The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-06
OUTRAGE, He SAYS
Commissioner Tandy Disguised
With Car Service.
Claims Street Railway Doesn't
Act or Care.
LIE LIKE CORDWOOD.
Patrons Are damned and
Crowded i'm Hot Weather.
81 Would Tear Up Theil
Tracks Says Mr.. Tandy.

concerning the topeka street rail-
way for its service in the rush hours
in the day, for the class of equipment
it uses on certain lines, for the traffic
conditions at all times and for the gen
eral management of the city lines, w.
G. Tandy, city commissioner, gave a
good old fashioned broadside interview
this afternoon.
Sitting in his office at the city hall
and realizing the hardships he had gone
through in the morning to get there
and the repeated agonies he would
have to endure at noon, the fighting
city commissioner paid little attention
to his air brakes and with increased
speed he tore huge chunks INTO the
general policies of the street railway
IF 1 had my way about 1t, l would
tear up their tracks and throw them
out of town." said the city commits
sioner. "Then possibly we would be
able to get a company in here that had
a little respect for the general public
AMI for the people who find it neces-
sary to take the cars two and three
times { day"
Franchise Tied Up.
This was but a starter
st am ashamed to be city commits
sicner Then We as city government
find 1t necessary to allow these condl-
lions to exist. This railway company
has obtained a franchise from the gov
eminent of the past and we can't DO a
thing with it. The legislature can [
touch tive are so fixed that the rail-
way company is able TO 90 anyInlns
and get away with 1t.
Here Mr.. Tandy stopped for rev
seconds to get his breath. City Clerk
Rurge, who had been listening until
this time, rose cilently from his chair
and slipped out of the room. The ST.
fp1I Of ching storm.
Then he continued:
1.-THE head officials of this company
sit in their offices back east and do
rot care of the impositions forced upon
the people by their under ofhcers- Inev
pay all of their attention to the reVe-
nues. 1t seems to me that 1t would
pay the company to give Toueka better
service and better cars-the apprecla-
ton of the public should guarantee
such change"
Then wheeling around his chair UNI
til he faced the newspaperman, Com
missioner Tandy touched off the fourth
battery
Treat People Like Cattle.
1.-The Topeka Railway company treat
the patrons of their lines like SO many
cattle. They ran their 'dink' cars over
certain routes at certain times OF the
day when the newer. and larger cars
should be used. They fail to better the
service in any way and when the peo-
pie are hanging out over tne rear
guards they stop for more.
II wouldn't be a bit surprised to see
them tear out the seats in the cars
and stack passengers in the cars nks
cord wood. 1 am sure That they
haven't thought of the scheme or they
would DO it. In this hot weather IT.
the rush hours car damned with per
spring people is a disgrace to the city
--lnuch more to the street railway that
causes it. When person is on his
feet all day or doing manual labor and
finally finds it necessary to be jerked,
damned and juggled to his home in
kthe evening, it is no wonder that the
street railway is fighting adverse crit
icism.
'sBIuffing the People"
'"They have bluffed the people for
many years about the things they were
going to do. They bluffed the last
CITY council to give them a franchise
for an extension of their lines in order
that they might place a higher bond
on the lines and make them look like
better proposition to the buying
company. They haven't built foot
of track and 1 would not be surprised
to find out some day that they never
will build in Topeka.
"They purchased a number of large
pay-aS-you enter cars. But you Will
notice that they rarely take them out
of the barns unless they find it abso-
luTolY necessary. OuL OH lflc Nku1IltOli
line-which is one of the best paying
lines in the town-they don't run these
large cars at all. 1 have heard that
it was because the people on this line
fought the Buchanan street extension
oposition-anyway they don't run
| the cars and people who live on these
| lines have to stay awake half the night
| listening to the moan and the groans
of the old cars. 1 am getting tired of
it-so are the people. But what can
we do-that is the question:
| With this last sentence the COM
missioner shook his head, signifying
| helplessness Cor something like that
and turned to a pile of papers on his
| desk.
But, Mr.. Tandy, don't you own an
automobile but the reporter
could go no farther.
st am not kicking for my own good
even though 1 find it necessary to
take the cars many times" interrupted
| the city commissioner quickly. 81
hear complaints every day from peo-
pie all over the city. They want some
| thing DONE
Then he repeated that characteristic
shake of the head and also the SEN
tence that tells the whole story:
but what can we do?"