The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-04-20
i. |, JOHNSON, OF
CLEVELAND, DEAD
Came Up From Car Barn Employe
TO Congressman and Was -Four
Times Mayor Of His Adopt
ed City-Was Born in
Kentucky.
CLEVELAND

Tom l. Johnson, four times Mayor
and former Congressman from this
district, who died April 18th at 8:47
O'Clock after lingering illness. Pub
TIC buildings are draped In black and
uags are at half-maSt in honor OF the
man who had fought so hard for his
three-cent street car fare principle
there.
Many kilograms and cablegrarns of
coincidence were received by the be-
on his tour OF England, Mr.. Johnson
created favorable impression by his
speeches and made many warm
friends abroad
sketch OF HIS Life.
I Thomas Loftin Johnson, who rose
from the humble station OF clerk in
a car barn to the position of traction
| ma8nate, inventor, member OF Con-
/ greSs and four times Mayor Of Cleye-
land. was born In Georgetown, Ky.
July Is, 1854 He was the son Of Mr..
Iand Mrs Albert l. Johnson, and re-
ceived his early education In the State
! Of Indiana
In 1859, at the age of fifteen. he
! took a position with the Louisville
/ Street Railway Company. where he
applied himself SO well that after six
years service he had thoroughly mas
tered every detail He invented and
| patented numerous improvements the
sale Of which formed the nucleus of
a fortune later estimated at more
! than 100000 In 1875 he bought
a oadly-managed traction line In the
( city OF indianapolis. reiuvenated and
! placed IL on paying basis. Later he
/ acquired large street railway inter
eSts In Cleveland. Detroit and Brook
lyn, which he afterward sold and CEN
tered In Cleveland. his adopted city.
There. too. he operated an iron manu-
featuring establishment
Tom Johnson first came into the
public eye In 1891. when he was
elected TO Congress By the Ohio Demo
Gratis through his advocacy of the
single-tax' theories of the late Henry
George As an exponent OF the NUM-
cipal ownership OF public utilities
with stress or street railway lines, he
became even more famous. So firm "a
believer was ne in its principles that
he spent most OF his fortune lighting
It's opponents In Cleveland.
Favored Municipal Ownership.
lie carried the Idea OF municipal
ownership even further. He argued
passengers should be carried by ele-
vators free OF charge to the tops of
hlBh buildings than that they should
oe carried from one building To an
other; or from their residences uptown
10 their offices downtown. lie declared
that free ferry was Just as sensible
as a free bridge. and often said he
hoped 10 live to see the day when We
hicles would be provided FOR the pub
TIC Tree OF cost both on Land and on
water,
! After the expiration OF his term II,
Congress he was doomed OF various
times for the Democratic nomination
Tor Governor OF Ohio, and was seri-
ousiy considered as a presidential pos
sibility.
In 1901. convinced that Cleveland.s
council and Mayor were corporation
owned. or at least negligent OF the
tiShts OF the people. he announced
ms candidacy for the mayoraIty. He
vas elected. In Cleveland IL had
! peen customary for the incumbent ~
this office TO hold over sixty DAYS ar
tef election. Acting under the letter
OF the law. however, johnson entered
the Mayors office the day after tho
pSAots mad counted him In and calm :
~ informed the then Mayor that he
was out OF a job; that he CJohnsonS
had quaIthed and proposed TO take i'm
mediate charge ~o INA
Prior 70 1900 there were two trac-
Ion INES In Cleveland. one in which
! Tom Johnson and his friands $3.50
controlling factors and the othar IL
Nhich Senator Hanna was the mover
lheSe lines were later consolidated a.
the Cleveland Electric Railway Com
P"nE' ana. In the process of consoU
uauoh Johnson was frozen out. His
/ company had been giving seven fares
/ TOT quarter, while the other line
charged i've cents straight fare. Az
Ter the absorption the nve-cent fare
was universal
Forced TllrI-I>-Ccnt Fare
As soon as he had taken his oa,h as
Mhyor, Johnson opened the first
OEoauSloe ior three-cent fare and
TOT prevention of extension of fran
/ chises on various streets, excepting
I upon mat basis. Fourteen Injunction
suits, three of which went TO the Trni-
Tea States Supreme Court, we're
/ brought during the early stages of the
duel- The most exciting incident of
ule hsht IN It's earlier stage, however.
came in 1902. when a franchise nra-
pared by Mayor Johnson, providing
Tor three-cent fares and the right OF
the city 10 buy the lines at any time
was introduced and passed.
Ihen the lawyers for the railway
went into court and cOntended that
the charter OF the city of cleveland
was null and void. being class or spe-
ctal legislation. The courts had knoyCn
this all along, but had winked al II
Ior nearly forty years. The issue was
forced, however. and the courts ruled
that such was the cas-. not only win
Cleveland. but with other Ohio cities.
A special session of the Legislature
mad TO be called to pass a new code
granting a charter TO all cities affected
by the courts decision.
Again Johnson began plans for q
three-cent fare company. Ii WAS nee
esSary, though, TO get around the Ohio
laws which prevent a city from own |
ing or operating street car lines. He
accomplished this by organizing the
Forest City Railway Company TO be
operated under lease by the Munic- /
ipal Traction Company, to which the
Council, controlled by the Mayor
granted a franchise. Illegal. however
ON the ground that some of the neces-
sary permits from property owners
had been revoked. This tied the mat
ter up another two years In the
meantime Johnson was reelected.
Tore Up Tracks.
AS fast as the different street line
franchises Of the old company expired
a pro-Johnson Council voted them /
over to the Forest City line and CON y
was begun. on some streets /
both companies had franchises and :.
the double sets OF tracks were laid
ON one street the Council ordered IA.
Old company to set its tracks over To
make room for the new. When the II
was not obeyed, Mayor John
son took crew of 200 men out one
morning anu quickly tore up much of
the lire before an injunction could he /.
served. He kept on with the work