East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-11-21
TOM JOHNsON's WORK IN CLEVELAND

The following from The Public
touches on the work of Cleveland's re-
Gently reelected mayor, the progress
i've democrat, Tom johnson. This will
make his third term as mayor of
Cleveland, a republican city:
Mayor Johnson's administration has
a novelty in campaigning
Opp. 45I, 457) in the form of a report
of progress to the people.
This is done on the sound theory
that 1.-The citizens are entitled to full
and complete report of the conduct of
their city affairs, and Mayor Johnson's
administration, believing that no other
campaign document can be so strong,
is glad to submit its record and to
stand or fall on that record"
The record, presented in a clean
and attractive piece of printing simply
illustrated with appropriate pictures. is
explicit though brief in its story of a
municipal administration that we'll de-
serves its encomiums of efficient and
progressive"
General interest is concerned more,
perhaps, with what this report has to
say of the street rail- Dad question than
of anything else, and we quote 1t in
part:
"In the five years since 1900 a re-
markable struggle has been made to
secure a reasonable settlement of the
street railroad question. In spite of
dozens of court injunctions, of ripper
legislation and of unjust state laws,
the street railroad has been held In
check. and with each tick of the clock
the hour draws near when the rail-
road must come to the people and ask
terms.
When Mayor Johnson was first n
candidate, his opponent said Scent
! fare was a fad. and he stood for a set
tlement with the street railroad on a
basis of six tickets for a quarter, two
years later Mr.. Goulder, the republi-
can candidate for mayor, would settle
for seven tickets for a quarter, and
this year Mr.. Boyd, the republican
candidate, says he thinks the company
ought to be willing to give eight tickets
! for a quarter with s cents cash fare)
Meanwhile the people of Cleveland
/ have been steadfast in their determin-
alton not to give up their fight. The
courts, some day. will dispose of the
mass of clever lawsuits which have
been tied around the people by the
street railroads The clock ticks on
and existing franchises are expiring
The street railroad question is
still up to the people Victory is as
surely theirs as the fact that the peo-
pie of this city are more powerful
than any possible combination of
money, lawyers and politicians"
| On other phases of municipal gov
ernment this unique campaign docu-
ment reports:
I "Waterworks.-The merit system in
this department, which was formerly
n political dumping ground for broken
down ward heelers, has been con-
tinued The department Is now run
on business basis, Independent OF
politics, and the result is much more
satisfactory to the owners-the people
Of Cleveland.
"Garbage.-Under the McKisson ad-
ministration a flve-year contract was
entered into for the collection and dis
posal of garbage at a cost of 9,400
per year. On January 1, 1905, the city
purchased the entire property of the
Newburg Reduction company, includ-
ing so acres of land and all horses,
wagons, cars, ETC., at a cost of $S7,500.
"Since that time, under municipal
operation, the collection of garbage
during the first six months was in
creased one-third over corresponding