The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-04
PECULIAR MUNICIPAL
 OWNERSHIP VICTORY
RESULTS OF INTERESTING AND HARD FOUGHT ELECTION
 IN CHICAGO.

People Vote to Acquire Street Rail-
 ways But are 17,792 Short of the Nec-
 cssary Three-Fifths to Operate Them
 Mayor Dunne Considers Outcome
 an Incomplete VictOry-BeileVes
 When City Has the Lines, Which VIII
 Cost s75,OOO,OOO, that People Will
 Vote for Municipal Operation by Big
 Majority on First Opportunity
 High License Safe--ControI of COun-
 ell Claimed by Mayor.
 Chicago, April S.--Under the result of the city election held to-day, ln which the question of municipal owner- ship of the street railways was the vital iss e, the city of Chicago can pro- ceed to acquire and control the rail- ways but cannot operate them. At the same time the voters, while declaring that the city shall not proceed to oper- ate the railroads declared that as question of public property it would be desirable for the city to do so.
 Three propositions were submitted to the voters, the first of which was
 Shall the city of Chicago proceed to operate street railways?"
 This proposition required 60 per cent of the total vote cast in order to be- come effective. The total vote was ap- proximately 23111. Of this number the proposition to proceed to the im- mediate operation of the street rail ways secured but 12O,9M votes, 17792 short of the necessary three-fifths
 The second proposition involved the approval of an ordinance previously passed by the city council providing for the issue of street railway certif- cates in amount not to exceed $75,OOO,- 900 for the purchase, ownership and maintenance of the street railways. This was carried by about 9,4OO votes. The third question, which was simply on the question of public policy and has no legal effect whatever is, Shall the city council proceed without delay to secure the municipal ownership and operation of the street railways under the Mueller law, instead of granting franchises to private companies?'
 This proposition was carried by about 2,80O votes.
 Mayor Dunne construed the passage Of The s75 ,000 GOO certificates and pub lie policy propositions as victory for municipal ownership, but expressed his disappointment over the defeat of the proposition for municipal operation. He said:
 q admit that I am disappointed be- cause the victory is not complete The important proposition, however, at the present time is for the issuance of the certificates and this has been carried. I regret very much that we did not get the necessary majority to enable us to legally operate the street railway lines, But this will not prevent us from again going before the people after we have the street railway lines and ask ing for the necessary authority to oper- ate. The people will vote for operation with big majority at the proper time"
 The election was one of the most in- teresting to Chicago voters that has been held in many years The vote was much larger than had been 'eX- pected and all day the contest for and against municipal ownership was bit terly contested. Party lines were largely ignored and the eligibility of candidates depended more upon their attitude toward municipal operation of street cars, and high license for sa- looms, than upon their party records
 Of the thirty-five aldermen elected to- day Mayor Dunne claims that nineteen are avowed champions of municipal ownership and that he will have much less difficulty in passing measures re- lating to that doctrine through the city council than has been his fortune here tofore.
 The faction opposed to municipal ownership declares that they still hold the control of the council and that Mayor Dunne will have no greatest suc cess in the future than he had in the past Besides the question of municipal ownership the issue was made in many of the aldermanic contests of whether the saloon licenses of the city shall be $500 or $1,000. The low figure was in existence up to March D. when the city council by close vote and after a hard fight, passed an ordinance raising the amount to 1,00O The num- Der of crimes lately committed in this city against women has caused many people to believe that they indirectly are attributable to the large number of saloons, and they favored the increase in license as a means of decreasing the number. The liquor interests made strong fight against every alderman who was up for reelection who had voted for the license of $1,000. Of the fifteen men against whom they put their inbuence, twelve were elected and three defeated. Of the nine aldermen up for reelection who voted for the continuance of the $500 license, all were returned to their seats in the council. There is little danger, however, that the high license will be repealed.
 The votes in several wards were so close that it probably will require the official canvass to determine the result but the probabilities are that the re- publicans will have majority of three or four votes
 The old council consisted of thirty seven republicans, thirty-two demo- crats and one independent