The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-11-07
Address Of Hon. ". S. COwherd
Lexington, Missouri
October 3Ist, 1903

people to these same corporations.
They were supported by the two great.
est newspapers Of the city; one because
Of party fealty and the other because
Of personal obligation for favors
shown. Against this combination Of
power and capital Mr.. Reed won a
brilliant victory after one of the hard
est campaigns eve fought in Kansas
City, After the election and before
Mr. Reed was i%naugurated into office
this expiring republican administra-
tion gave 20 the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company a renewal Of its
franchise for twenty-five years, and in
the ordinance removed practically
every safeguard that had been placed
In prior ordinances for the protection
OF the people. Yet some Of the same
papers now denouncing Mr.. Reed
praised this act and labeled James NJ.
Jones the best mayor Kansas City ever
had. Against this infamy Mr.. Reed
openly announced that he would wage
continual warfare, but unsupported as
be was by the council, with the re-
publicans filing every important
Office in the city, there was but little
power left in his hands; yet so vigor.
ously did he exercise the veto power,
so constantly did he oppose this rob-
berry Of the peoples rights, so contin,
uously did he hold it up before the
citizens of that community; that not
only was he renomlnated; but at the
next election opposed again by the
same powers with the largest corrup-
ton fund ever put into a campaign in
Kansas City, he was triumphantly re-
elected, carrying with him into Office
a majority of the common council and
that majority consisted Of men pledg-
ed to support him 10 his warfare for
the peoples interests Then the cor
porations recognized that at last they
had reached the end Of their rope and
the day after that election the Metro
politan Street Railway Company come
TO his office with offers of compromise.
The men who had engineered for it a
deal in the closing hours of the Jones
administration we're turned ont of the
management OF its affairs and not
wlthstanding that the company held
within its hands this renewal Of its
franchise for twenty-five years more,
1t was compelled to disgorge its i'll
gotten gains and accept a new Ordi-
lance under which it paid annually
into the treasury OF Kansas City eight
per cent of It's gross receipts. That
tax this year amounted to S1iS,000
more than the year before this ordi.
nance went intoeffect, and it has been
estimated that during the life of the
franchise it will amount to seven
millions of dollars 10 excess VI what
would have been paid under the Jones
ordinance. 1t agreed to pave a por-
tion Of the street on both sides of its
track, removing from the tax payers
a burden of one and a half millions Of
dollars; it granted universal transfers
over the entire system, a saving to
the citizens Of that city an amount
almost incalcuable;it agreed to remove
all their old delapidated cable cars and
rebuild their system and equip it with
the best Of cars; granted the city the
right to compel extension of its sys-
ten; it agreed to build viaducts over
the city streets at a cost to the com.
pany Of more than one half million
dollars; it agreed to build a line tC
Swope Park, five miles beyond the
city limits and carry the people back
and forth at one fair Of five cents; il
agreed to maintain Waterman at every
crossing and electric lights whereevel
needed, besides many other minor oh.
legations to be maintained at a great
cost to the company and great saving
to the people.
All Of this was obtained by an hon
est and a fearless executive who main
tanned for more than two years a DIES
perate fight waged almost without as
slstance, against thirty millions O
capital entrenched behind seemingly
valid ordinances, and denounced DAILY
by a great newspaper because of th,
fight he was making for the people.
Nor was this all that James A
Reed accomplished for Kansas City
With the threat Of building
municipal plant, he forced the charg