The Detroit times., 1911-11-17
JOHN MVICAR BlAMES
MAYOR AND HALlY FOR DELAY
ON CITY OWNERSHIP VOTE
Too Busy on ID. u. r. Franchise
Offer. He Says, To Take
Up Other Matter.
FAIR CHANCE DEMANDED.
Municipal Proposition Should
Be Submitted First In Ac-
cordance with Pledges"

For years the sentiment in favor
of municipal ownership of street rail-
ways has been crystalliEing in De-
sroIt," said John McVicar, Thursday.
Some 20 months ago, petition
signed by 10000 citizens was pre-
sented 70 the council asking that the
question OF municipal ownership OF
street railways be submitted TO "A
vote of the people. After a vote was
ordered, certain citizens, who are
now apparently very strongly in favor
OF the proposed Thompson franchise.
secured an injunction TO prevent the
people from voting on the proposition,
and the supreme court, after holding
the matter over until after the cleo
ton, decided on a technically that II
could not be submitted under the law
as II then existed
The legislature was then asked TO
amend the so-called Hally law so as
to permit a petition for a vote on this
question Instead of doing this, II so
changed the law as TO make proceed
ings by petition utterly impossible,
Notwithstanding the fact that We
could easily have secured 10000
names to a petition. This amended
act, which became law on the first or
August last, did, however, authorize
the common council TO submit the
question.
Before August. the common coun-
Gil and its committees had threshed
over the subject and had instructed
the corporation counsel TO draft the
proposed amendment TO the charter in
accord with the new law. IL the pro
posed plan had been drafted at the
time requested by the council, the
votes on municipal ownership might
have been taken nearly three months
ago.
In the last election the mayor and
81 Of the SO aldermen were pledged
to submit the question of municipal
ownership of the Street railway TO
vote of the people at the earliest pos
sible moment. In recent meeting In
the council chamber. Corporation
Counsel Hally was asked why he had
not prepared the necessary amend
ments and submitted them TO the
council. His reply was that he took
all the blame for the delay as he had
been too busy to attend to the mat
ter However, IL was then ready and
would be submitted a week from the
next Tuesday.
III is plain that Corporation Coun-
sci Haily was so busy attending to the
n. u. r. proposition made to the
mayor last spring, that he had to
neglect or did neglect the councils in
structions to have the municipal own
ership proposition ready for submis-
sion at the proper time. August l.
Therefore, the delay occasioned in
this matter can be charged up. to the
u. II. R.-as many former delays may
be--assisted in this case by the &C
ton OF the mayor and corporation
counsel.
"An we, as municipal ownership
men, ask is that the question OF NUM-
cipai ownership OF street railways be
submitted to the people forthwith in
accordance with the pledges of Mayor
Thompson and five-sixths of the alder
men, AND SUBMITTED FIRST
WITHOUT ANY INTERPRETING
TO OR CONNECTION WITH ANY
OTHER PROPOSITION. Then we will
know whether the people of Detroit
want municipal ownership Of street
railways or not and can govern our.
selves accordingly.
1T has been suggested that the
municipal ownership plan and the
Thompson franchise be submitted at
the same time. think the NUM-
cipal ownership plan should be sub
mitted first, and the people in that
way be given an opportunity to de
termine just what they want to do.
III they vote in favor OF municipal
ownership, as I believe they will, I
believe the ID. U. r. Will come for
ward with much better offer than