The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-05

VI ! "
gave Il history Of c,liicngos struggle
for freedom from traction rule. Mr..
sykes has hrtn a special student of
this 'questio ION for over ten years, and
has had oceasiot,:ns Il itlewspn per cor
respondent ana editorial writer for tho
Chicago press, TO watch the trnctio,
Struggle hit close range. Mr.. sykes
was In. 1890 innde secretary ofItthc
Street Railway Commission (renlly r.
special committee Of the city Council g.1.
OF this subjecD. and held TINT Office
for overAtWo years; while later he
was associated with Mr.. r. j. Arnold
In tho preparation Of All elaborate
engineering report on tho traction
question. rsts ITS, it.y3
a"The AocInlstic movement 800 slled).i
which seems now 90 rampant Els due
ii1ore TO- tho determination Of tho people
4 to boss the situation than toNany rconon-
3princirlessor 'socialtstIc dogmasln de-
on lll-gottsn Wealth, For ibis feeling the
special Ssss' .bknohrniiesi :ofi governmental
policies hnNe3only themselves to blame"
This statement OF Lyman IL Cooley. the
well known engineer, ina regent talk Oil
public ownership to tic. Western Society
OF 1igineers. aptly chnracteraes the mt
nftlpnlN qWncrslilp movement III ChlcnEo.,
THAT movement has 'bean$and' IS still 'prl-l
marty political. tits 1T bottom little else
democratic. government 10. begin Uwitl,i
It was not. d municipal sownership move
meilt ut a1l.8 Ten years ago the people
5offChicaEo demanded only a fnir frnn-
chise settlement. Baked In that and
angered at the continual attempts Of the
traction companies to secure control Of
the government, both State and local. IN
order ITO force upon tho community an
TN fair franchise settlement. public sentl-
nentS has &moved steadily forward. until
to-day Chicago lis committed to ,nunicl-
lpallzntton.4 the enrliest&tmeE ut which
1t can beisbro1ght about. fs.ss Eftft5i
So angcred are tho people that they Will
allow their. city governmental have notll-
ing whatever to do with the old crowd,
except&to buy their prdpertySifait can be
had for a reasonable price. W
History Of Fight.
The present. situation can be better
understood Iif traced from the beginning.
In 1858 Il franchise for horse-chr lines
was conferred BY the Council upon
group ofamcn who shortly Afterwards
became Incorporated as tho Chicago
Street Railway Company The grant was
for twenty-five years, and thereafter until
the ucity & should elect to purchase the
tangible property In the next few years
similar grants, were made toiother COM
panies TO occupy. theh noMlnf and swost
divisions oEf,the cty.ahl,c Cttys fRatlway
Company conhnng itself TO the ssouth
division. Thus was early 4: established
tho :policysof dividing the city for trans
portatons purposes into three divisions,
which has tsubsisted to this time. The
lack OF unIncation, which has gtaken place
in most othert cities4is the: prime cause
Of the wretched accommodations which
the Chicago street car companies afford
the travelling Upublc. itsd
The next chapter Of traction, history
has to do with the now famous @nincty-
nine-year act. In 1865 thea3 companies
asked tho 4I.agislatnrn,otn.ex tendI
their corporate from; ctWentySflve To-
ninety7nne years, and n to \; give. ~ ! like
Increase to their grants tooccuny the
streets sof Chicago. without the consent
OF tho City Council thereto The Lcgls-
slature did pass. this net. over tho veto Of
Governor Oglesby and In the face of an
outburst Of public dlgnation similar to
those which. have been manifested in
recent years, This action OF the COM
panies laid the foundation of the years
of rancor and bad feeling that have fol-
lowed
Appearance of Yerkes.ssaa
The next event or critiSalrffhp6i'tnnce
In tile street, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ottChicago
was tho entrance into the Held OF Charles
IT. Yerkes Mr.. Yerkcs Ind left Phila-
dcphia under cloud. lie set up ns q
broker In Chicago in the early eighties.
without capital, but possessed OF great
snrewd ness and ability. ITe had the
daredevil courage or the highwayman.5
and, like the highwaymnn, he was without
conscientious sorupes as to tho methods
to be employed in accomplishing results,
He was far-secing enough to understand
the possibilities OF street railway develops
ment in a city like Chicago, and his
Philadelphia experience had taught him
the value, to the nnancer, OF the ability
to combine politics With business. More
over, no still had powerful Tohiladelph
connections that furnished him with
funds to float his Chicago projects. In
1856 and 1887 Mr.. Yerkes. for himself
and his associates chief OF whom were
Messrs, Elkins and Widcner. OF l'hila-
delpha. secured control OF majority OF
the stock of the companies In the north
and west divisions of tho city. Then
began tho most remarkable era of finan-
cering and political manipulation that
Chicago has ever known, Companies
were multiplied and securities We're piled
on top OF securltes In the most confusing
manner. Construction, companies !4Eere
utilized to benefit an inside clique. Pol1ti-
cally, Mr.. Ycrkes became the most power
full factor In tho community ;.He idolnl-
mated conventions and made and unmado
councils and mayors. all, OF course, under
cover az much HI possible. Later no
had nearly as much to say In naming
Governors and In controlling tho action
OF State Legislatures Mr., Yerkcs wanted
more valuable grants thanit was possible
for the Council TO vote him, undor the
law limiting nil such grnnts to twenty
years. llo went to the Legislature OF
1895 with bills that were passed Without
much difficulty. hut tholr final success
was blocked by the veto OF Governor
Alleged. Angered atthisldafent 0f2h's
project, Mr., YerkcH decided to name tho
next Governor OF tho State himself and
thus be sure OF having a,nan who would
carry ont his wishes; and In this he sue
cccded. Tho Alien law, authorizing NIFTY
year grants. was passed by the IteG1sla-
.turc OF 1897 and signed by Governor
Tanner, by this time, however, so much
progress had been made with govern
mental conditions III Chicago that the
city government. under the leadership OF
Mayor Carter r. Harrison, refused to
,,nLa onv grant yvh a ever uni II the cd lOuH