Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-19
Both Sides Ready to Go Farther at
Any Time,
OMPANY REs1sTs LOWER FARES
Wattles Says 1t is Not Justified by
Present Conditions.
z1MMAN LEADS FOR REDUCTION
Former Councilman Debates the Bills
nt Length and supports HIS Com
tentions vitm Many Figures
from Other cities.


Principals and their seconds met Monday
afternoon in the city council chamber
before the committee Of the whole to figh,
out the battle for and against six tickets
for a quarter One long round Of talk was
INDUCED in, with some stlnging remarks.
rejoinders counters and cross-counters
scattered along.
Then. when everybody was tired. adjourn
ment was taken to next Monday afternoon.
Previous to the encounter direct Council
man Berka. with fine foresight, had a
motion passed that no decision should be
given on the result All the arguments
were to be heard then the vote that would
settle the position Of the council as referes
was TO be deferred until City Clerk Butler
can get precedents and decisions from forty
other cities that have been Officially re-
quested to send data touching the dispute
here in Omaha.
Bob Holmes. highly Illuminated rose
at one point TO tell former Councilman
Zimman that he (Zimman) was a ding
dong ping pong prevaricator. Holmes used
ugly. undiplomatie language and Council
man FunkhOuser. presiding conveyed 10
Mr.. Holmes the information that his fell
ings we're ruffled by the tone used.
Go to sleep. Holmes" said Mr. Zim-
man. but the soporofic Influence did not
work on the legislator for some threaten
ing moments.
3. ArfOn Lewis a Gladiator.
What you are saying, Mr. Zimman.
about the Federated Improvement clubs is
unwarranted and untrue" Thus S. Arion
Lewis: and further: III you want TO come
out in the alley. VIII demonstrate your
mistake"
| Nonsense" quoth zimman- why. Ia
eat you up in that kind Of an argument"
/ Thus airy persifIage and vinegary badin-
age flew in and out through the desperate
encounter. Financial Secretary Linehan
and President Lear OF the Street Car
Mems union mixed in once. to have Presl-
dent watties eiabofate some .remzrks cred
tied to chem by a shorthand editor.
! Then r. b. Howell also interJected a few
queries to Mr.. Wattles. which Hurried the
air without blowing any buildings over
Uncle Joe Redman. ambitious as usual.
felt that the tail OF the coat OF his friend,
Billy Kierstead was trodden on when
Billy wasn't looking, and he objected. tell
ing Mr.. Zlmman that Mr.. Kierstead was
in training and so not able to be present
TO take care OF his own coat.
Mr.. wattles also said that Mr. Kier-
stead was not just in the position M
Zimman asserted and never had been To
which Zlmman replied that in that event
Mr. X. was not the lucky dog he had
counted him.
This heavy impairment OF funds and the
Threatened reduction Of earning capacity
will make 1t extremely difficult to get
funds that we need" said the president
OF the street railway 'I'will not ask il the
council wants TO drive the company into
bankruptcy, because l do not believe you
do. And we want TO make extensions get
better cars. put down better tracks. and
then we want 70 have our operatives the
best and the best paid in the country.
The council knows that il cannot regll-
late fares beyond the city limits but we
do not want graduated fares. The flat
rate is the best A disposition to attack the
company. Vhen men with money learn OF
I IT, will prove very detrimental 10 US ia
every way"
Howell Inquiries 20 Know.
r. b. Howell wanted to know whether
or not the company has contracted to sell
some more bonds. and Mr.. Watties said
it has, but that the sale is conditional.
At this point Mr. Zimman took the floor
and IL was his until the close. with a
dozen or 50 OF interruptions from this man
and that. The former councilman went over
the history Of the movement for lower
fares. holding il is not a new thing in
Omaha. and that neither Judge Berka or
Mr.. Bridges Is moved BY malice IN intro
ducing the ordinances bearing their names.
He called up old history, quoted street car
company reports Of earnings and expenses.
with depreciation funds thrown Ia. and
Opined that the siX-for-a- quarter proposi-
ton win benefit the company and also
would confer great benefit on thousands
Of workingmen and women. and girls in
TIE stores working for small wages. Con-
: cessions made TO the cities and to public
demand we're cited from many Of the
principal cities Of the country 20 show that
what is asked IN Omaha is reasonable.
Zimman was loaded and it required quite
spell 20 unload. and even when be quit
ne said az a future hearing he would do
Il some more
After brief eonfab as 10 the best time
for the next round Monday afternoon.
October s. was picked on. BY that time
II is hoped Dan Butler can bring la the
game he is after and a final result b.
reached.
During all this time there were breath
holding periods. but no one held q watch,
and the round clearly went away beyond
the limit that the tickets called fer
Among ThOse Present.
AS spectators Of the riot Of language and
the tornado Of argument there Was a large
delegation Of striking street car men. q
mailer aggregz ton Of Federated Impf over
and dignified group Of what Judge Nhsr-
ton designated broadly as conservative
business men. Besides Judge Wharton
whose voice was IN excellent eondi.lon,
/ there were Robert .cowen. E. Z. Bruce. \
p. Dodge. jr.. David Cole. samuel Rses
E T. J. Mahoney. Walter Jardins. J. ). sun,
= dsrland. Frank Hamilton and some otherl
e who modestly took seats well back.
D These were all IN fine physical eoudltion
z while A l. Reed and Frank yudson showed
h the marks OF other contests By artna tied
e up IN sings They denied physical combat