Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-20
Political Administrators Of For
mer Mayor Continue
His General
Plans.
BAKER EXPLAINS POSITION

S0iN@tt I'M .VuIvS WI wv
Cleveland. o.. June Thrilling his
pipe ont "f Il pot on his desk and light
ing Il With Il convenient match, Newton
~. ISaker-D. for Diehl-mayor OF the
city. leaned back i'm his chair and gal
l;ntly said: Fire away; | am ready
He was Il Juvenile looking man of
one and f"rty--a lean smallish
man. n large. talking mouth, Il color
less race, and eyes at once kindly. in
quirins. and keen sighted. n ann IA fol-
lower of TIN, light of Tom Johnson"
he said when the storm OF his words
became the thickcSt.
Great experiments are slowly being
worked ont i'm this municipality. Some
call them socialistic experiments. Fares
On the street railroads have been re-
duced to > pennies. The people have
voted the m~oney-guing up to the polls
and putting in their ballots-to estab-
liSll their system of electric illu-
mination. l.veiy public utility, many
Il bold visionist SAYS. will ultimately be
possessed by the city.
The political heirs of Tom Johnson
are administering his politics. Thus
Cleveland. a driving. roaring, steamins,
and smoking locality. sixth with re-
spect to population within the country.
may or may not re%volutionize ideas of
local government throughout America,
puI I Iu W. WIN w dtCIIN l
something more than mere curiosity.
Semi Sociaiistie Experiment.
1t a be said. using Il handy express
sion. that Cleveland had become IL
semi-sociallstic experiment station.
Europeans h ave come in multitudeS to
work along it's docks and i'm it's hun
dreds upon hundreds of manufacturing
establishments Labor is lnasterful
and commanding. Capital is eager.
adventurous and mighty The CIT
booms with life and pilots twenty miles
from shore turn their wheels by its
smudge.
Prosperity gives its testimony in
banks overflowing with the savings of
its inhabitants. i'm skyscrapers, not par
titinned into offices. but filled from
basement to roofs with stocks of mer-
chandise. and in the dull and constant
roar of machinery.
Cleveland indeed is a rich city. with
a poulation OF 6l0. 900 and 10000 more
men, women and children iniabiting
the edges of it's boundary. And such
is the community. proud of its energy
and success. that has become Mayor
Bakers economic workshop.
Strangers Pay Five Cents.
A stranger. climbing ON n street car
and giving the conductor "A dime. will
receive two nickels. one of which he
must place in the fare box. If he is
UP W SIIltiI anu IlitdIlS w rue again. ne
will buy Il strip of five tickets for Is
cents or have his three pennies ready.
Coins smaller than nickels are UNI
known to the conductor when he
changes a passengers money.
The permanent resident. ~ the other
hand. has honestly and patiently
earned the reduction. He was COM
PEELED to listen and suffer for many
years while politicians and capitalists
called One another eXtortiOncrS and
de,nagogues and kept the whole town
stirred up n the courts obstructed
with motions, appeals and injunctions.
Finally the wranglins became an UNI
bcarable public nuisance, and the late
Robert w. Taylor. Judge of the United
States District court was asked to
think out a plan Of settlement. He had
recently settled i'm Cleveland and was
no attached to any local interest. II
was his plan that brought peace and
rest to the city.
There's my savings bank" Mark
Hanna used to say almost pathetically,
pointing below to the street railroad
that passed the buildings in which were
his coal. ore and ship offices. He
thought more of the railroad, it
seemed, than he did of any of his
other possessions. He loved it and
fought for it up to the hour OF his
death.
Beginning Of Traction Battle.
Then one day Robert Il. McKisson,
a republican. was unexpectedly elected
mayor of The city. He was young. in
experienced and rash. He attacked
anna street railroad and later came
within n vote of defeating him for
the United States Senate. Thus began
the traction war in Cleveland. 1t grew
to be nationally notorious.
In the meantime Tom l.. Johnson had
moved to New York. 1t was
he purposed to remain there. Sud
denly he returned and ran for mayor
on the issue that a 3 cent fare on
Cleveland street railroads was enough.
If the capitalization We're reduced 10
the actual value of the property. the
worth of the franchise not to be in
'cluded. He had made = fortune in TN.
street railroad business and "A majority
of the voters accepted his statement.
A fierce decade of agitation, l~e.isla-
ton and litigation followed. johnson
was elected mayor four times. Baker.
Il political understudy of Johnson,
carried the city by a majority of 49,
900 last Novembcr-no previous candi-
date for mayor ever beat his opponent
so dec1sively-and took his office IN
January this year. Rich men and poor
men voted for him. Preachers sup
ported his cause at the polls. Sporting
men said he was just the person who
would please the boys. He "follows the
light of Tom Johnson" again to quote
words. The experiment station is in
full operation.
Tayler Street Railway Plan.
1.-The salient point of the Tayie,
plan" Mayor Baker said to me. were
first. "A reasonable valuation of the
street railroad property. The
had about $23 900. 900 Of stock and $40
Tho Poor House.
Hop, went by. and Peace went by.