Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-26
eRAFrERs DIseoReING.
People who Preyed UpoR the Public
Rushing for Cover.


People who Preyed Upon the Public
Rushing for Cover.
The benehcent eject OF investigation and
publicity is not confined to insurance cir
cles in New York other states and COM
rnunities imbued with the right spirit are
vigorously APPLYING the probe and achiev-
ing results as unexpected as they are
gratifying. Three conspicuous instances Of
good results flowing from vigorous inves-
tigation Of public affairs have been given
meager mention i'm the dispa tches. Phil
adelphia has turned the tables on the
franchise grabbers who thought they had
the community by the throat. Fee grab
bers in ONCE in Cincinnati are returning
the funds they grabbed. and like cpl
demic is spreading in Indiana as result
of the campaign OF Governor Hanly
against officeholders who farmed state
funds for their own benefit
The Philadelphia Rapid Transit COM
pany, caught I'm trap that menaced its
existence, has signed papers disgorging
franchies acquired from the city before
the reform wave set in. The Market street
subway was to be finished in three years.
Extension after extension was granted and
work went on leisurey. The last extern
sion of time expires this April. Unless
another extension is granted, this fran
chise and others expire.
The political revolution swept away the
support the rapid transit company had
depended upon and this week it faced the
veto OF the subway extension, saw the
Philadelphia & Western throw OFF its
mask and awoke with bump.
To save itself from ruin, the rapid
transit company today gave an astonish-
ing example OF self-sacrihce it agrees to
complete within three years a subway UNI
der Market street, from Fifteenth street
to the Delaware river; a subway under
Broad street from Walnut north to the
end OF the opened street. subway under
Walnut street from Broad to Fifth. under
Fifth street to Arch, and under Arch street
to Broad; an elevated road from South
street and Delaware avenue to Frankfort
besides relinquishing several important
franchises and to pay the city 100000
All franchises vacated by the rapid
transit company will be taken up by the
Philadelphia & Western. whose tracks
now run from Parkersburg. Pa. to Sixty
third and Market street. Fifty miles away
from Parkersburg at Hanover, Pa. runs
the Western Maryland. Wabash connec-
ton. The company agrees to give the city
5 per cent of the gross revenue derived
from the lines.
The vacated franchises were part of the
famous franchise steal OF 1901, when the late
"Ar' Johnson. brother Of the mayor OF
Cleveland, sought to obtain street railway
| rights in the city. Johnson surveyed the
| streets, mapped out the lines. and, by using
virtually all of the unoccupied streets suit
able for car lines, worked out a compre-
hensive system of subways and surface
roads
| He applied for his franchise, but the re-
| publican machine refused to listen to him.
| Instead number of politicians formed
| paper corporation. They went to Harris
burg, the legislature rairoaded through the
corporate grants and Governor Stone signed
| the bill in the dead of night, after the mid
night session OF the legislature.
| The city councils here were then called
into extra session and granted franchises
covering every unoccupied street in the city
absolutely free.
! Ex-Postmaster General John Wanamaker
| led sensational fight against the steal and
made a formal offer to Mayor Ashbridge of
81 600 to be paid into the city treasury II
! the franchises should be given to him in
stead of the Mack Foerderer politicians ask
|
| to the ground and signed the ordinances in
spite of storm Of public protest
The politicians holding the franchises at
once began to bargain with the Widener-
Elkins interests owning the Union Traction
company, and finally sold their easily ac-
| quired new franchises to the Widener- Elk
ins people for 100000, practically all Of it
clear profit upon n political holdup.
The Union Traction company merged IT.
self into the new company and after long
delay set out to build the Market Street
Elevated and Subway system upon one OF
the grants. None of the other grants ever
was utilized, and i'm order to hold the Mar
ket street franchise the company has now
been forced to relinqush over half OF the
franchises it was forced into buying
The senate investigation into the rule OF
graft in Cincinnati and Hamilton county is
bearing much fruit. Cox and his pals
laughed at the inquiry when first begun
and some of the bankers involved elevated
themselves on airy dignity and refused to
tell what they knew. But when the grand
jury became inqusitive the laugh vanished
and dignity dropped TO zero. Last Tues
day County Treasurer Hynicka, who adj
mitted receiving "gratuites' from bankers.
sent to the county prosecutor check for
$4,000 with letter saying the check was
to secure the county I'm case it is deter
mined throU~h court proceedings or other
wise that the money belonged to the county
Later in the day former County Treasurer
Tilden r. French deposited, subject TO the
order OF the county prosecutor, under the
same conditions, a check for t35.OOO.
Following the receipt OF these payments
the prosecutor was called up by telephone
by Rankin Jones, attorney for ex-Treasurer
John II. Gibson, and Informed that the last
named would send his check as soon as IL
was determined what sum he had received
as compensation from the banks. Mr. Jones
said Gibson was in Battle Creek, Mich The
county prosecutor thinks the amount Glib
son will return is between $4,000 and $4,000