Arizona republican., 1905-11-26
LORD OF THE STREETS
 LIVING IN PHOENIX
An Article in Leslie's on a Twin City
 Street Railway nagnate.


 Phoenix of Thomas Lowry. the prin- cipal owner in the street railway sys- tenn of the cities of MinneapoIis and St. Paul, an article in Leslie's Monthly of the September issue written by Henry Mitchell Webster, is of interest. The writer under the head, Lords of Our Streets,' makes a comparison of two opposing types of traction mag mates, MT. Thomas F. Ryan of New York and MT. Lowry of Minneapolis
 According to the writer there are two distinct types of the feudal baron; there was the man who was always reaching out for more and more, who was always running around conquer ing something new or fighting desper- ately to keep some one else from get ting something that he had acquired" away from him; and there was also a baron of an entirely different sort This second man had what might be called local sense. He had an estate big or little, village perhaps, or pos sibly a county, and while it was clear that he owned it he also had a feel ing that it owned him. Therefore he conquered less than the other man but he governed more. There grew in his mind strange confusion between his own interests and those of his ten- ants. He had no particular pleasure in conquering abroad; he wanted to stay at home and watch things pros- pering. According to MT. Webster, MT. Ryan was anything but like the second man. He does not care for New York and is not even a citizen of the town, although he spends much of his time there. The worlds his oyster. But entirely his opposite is a feudal baron of the other sort, man with the true local sense, MT. Thomas Lowry. Of him Mr. Webster says:
 MT. Dalrymple of Scotland who came over here a little while ago to tell Mayor Dunne of Chicago how @ bring about municipal ownership and who finished by advising him not to try-Mr. Dalrymple said that the trac- tion system of the Twin Cities was the best in the United States. If you go there you will find the entire pop ulation saying the same thing. And you will be saying it yourself before you go away. You ride on the cars they are big, roomy, clean, and they move like Pullnfans. You don't wait
 
 go by, feeling that you really ought to know the worst. and you find there is no such thing Mr. Goodrich, the says he can't afford to keep old cars in commission. The power house embodies the very latest engin- eering practice. So far as you can find out, every employe of the con- pany is possessed by the idea of mak- ing everything as near perfect as pos sible
 You could not be oblivious to these things if you wanted to. There will ha people to talk with you about them in the streets, in your hotel, and in their offices. When they change the subject it is to talk about the "Soo Road" in much the same sort of terms.
 Now, to cll intents and purposes, From" Lowry is the Twin City Rapid Transit company. and he is also the most important part of the Soo Road. He also owns much real estate and all the important newspapers. So there can be no doubt at all that he is really the Baron of Minneapolis; yet this is sure that if you tried to talk about an "Oligarchy" up there. and were to hint at municipal ownership, people would merely stare at you.
 Tom Lowry was a young man when he went to Minneapolis and he found a very young city. The two hit it off wonderfully well to- gether. On his part the attachment began at once. He became at first sight an enthusiast. It was a true devotion; that is, the idea that he to Minneapolis possessed him much more strongly than the idea that the city must belong to him. And if the latter has in course of time come true it is only because he read the future clearer and more hopefully than any one else could do.
 He went into the street car business In the seventies and it prospered for good many years. as everything else was prospering. Rv the latter eigh- ties he was regarded by everybody as the richest man in that thriving town.