The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-27
BAT TIE FOR CITY
OWNERSHIP
BEGINS
LABOR FEOERATIoN's COMMIT.
TEE OF FIFTY" HOLDS INITIAL
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. BY MA
HON, JEFFRIEs AND INGRAM.

| or public ownership home 10 every
voter In Detroit and to prevent the
granting of another franchise to the
ID. U. r.. stood out In every speech
and action OF the committee on
municipal ownership. created by reso-
luton OF the Detroit Federation OF
Labor, and which met In the council
chamber, Friday evening. Fifth-fOur
OF the sixty-six gentlemen asked TO
serve on the committee were present.
The committee will be enlarged be-
fore its meeting next week.
| John j. Scannell presided, while
Clarence Nicely acted as temporary
secretary An organization committee
consisting OF w. ID. Mahon. Il. j. JET
fries, +. +. Ingram, John McVicar and
G. w. Dickson will have charge of
the nomination OF officers and thu
holding OF the next meeting. Tho
committee consists OF business and
professional men as we'll as represent
atives OF organized labor. AM the tone
Of the meeting throughout was earn
est and attentive.
This committee will consider ever
phase OF municipal ownership. will
present its data to the Committee O!
Fifty, the aldermen and the mayor,
and VIII appeal TO the people II tho
mayors committee reports in favor 4
Ii franchise. IL Is the aim to extend
its organization into every precinct
Of the city.
The only members OF the mayor 8
Committee of Fifty present were Sec.
rotary Paul c. Renaud and K. A.
Brown, president OF the Letter Car
riers' association. Renaud lid not re-
main through the meeting. 5ut Brown
did and talked with Mahon and others
after adjournment. Aid Gilman.
Garvey and Heating were the only
city fathers present.
After the committee had organized.
a resolution came up directing the sec.
rotary to send queries to the mayor
and TO each OF the aldermen as 10
their opinion with regard to municipal
operation Of street railways. the
municipal ownership OF tracks and the
ACCESSIBILITY OF submitting these Que3.
tons TO popular vote. This was put
over TO the next meeting. however.
w ID. Mahon, as leader OF the street
railway employees of the continent, &C.
cupied a commanding figure.
This is not a class movement" he
declared. We must make such an
organization as To bring every one
In The city who is In sympathy with
municipal ownership into It, and no
power will be strong enough to resist
They say that public ownership Is
not in the interests of the street car
men. Would ] do anything to injure
the interests Of that great army OF
men have spent my life in organic.
ing? In foreign countries the wages OF
the workers on the cars have been
raised and their hours OF labor re-
duced under public ownership. Public
ly owned utilities pay lower salaries
ana higher wages than private ones"
He spoke with sarcasm Of the COM
mittee Of 90, of which he Is also a
member.
THE municipal ownership commit
tee, on which ! was placed, has had
two meetings, al one Of which there
was quorum, and found 1t could do
just as much without a, quorum as
with one. | 90 not know what the
committee Of so will recommend for
am not in touch with its workings,
but | am sure that it will never recon-
mend municipal ownership"
+. F. Ingram declared that, had the
city officials of 80 years ago realized
the annoyances and corruption that
have followed the granting OF fran.
chises, they would have hesitated and,
perhaps, have acted differently.
I'VE will be the target OF ridicule
ard abuse because Of the great inter-
ests arrayed against us not only In De-
troit, but throughout this broad land"
he said. I'VE shall be opposed by an
organization, well-fnanced and exper-
fenced in warfare"
John McVicar stated that the De.
trot railway franchise had been grant
ed four weeks after the people of the
city Lad voted four to one for NUM-
cipal ownership lie declared that
there Is no more reason for bad man.
agemen mt OF municipal street railway
system than of lighting. or water or
other public utilities, now successfully
operated by the city.
Il have waited about 20 years to
gee this spectacle" announced Justice
+. ]. Jeffries. The people of Detroit
favor municipal ownership. Even the
mayor favors il if he can be shown
the way out
| This committee Is the only thing
| that can beat the granting Of new
franchise. There has never been so
large an attempt in municipal owner
ship In this country. Now is the time
! for Detroit to show the way. This is
q wellgoverned city; 1t is level AMI
has broad streets adapted TO carry
ing passengers cheaply.
TO say that we should postpone 4
| settlement 10 years by granting an
other franchise is a matter o. ignor.
ance or viciousness. The experts who
have been hired to investigate the d.
! u. X. will get statistics favoring the
| ID. u. X.
IF our good mayor, In his easy-go-
ing simplicity. will listen to us we
will show him the error OF his WAYS.
Getting a new franchise would be
only the first step for the ID. T. II.
The next would be to protect their
so-called right TO get all that the
traffic will bear. They would put men
in the council for that purpose. Let
us take the street car question entire.
! ~ out OF politics by putting the system
under municipal ownership"
The members OF the municipal own.
ership committee follow:
VIM n. Mahon, president Amalga-
/ mated Association OF street Railway
| Employees: r.. F.. Ingram. Y. r. In
gram N Co. VIM. l.. Bessler. printer:
' nricl<lavers union. stephen ID Will
Jams attorney. NJ w. Reals. builder:
VIM. J. Emery. shoe worker. president
y. payne. attorney Judsou GreneII.
newspaper man, Edward j. Jtfrries
police justice. Frank J. BayIey. piano