The Detroit times., 1913-03-12
WITT TELLS COUNCIL
IT'S EASY TO OPERATE
STREET CAR SYSTEM

UuI Wueu you get mOuOpOiJ ~cii,
I advise all Of you who are in COM
petitive business to get into monop-
oily. 1t works fine. After the thing is
IN motion. 1t requires no brains TO
run It; II runs itself. In the trans
portation business you have to know
when people move. and where they
move. and how many move. and then
furnish the cars"
"Of course, the D. U. r. doesn't
have much to bother about. Its own
err aren't In the game to give service.
but to get money. That's an instance
Of the power of taxation given into
the hands Of private individuals. You
wouldn't get the same service from
the city-y0u'd get better service. The
u. y. r. IL secure from any attacks
the people may want to make because
OF it, service, but the mayor can't go
Z along with public be damned pol
Icy when the people are clamoring for
moro cars.
We believe in Cleveland that the
Il mayor should have all power and all
3ooponsibility. The Standardization
10 American cities has been largely
due to the fact Of divided power.
n would criticize q scheme Of board gov
N exnment for your street railway. II
nay have worked all right In other
n branches Of administration; but II
wouldn't work In Cleveland, know
81 The railways should be run by one
" nan, appointed by the mayor. who
should also have removal power; and
The people should have the recall pow.
\ ~ over the mayor. The council should
have some power, but it should be
limited strictly to legislative func
! lions" 4
In answer to q question. Mr.. Witt
4 nd that the people ought not to vote
- every grant of money for street
railway purposes.
f Let the council appropriate, and
(, ~ the people have the power to
\ Dotition for . referendum, II they
dent like the councils action" he
raid. They should have In the con-
'tyo11er q check on the street railway
Expenditures"
Witt 10 Crafty. -
Settle with the d. u. r. rather than
'ouild competing lines, was Mr.. Wits
o1v1co. In q session in Mayor Marx
'o0oo. before the council meeting,
gOQGporation Counsel lawson tried to
make the Cleveland commissioner ad-
NE In favor Of the lawson ordinance,
ut Mr.. Witt was crafty, and declined
80 tie to any absolute plan.
You people know the situation here
Fbotter than do" he said. "You
zAAould be able to figure out the wisest
+ 0o1yue."
This conference was attended by AL.
~ 81. Frazer, who has been retained
+ ~ a
werner, John Gillespie, former Mayor
\ 1re1tmeyer. and Secretary Fitzgerald.
IA. Barnett and Reinhardt came In
while the discussion was in progress.
After Mr.. Witt had told about the
unAuc1al side OF the Cleveland ar
n tNagsment, Mr.. Frazer asked IL the
Snoot important point was not the Sc
curing OF the best possible service,
even II 1t were found that such service
X eooid BE- supplied only by the D. u. r.
1n0er IN agreement.
TnAt condition can't exist" replied
~. Witt. 1T Ia every mans duty TO
fpocure the most he can get at the
Y lost expense. A good franchise Is
1lko q good Indian--it's a dead one"
Mr.. Witt said that where the com
IN pany has rights in the streets. II mus,
3''lVW GOAx RCu0dtCu lOT lHCm.
We paid $3.600,000 70 the Cleveland
4 eompany for its unexpired rights he
E1o1d, instead Of waiting 43 months
COR them to expire. The community
WI never rob private corporation
though the corporation has robbed the
8 people for years. We paid a good
price. ~ you will"
~ He explained that while the numbe,
Eof passengers WAS increasing sever
&peF cent q year under tie old com
oany, e has increased FL per cent IN
HE nrst year OF municipal operation
M 3 three-cent basis.
Tip TO Private Plants.
III the owners of private plants. in
otood Of hating and despising Cleve
md and lying about u.s. he said
would study our success. they'd d,
1mokhing for their own advantage
NJ would ind that they could oil
~ Glx tickets for quarter and maxi
1omned sight more money than a
GvU-cont fare"
KnWDon asked: Don't you think 1
1Q0olb1e thing TO do, to submit 4
Dog0gy settlement TO the compan,
0ompel them To accept it?"l
~ settlement without o fight 1
= thon With nght," replied MI
- asht means the waste o
- Oonoy.'
d o. \. says that II 10 Law
80 Nm 81 out Y the couz