The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-10-31

To any one looking for handwriting
on the wall in connection, with the
proposed Thompson-Hally street rail-
way ordinance, the meeting of the
municipal ownership forces in the
council chamber, Monday night, would
have proven revelation. Ii wasn't
only the boundless enthusiasm that
swept the meeting, and the surprising
ly varied sources from which the ad-
vocacy OF municipal ownership came,
but there was something to ponder
over in the crowd which filled the
council chamber, main floor and gal
lcry. 1t was the biggest and livliest
meeting in the history of the crusade
for public ownership OF the street
railway system.
Chairman John Mcvicar plainly set
forth the cause and purposes OF the
meeting In his opening speech:
This meeting" he said, lis held
because the mayor and 81 out OF 35
members OF the council are pledged,
over their signatures. to submit muni-
|cipal ownership to the people for
vote at the earliest possible moment.
We come here now and demand that
they redeem those pledges, before
springing anything else The honesty
and integrity OF Mr.. Hally and Mr..
Thompson is not being questioned,
but we want those pledges fulfilled.
We might as well have secured 10000
as 10000 names on the petition, that
we submitted year ago. The gentle
men who are now seeking a franchise.
or their friends, held up our petition
until after election. Then they found
that the charter had to be amended.
Next they had to get proper amend
lnent of the law through the legisla-
ture. Mr.. Hally did everything he
could to see that we got such an
amendment, but then II was discover
cd that we had to have a petition,
not of % per cent OF the last vote
for mayor, but % per cent of all the
registered votes. and that the petit
tons had to be signed in the election
booths.
NJ. o. Quietus Aimed At.
THAT was offered TO put a final
quietus on municipal ownership, as
II would be impossible to get up such
a petition Our committee then held
meeting, and through Aid Gin
nan, instructed NJ. Haify to draw up
an amendment with no jokers. Last
September went TO Mr.. Hally to
urge him to get the municipal own
ership petition ready for vote. He
said he would have it ready week
from Tuesday. Now, gentlemen, sew
oral Tuesdays have passed since then,
and our measure has not been report
ed. but this new thing is sprung. We
want to vote on municipal ownership
at the earliest possible moment, and
we want the mayor and the council
TO live up to their pledges in that re-
gard"
Il. A. Burch, a member of the Brett
meyer committee OF fifty" predicted
that at the present rate of growth OF
Detroit. a subway would become
necessity in ten years and wanted
TO know whether there was anything
in the Thompson franchise TO protect
the city in building II, when the nee
essity arises.
"A subway Is nearer than we
imagine" he said. Detroit is laid
out as a cul-de-sac of congestion, and
we will soon be forced 10 follow New
York's lead In the subway matter.
New York spent $7500O,000 for its
subway, and had to turn IL over 10
the Interborough system. What pro
lection has Detroit against just such
contingency. under the new fran
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