The Detroit times., 1914-05-20
.Big Car" Driven TO Wall by 3
Cent Ordinance, Faces Fight
of Its Life
PEOPLE REFUSE TO
BE "HORNSWOGGLED"
Realize Advantage and Refuse
10 be Moved by Appeals of
Corporation
BY JuDSoN KING,
Secretary Of National Popular GOV.
eminent League

ernmen League ,..
TOLEDO, O., May 2O.-The Toledo
Street Car Co. with its franchises
expired, fatty refuses to obey three
cent ordinance and is carrying pas
sepgers free-unless they voluntarily
pay five cents.
Outstripping in spectacular features
either that OF Cleveland or Detroit
the street car war begun 10 years ago
by the famous mayor, Golden Rule
Jones. is rapidly nearing climax
which will make history
Mayor Carl r. Keller and the city
council, standing pat on their plat'
form and written personal pledges
demand a three-cent fare, me com
pany declares a three-cent rare IN
nossib;e, but agrees, under certain
conditions. 10 try the scheme Tor a
year.
About two-thirds Of the people Just
TO show they are TOO good sports 10
hit even down and-out street car
company. pay the nickel with a grim,
But don't imagine they are being
horns.swag gled They know the com
pany. Is we'll aware its. chances for
franchise would go glimmering II II
dare throw them off the cars-munl-
cipal ownership would come IN
hurry. r
Henry l.. Doherty 4 Co, OF Wall
81 New York recently took over the
old company-the Big Con AFTER
Il had repeatedly failed to land
franchise. Henry L., in his own
genial, proper person, Is one OF the
most astute and able public-uullty
promoters in the United States. hls
companies own properties in l76
cities. He claims never 10 have been
whipped in franchise fight and Is
personally on the Job In Toledo.
Clearly Henry Is up against tue
fight OF his life. He is In the ring
with a people who have for eight
successive elections licked a power
ful street-car corporation managed oy
one OF the smoothest politicians ONO
ever produced--Walter Brown.
On the other hand, with a prop
erty stocked and bonded TO S3l,6O0,OOO
o ma $7,600,000 physical valuation, he
can't grant three-cent fares and pay
dividends TO his stockholders. Be
sides, a three-cent franchise would be
bad precedent. Other cities would de-
mand IL. To allow municipal owner
ship would be worse still. All street
car magnates are praying for Henry
Doherty believes in private own.
ership. He told me the postofiice
should be run by priy tie corpora
ton, and even the public roads The
public schools he would retain as
part OF the police power of the state.
He affects, however, to belong to a
new school" OF public-utility men,
who are square with the public. He
ignores "politicians"-at least the To
ledo kind--and plays to the people.
He mixes, addresses meetings, buys
space in all the papers (excepting the
News-Bee, which has fought the peo-
pies franchise battle for 10 years.
TO instruct them and invites criticism
He admits II Is a hard job TO deal
with folks educated by Golden Rule
Jones and Tom Johnson. To all
arguments they reply-three-cent
fares, II he says 1t Is impossible
they tell him to squeeze out the
water" and II will be. II he men
tons innocent purchasers" they de
cline to be responsible and remind
him that several thousand widows
and orphans" In Toledo are interest
ed In three-cent fares,