The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-13
DECIDED CHANGE
[. Of: PUBLIC VIEWS [: W
Recent Voting. ii Chicago Re, -
vcals Lack Of Confidence ii
a.5s Municipal Ownership.
INTERVIEW With JUDGE TREE
Distinguished Jurist Tells q IN
stcrcsting Municipal Owner
ship Cituation i'll Chicago.

Judge Lambert Tree, Of Chicago, was
In the city Yesterday on a visit to ms
! brother, Colonel j. II. Tree Before The
! war Judge Tree settled in Chicago and
| has distinguished himself both IN law
! and in business. He was Judge OF the
| United States District Court for many
! wears was minister to Belgium and am
| bassador 10 Russia. He has always oceh
an ardent Democrat Of the good old
| school.
Judge Tree studied aw' ut the tni-f
liycrsty-of Virginia under Professor John
r. Minor and Professor James p. lIol-
combe. He has recently paid a visit TO
the University and yesterday expressed
himself as delighted with the develop
mcnt ana benutifylng Of the place. in
Hooking over catalogue OF his. fellow
students lie found that Colonel Archer
Anderson, one of them. was close to nm
atEthc Jefferson Hotel, and he went in
| to renew his youthful acquaintance lie
| INQUIRED after Mr.. T.. G. Elder. OF Stiun-
ton who was also Ia fellow law student
Municipal Ownership.
| AZ tho question OF municipal owner
| ship has been recently agitating Chicago
| a Reporter Of The Times Dispatch called
upon Judge Tree to get his views on
the subject, The. Judge was asked:
WAS the adoption Of the Mueller law
by the people OF Chicago at the last
election an endorsement OF municipal
ownership" 81
| And he replied:
"Thcre were three questions sub
| 1nitted to the people by way Of rcferen :.
dun for their votes. One was: Shall
| the city own street railways another,t
Shall the city own and operate the street
raiIways? the third Shall the city be
authorized TO issue $75,oo0,0o0 Of Gers
ltihcatcs under what Is known as the
| Mueller @law?'
| "At the campaign which preceded the
| election the advocates of municipal
! ownership pressed for an affirmative an
swer on all three OF these questions.
| Mayor Dunno, who had boon elected y
year before mayor OF the city on pay, ~,
| form OF Immediate municipal ownership
made a most energetic campaign, III
which he smoke constantly several times
q night in favor OF the adoption OF these
three propositions. and he E'as assisted
and backed up by all ting other advo-
ca tes OF municipal ownership. who were
very loud and boistcrous III their de-
mands.
election 1t was found that the PROPOSE
ton authorizing the city to acquire the
| ownership of street railways was en-
lidorscd by a narrow majority about
{. 900, but the proposition that the city
should own and operate street railways
was defeated BY something Ike lS,0oo.
The proposition authorizing tho city TO
issue tho Mueller certificates was also
endorsed BY a very narrow maJorlty,
think about 5000 or 5000. NJ
Whole Subject in the Air.
'"rhc result Of the election puts the
! whole subject OF tho management ana
| operntIon OF street railways In the air.
! because while tho city Is authorized to
own, it is forbidden to operate street
tt0cates are concerned undcrtgthe law
I1hes city is simply authorized to Issue
certificates to raise the money to p,ir-
| chase the existing street railways; that
lis, their rolling stock. their tracknEe.
| their power houses, etc, but the Mueller
certificates involve no personal liability,
| Of tho city.
8."rhoy simply constitute q lien on tho
| property purchased. the holder Of the GER
X iIfcates being secured by a mortgage,
\, on a)ie property of, the 'streetrailwhys, to,
ll wniGh alone he must look 'Sfors the pay.
Y ncnt Of his holdings, The law itself e
| is generally understood to be very de-
I rcctive and of doubtful legality, anu the
! ordinancaSof the Common Council based
| upon the Mueller laN' so-called, author
| Ting the issuance of Sb.Oo0,0O or certifl.
Gates, is also supposed to he as full OF
| holes as n SKINNER.
| .'Thern Is great doubt as to the validity
| OF the Mueller Certificates, but even u
| valid It Is questionable Wfmthar they
| would form an attractive. and, therefore,
+ very marketable Investment, because It
! has no general liability f..the city TO
[ back it, ana must rest entirely upon the
| special security Of the street car proper-
| ties, and II tho holders Of these certi-
ficatos should be compelled to resort to
the property by reason OF the non-pay-
| ment Of the interest upon Them It means
the return into private hands Of these
properties which the city has taken much
pains and been involved In SO much ex-
ranHe to take out of prlyate8shana setSo
that the prospect ia nots yery brilliant
for ipeing nbleSto raise any none npon
tho certificates In fact lie Swholcslsit-
uation Is ms: much or more tangled since
| tho election than 1t was before.
Pendulum Swinging Other Way.
s. mi hcIs IN ercstinr fcutura nj the clec.