New-York tribune., 1902-05-10
WOMEN CONDEMN CARS.
THE SYSTEM DENOUNCED AS A NUI-
SANCE.
REPRESENTATIVE PERSONS SPEAK IN NO
UNCERTAIN TERMS-THE COMING
SUMMER A NIGHTMARE

SUMMER A NIGHTMARE.
Women of New-York feel deeply on the sub
ject of the open streetcars. The manner in
which they are obliged to ride on the cars.
whether sitting with men standing in front of
them standing with men sitting behind them.
is exceedingly distasteful. aside from the
dnary physical discomforts of the system. The
prospect of enduring the nuisance throughout
the coming summer stretches before them like
nightmare, although they feel their entire
helplessness in the affair 1t is dsagreeable for
them to board a car already filled and render
both themselves and those already seated
comforta BILE, but the necessities Of travel leave
them without a choice. Opinions on the subject
unanimous as expressed by pTesentative
women yesterday to a Tribune reporter
Any feelings on the open car SYSTEM" said
Mrs. Clarence Burns. president of the Ninety
ninth Street Outdoor Recreation League Ger
tainly have; very strong ones. l consider ii
perfect outrage that the people should he crowd
ed together like so many cattle. To-day l was
IN a seat in a Madison-ave. car in which five
people seated. and there were four stand
ing up in front of us. The custom is also used
a cloak by certain men to annoy women AND
girls especially young working girls. The COM
pany ought TO be compelled run a sufficient
number Of cars TO accommodate the public, or
else put on two storied cars. such run out
have two stories which are not quite high
each an the one in the New-Yotk cars and they
ere made with the seats back 70 back the pas
sengers facing outward. Then the sign Com
plet' is universal public conveyanCes when
the seats filled in Paris. with the exception
Of the underground
Il can stand the discomfort and inconvenience
better than a great many others. But when
think of tired who have, perhaps. been
behind counters all day standing in that ex-
tremely uncomfortable attitude throughout their
ride home It seems me that it must be posi-
lively maddening l noticed crippled girl with
a CrutCh i'm an open car the other day. She
seated but a man stood in front Of her with
Of his feet on either side Of her lame foot and
crutch. She sat in agony throughout the jour
ney for fear that he would jostle her crippled
foot.
/ GRATEFUL FOR CAR AHEAD ORDINANCE
American people up TO date enough in
other things Why cannot they devise some
way to protect themselves from the imposition
OF corporations that are making money from
public franchises? I do not see why NewYork
with all the privileges that have been given to
the streetCar companies. ard all the money that
has been made out of franchises. should he
obliged to suffer It does with each recurring
summer We are all grateful to Mayor Low for
/
that the reform can be extended TO the greater
nuisance Of standing in the open cars"
Mrs. A. j. Wilson president Of the West End
Women's Republican Club said.
Il certainly object very strongly TO the open
car system it prevails in this city II is not
nice, ii is not pleasant, it is intensely disagree
able TO women. but what can we do? We have
got 10 use the surface cars at / les. l don't
pretend to say what should be done to remedy
hlt- ,I,oar hifrr ,,ubt ~ II
ahead at this nuisance stretching through the
whole summer. with the fearfuliy hot weather
We sometimes have. is perfectly intolerabIe. II
Is infinitely worse than closed cars would be.
feel ashamed every time l board a car and stand
in front Of people. But what can l do? The
elevated does not 60 anywhere near my home
and | am obliged to the surface cars OF
course, the company will say that more cars
cannot be put on. 1t is to their interest to have
as few cars as possible, but in some way the
machinery Of city government should ascertain
by expert advice how many cars can he run
and then the company should be compelled to
put on that number OF course the company
will do nothing until it is driven to-"
FORBEARANCE CEASES To BE \ VIRTUE
Mrs. Cornella $. Robinson. chairman of the
executive committee OF the New York State
Woman's Republican Association, was equally
emphatic. She said Something should be
done 10 obviate the nuisance and the danger.
There should be either more cars or they
should be of different construction. II is very
difficult to get the conductors attention to let
you OFF. With so many standing he cannot
tell when one more gets up. There should be
a system OF push buttons such as they have
on the Washington cars. The system is GER
tainly exceedingly unpleasant for women There
is no publi, in the world so forbearing as tn
\pNI- York f,,,l,Ii hut
ne devised torhedrance mas ceased to be
virtue. Please present my compliments to the
Mayor for his car ahead legislation"
Miss Edith Griswod secretary of the Woman
Lawyers Club. remarked patiently: oh YES
Of course, it is disgusting. but | don't think
anything can be done about it. SO | try not to
waste energy in anathema'
M, MISS SADIE American chairman of the City
Hall Committee of the WOman'S Municfpal
League, thought that the horrors of the sys-
tenn might be mitigated by a different policy on
the part of the conductors.
1t is very Difficult" " said she TO see from
the pavement which seats are occupied by four
and which by five especially i'm the haste in
which one has to board the car. | have seen
a woman climb into one compartment and
stand I'm front of five people, when there were
several other compartments in which only four
were seated. once in she could not change
The conductor makes no effort to get passen-
gers 10 move along, or 10 point out vacant places
TO those boarding He simply stands
with his hand on the bellrope and shouts All
aboard" or Step liVelv,' IL makes = Woman
feel nervous and hurried that she gets into
the first compartment accessible and. once on
she cannot swing along the footboard to an
other part OF the car. man can. The haste
in starting up the car is exceedingly dangerous
and it isn't particularly pleasant 10 have the
conductor embracing you to keep you from
falling backward because the car has started
before you in il. OF course the whole svs-
tenn is inVeterate nuisance, and any modi-
hcation of it, under existing conditions of con-
Structon and number or cars. can be only
palliative"
PROTESTS ARE INEFFECTIVE