money expended and invest
- ed III the various enterprises covered by
5, the charters and ordinances as herein set
k forth.
You have said my offer to the mayor
= was conditional upon the validity of the
d grants. which is certainly true. And who
q would have Il otherwise The city would
T not want to take S2,550,GG) for rights Which
o. | il had not the power to confer This
would be almost as bad as taking public
property and making no return therefor
The difference between you and me or
( this point is that I viii give the city g
so. 900 and scent fares if these grants are
tn ! valid You viii give the people nothing
-la-r, - q
Now, Mr.. FOeTdeTeT. here IS an al
er nirabl= chance for you and your col
~ leagues to turn an honest $4,000 for cor
- pOrate privileges which Il IS 10 be pre-
"a sumed, cost you nOthinS-at least, moth
In ing that can be avowed- At the SANE
s. time the Delaware River channel. 70
/ which the ring Legislature has just nov
! refused TO make an appropriation, can d
~ deeUencd TO the sea and that commerce
$ be invited to our wharyes for lack o.
er | which the trade 10 the city IS languish
at ing m
T. ties may be supplied by million dollar
he for the building and eauippinS Of schoo!
IN houses where the children OF portion o
- I the citizens may receive the education
!. they are now denied for want OF school
* and teachers, ana in addition to al this
a system Of Scent fares can be Inaugu
rs rated which VIII be a boon to the working
nd and travelling masses which they, HS.4i OK
= perience every day through the years
~ ..,The condition Of Scent fares I vii
m agree shall be incorporated into the fran
C cl3ises by a formal contract with the city
approved by its City Solicitor, as vel ais
as the agreement TO turn the franchise
over to the city again at any time WftAl
ten years upon the payment Of the actua
fb OUTLAY with 6 per cent interest ar
strongly in favor Of the principle Of max
ing all grants Of T2uuICip2i tTanchlSs5 an
, utilities conditioned upon the right OF IN
ed / CITY TO resume them at any time upo
IL. I making reimbursement Tor the money eA
O ! pended by the private owner
10 And l may say, IN Passing, th&t ! Sha
ad lend my influence, for whatever II may y
on / worth for the exercise 81 this right WheT
e the city possesses it and for the incorpC
- ration Of such an option IN ali futur
u grants. 7 say again, as did n my lette
10 the mayor that II IS not my deSlT
or | 10 enter upon the business Of raIlTcadln
H. ! or to make any profit out Of any mum
= cipal franchise I merely desire the pes
hs Die to see how badly they have bee
he wrcnged and the magnitude Of the ya!u
re / Of the property Of which they have bee
re- despOiIed-
IF YOU should accept the offer Of tn
letter ] viii CheeTfully put The franchise
Of up 10 auction and give the city any SUI
- / bid for them in excess Of that which
shall pay under this proposition. If III
proposition ] have made to you Is not q
. ceptable ! should be glad to know WIZ
~ sum win tempt you and your associate
4 to surrender the privileges You now owl
4 and which were obtained by methods
: unusual and defiant Ct the public Will :
! 10 have aroused the Indignation OF II
. reaUl,e Of the entire nation
There may be those who VIII raise q