New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-11
| TOM |. JOHNSON DEAD
Continued from first page.

streetcar legislation. and. his followers
claim, saved the lake front
From that day the fight with the trac-
ton companies was on Fourteen intunc-
ton suits were brought. Three Of them
went to the United States Supreme Court
and half dozen more were carried 20 the
state Supreme Court.
The most sensational incident Of the fight
in It's earlier stage came in 1902. when,
franchise prepared by the Mayor providing
for Scent fares and the right of the city
70 buy the lines II any time having been
granted. the matter was taken into the
courts on the ground that. the charter o,
the city of Cleveland. being null and void,
the Council had no right to grant the fran
chise This decision applied TO all the
cities in tie state. II had been the custom
Of the Legislature 10 classify the cities Of
Ohio and the practice had been winked at
By the courts for forty years. The Three
fers' charge freely that during the life
time of Senator Hanna his control Of the
state courts was absolute and that his in
terest in Cleveland street railway securities
was the cause of the sudden awakening OF
the courts 70 the fact that the old legis-
lative practice had been unconstitutional.
4 special session was called and new
code granting charters to all the cities was
passed but the new arrangement took
much of tho power of Tho mayors away and
vested It in commissions.
The "Throefers' further charge that the
interests back Of the traction syndicate
brought about the destruction Of the old
charters NJ Ohio cities 70 prevent the pas
sage IF the Johnson competitive franchise,
and that the same interests worked In the
legislature for the decentralization Of
power from the mayors for the purpose of
clipping the wings II Tom Johnson The
Board Of Public Service was made the inn
portant commission. the members being
elected. The board received charge Of the
wafer, sewer. street. park and charities
service and the public buildings. Johnson
Immediately jumped into the political night
with even more vim. and succeeded IN
elecrng his friends 20 positions on the pub
lie service board BESIDES thie. he elected
tvo-thirds Of the Council
The Forest City Company.
Again the Mayor began plans FOR a 3-cent
fare company Tho laws Of Ohio prohibit
strcetcar lines. although they permit the
ownership and operation Of other public
utilities IL was necessary, therefore, 10
get around this prohibition which vas ac-
complished. briefly. by forming the Forest
CITY Railway Company. To be operated
under lease by the Municipal Traction
Company TIE Forest City company got
franchise. bu; this was made void by the
courts on the ground that some OF the
necessary permits from property owners
had been revoked. and thus the matter
again was tied mp this time for two years.
Daring this particular fight President
Andrews. Of the traction syndicate, ad-
mitted that the old company was back Of
the obstruction campaign and that II had
had dummies make bids for franchises on
a 2-cent fare basis. Then the old company
announced rlat II would try Scent fare
experiment The experiment was adver-
tised tc the world a. q failure after the
Scent cars had been run two or three
weeks. In the mean time Mayor Johnson
had secured favorable action in the courts
on the Forest city franchise and that COM
pany began 70 lay tracks.
Mayor Johrsons arrest Tor contempt Of
Tho Cleveland Electric Company had
single line In Fulton street and the Coun-
eli had granted the Forest city company a
franchi.e for a single track in the same
street. issuing an order 10 the old company
TO set IT. tracks over 70 make room for the
new one a thirty days notice vas given.
out no move was made to obey the order.
After fifteen days ~ grace Mayor Johnson
secretly organized gang Of two hundred
wurkrnen and at o'clock IN the morning
set them 10 tearing up tie old track. ~
soon az the management could = notified
Of what ire Mayor was doing and the
lawyers could get into court. an iniunc-
ton was secured. but before il was served
the work had been done.
Mayor Johnson before this proposed 20
the Cleveland Electric Company that il
lease its lines Oh a r per cent guarantee on
the bonds and IN arbitrated rate of in
terest on the stock. but negotiations failed
In August 1909. Mayor Johnson's final
scent fare proposal was defeated on q
referendum. His proposal was for the
granting of franchise for a seen road
and subsequently, the bestowal upon the
holder OF the franchise OF the franchises
81 the various Cleveland Electric Railway
Company's lines ass they expired.
Finally. in September. 1870. the eight
year fight virtually ended with surren-
der ~ Mayor Johnson TO the cleveland
Railway Company in the final dispute On
terms Of p new traction franchise. when
the Council voted to abide by Judge r.
W Tayler's decision as TO the rate ~ fare
and valuation Of the traction systems new
grants This al last gave the 3-cent fare a
trial.
The following January / he retired from
Office, having been defeated for re-elec-
ton At the time he announced that ne
would like % serve for year in the Leg
islature and then run again for Mayor.
Mr. Johnson also hal national repu-
tation az singe-taXer. being an adher-
ent OF the ideas Of the late Henry George.
He tried in vain to carry out his IDEAS in
Cleveland on single-tax platform he
was badly defeated in his candidacy FOR
the Governorship Of Ohio in 1903.
His Early Career
The Johnson Samily has been eminent
IN Kentucky. and was founded there ~
Robert Johnson. of Madison County. Va.
who was a pioneer Of the Bluegrass State
'OlOi"l A W JohhSo'f ihii'l III ioih -
Johnson. served in the Confederate army
and suffered a loss Of his fortune in conse-
auence. Tom removed with his parents
first TO Indiana, and then to Kentucky
The only full year Of schooling he
ever had was in the public schools OF
Evansville. Ind At the age Of fifteen a
street railway company in Louisville. Ky.
took him into It's office and there taught
him the details Of street railroad manage
ment He was an apt scholar. was rapidly
promoted. and invented various devices for