The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-04
Minister Stirj East End
Citizens to Adoption
of Resolutions.
SCHOOL BOARD
is GEMS u RED
Competition in Privately Owned
Public Utilities Is Heralded as
Popular Safeguard Against
! High Rates and Poor Ser
vice-Viaduct Com
mended.


eembled In an open.air meeting in
Ch!mborazo Park last night Rev.
George w. Mcdaniel. q. D., pastor OF
the First Baptist Church. advocated
the granting OF the power. lighting
and car extension franchise asked OF
tho City Council by the Richmond
and Henr!co Railway Company. The
fruits OF his speech were realized in
the unanimous adoption OF set OF
resolutions requesting the Council to
grant the privileges asked BY the new
company.
The meeting was held under tho
auspices Of the East End Citizens
Association OF Jefferson Ward. bat
long before the appointed hour. the
c!un room OF the association was
crowded to suffocation. Then benches
from all over the park were dragged
to the open space between the tool
house and the bluff. and the speeches
were made there. under a big arc
light Fully 100 women were present,
many OF them school teachers.
school Board Condemned.
In addition to action on the Rich
Inond and Hcnrico franchise. the meet
Ing adopted resolutions OF fearful and
wonderful construction. In which the
dictionary Is ransacked for adjcctivcs
In condemnlns the city School Boara.
Superintendent Chandler and his assoc
ciatcs for their use OF gag rule as
applied 10 public school teachers. and
the prevention OF the inaiicnablc
rights OF free speech. one speaker
called on the board and superintend-
ont TO retire.
Dr. McDaniers vigorous speech was
decidedly the feature OF the occas sion.
lie criticized the methods OF the Vir-
pinia Railway and Power Company in
s,ctip1. IN, Io or a pf tnE
franchise asked by its rival de r!di-
cuied It's service t lks.' declared for
competition as necessary TO the pub
lac good, and praised tho benefits of
the work OF the new company.
as nc rose In response 10 the invi-
tation OF President Mat Davis. of the
East End Citizens Association. Or.
Mcdaniel was asked TO say something
about tho school ibyestisation. which
schools. like business, need horse
sense. Then he plunged into the mat
tee which he had come 10 talk about
Found No Logic.
Il haze seen IN the cars of the old
company. ne said. the admonition 10
read the service talks in the newspa-
pcis have read the papers. and the
service talks are tie most iliogica!
things 1 have seen.
The old company says 1t ought TO
nay on It's investment. de-
sire TO see no one engaged in "A losing
business But the value OF this CON
Germs common stock has been quad
ruplcd in the past few years Some
men. | understand. have individually
made as much as 100000 by this en-
hancement OF values. Having pros
pered. the old company should be will
Ing to see others in the same usincss
prosper.
One million dollars has been ex-
pended IN Richmond by the new COM
pany. know OF one man in this city
who has $4,000 invested in 1t. II,
the Council did not mean to give the
company the privileges necessary in
the extension OF rs business so that
II might be allowed to live, 1t ought
not to have granted its franchise IN
the iirst instance"
Ihelater remarks, with many other
expressions By Or. Mcdaniel, was
loudly chcered.
He argued that the Richmond and
Henrico Railway Company has the
plant for making much more current
than 1t can consume.
Competition Argument.
The old company he continued
Says that competition in the gas
business would be disa strous for tina
consumer. II the city owned the cleo
trlc plants, such an argument would
apply to them. All money earned by
the gas plant goes back to you. the
people of Richmond But as long as
the electric company is privately
owned, IL was wrong to make Il a mo-
nopoly. Where individuals own IL pub
lie service corporation. competition Is
necessary 10 safeguard the public.
"a widow has for years been fur
nishing electric lighting to the city
of Fredericksburg. The Virginia Rail
way and Power Company. which has
purchased riparian rights in the Rap
pahannock River. now seeks to in
eroduce competition there. and. II II
follows the custom of monopolics. 1t
will put her out of business II COM
petition Is good for Fredercksbhrg.
why not for Richmond?"
The Transfer Rntc.
The present rates OF care fare. said
Or. Mcdaniel. were brought about by
competition. for the old price was
'traight scent fare. He called attention
20 the fact that the Richmond and Hen
rico Railway must pay tho old COM
pany 3 cents for each transfer It gives
30 that on labor ticket. for which
the new company receives 'cis cents
1t not only hauls the passenger for
nothing when a transfer is issued but
actually pays half cent for the priv
neEe OF carrying him.
mot so long since" he proceeded,
1--WE heard ridiculc of the project to
build viaduct to Fulton. 1t stands
now as refutation of that ridicule.
II l visit friends in Fulton, can make
the trip in from six to twelve minutes
less time by using this viaduct. Girls
who were formerly compelled to use
Broad Street in reaching their homes
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