The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-08
City Officials Tired of Actions
of Street Railway.
Will Demand Better Service
Through Court Orders.
TO CALL "ON CARPET.
Street Car Officials Will Be
Asked Some Questions.
Commissioner Tandy Says
Railway Is Blufffng."

II the Topeka Railway company
does not give the people Of Topeka bet
ter service on their lines during the
rush hours of the day the city COM
missioners will take the matter into
court and an attempt will be made to
compel the required amount of SER
vice to accommodate the city patrons.
After making many futile attempts
to compel the company to offer better
facilities through the medium of polite
requests. the city officials have decided
that nothing less than court orders
Will bring the proper results.
However, the final effort to get
satisfaction out of the street car COM
pany will be made Monday morning
when the city commissioners will give
the officials of the street railway an
invitation to appear before that body
and answer questions. These questions
will relate wholly to the present sys-
tenn and policy Of the railway in deal
ing with the city officers. 1t is prom
ised that some embarrassing questions
will be asked the street car men.
1t Is Last Resort.
"I don't see what else we can do
said Commissioner Tandy, who is lead
ing the fight against the street rail-
way. "I believe under the franchise
we have with the railway we can conn
pei them to give us good service. We
don't seem to be able to do it without
though we have requested kindly
many things from them. With good
set of attorneys 1 have no fear of the
outcome of the case of this kind
1t is understood that when the COM
missioners have the street car officials
before them Monday morning they will
spring a number of popular questions
for satisfactory answers. The present
accommodations, the reason the larger
cars are not in use at all times, the
reason conductors do not give street
names and the universal transfer sys-
tenn will all come up for answers.
Commissioner Bone is at the head
of the universal transfer movement.
Mr.. Bone is an enthusiast on this sub
| ject and has made number of at
tempts to secure this concession from
the railway company.
People Are Complaining.
| Since Commissioner Tandy has started
the action arainst the street railway the
| people over the city have taken up the
| fight with vim. Mr.. Tandy receives
hundreds of telephone calls a day from
citizens who pledge their support to his
cause and insist that he is going in
the right direction in his claims against
| the company. Volunteers with evidence
come from all parts of the city.
There are a number of things that
the city has to clear up with the street
railway people," said Mr.. Tandy. This
refusal to improve the service is not
all. Not long ago I asked that they
raise their crossings In the city ana
make them passable for drivers They
| haven't turned over a hand in this d.
rection- They keep putting it off and
excusing themselves until am tired
of it.
"But I am not going to stand it
much longer. If the railway company
doesn't fix these crossings at once so
that people can cross their tracks
without the usual bump and jar, will
fix the crossings mysen-the city Will
do the work and do it in a hurry.
Furthermore, the city will not try and
do the work between cars. We will
start in at a crossing and finish it and
the company will have TO run their cars
en- either side of us.
'sIhey Are Buffers" Tandy.
This company has been making a.
reputation for themselves with their
constant bluffing. They have figured on
bluffing ore city administration until it
grew unbearable and when this admin
istration was about to take action It
was time for another to appear-and
the labor was lost. This blufhng is MOI
going to last very long with us.
'sThe street railway in this city DOM d
know what they are getting in Topeka
They are getting the entire use of our
streets free. In most cities q license
/ is charged for every car and for every
pole. In Topeka they don't even pay
| taxes on the land they use-and they
| huckster who wants to do business with
a little wagon-or a drayman-has to
/ buy a license from the city. The street
railway pays nothing think you will
see that we deserve a few rights of
1 or own"