Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-05
FIGHT OPENS TO CRUSH
LATEST TRANSIT FRAUD
continued from rage One

nance was signed by me on the 2oth
and everything seemed TO go along
smoothly and harmoniously,
But To- and behold! by the papers
of February Q and 10. we are suddenly
informed that Senator McNichol is
opposed to the building of the business
/ delivery loop. He declares this woutu
he an unwarranted expenditure ana
should be postponed until all the other
proposed lines have been completed
And presto! after this declaration by
! Senator McNichol a sudden and com
plete change takes place in the at
| titude of the organization members OF
Councils as shown by the Connolly
| Seger-C Costello Joker" ordinance in
| troduced several weeks ago and passed
yesterday. What an unaccountable
change on the part of our City
Fathers!
do not care to make further com
ment at the present time.
John G.. Johnson has declared the omis-
sion of the subway delivery loop from the
Broad street subway plan to be legal
flaw in the plan TWO weeks ago, when
1t first became known that the OrgRniEa-
ton had planned to kill the loop at all
costs, Director Taylor declared:
II now warn the people of North and
South Philadelphia that the passage of
the ordinance viii defeat the construction
"
"a" EXTENSION INvALGDATEs.
The extension OF the Frankford elevated
to Rhawn street through three miles of
open country instead of ending at Bridge
street as intended by the Taylor plan,
alone Is destructive OF the entire program
for real rapid transit, 1t has been shown
by Director Taylor.
IL was known that the Public Service
Commission would never approve the con.
structlon of an elevated line from Bridge
to Rhawn street through sparsely set
tied farm lands, The refusal of the Com
mission to approve this part of the plan,
as the ordinance now stands, will be fatal
to the entire scheme including the em-
ployment of the s6OOoOOO loan for any
rapid transit development
Exposing the trickery In this feature OF
the Organization scheme, John G. John
son said:
There would be a lack OF good faith
in obtaining the popular consent to the
creation of a loan to build a railway
which the city authorities know cannot
be constructed and Is not intended at the
present time TO be constructed"
Pointing a warning finger against the
dangers which lay in this scheme, City
Solicitor Ryan. in his opinion made public
said.
at js, of course, to be borne in mind
that the money once being borrowed in
of a popular vote cannot be di-
verted from the use indicated in the |
original ordinance, and If that purpose |
should prove to he impracticabe or inn
possible of fulfllment, much delay, as |
well as partial exhaustion of the city's |
borrowing power would ensue."
TAYLOR STUDIES SITUATION.
Mayor Blankenburg, when asked this
morning whether he would veto or APP
prove the ordinance as 1t now stands,
'eplied that he had nothing to say at the
present time.
Director Taylor likewise refused to COM
nit himself upon his future course, de-
'laring that he wanted to study the
ordinance from every poss-
,le angle before making any public state
nent.
1t is generally understood in administra-
ion circles that the Mayor will refuse to
approve the trick ordinance While a veto
would mean delay, and delay would be
Exactly suited to the program of the Or
nevertheless it is understood
hat the Mayor will sanction delay rather
han approve a subtle trick which, it has
oeen declared, would hand over the city,
)ound hand and foot to the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit Company.
Director Taylor early this week declared
hat should the ordinance pass in the
orm it was first reported from the
finance Committee he would go into
very ward of Philadelphia and ask for
Is defeat at the special election. While
councils removed one Joker" the change
1ade in the entire ordinance is so trihing |
hat it is not believed Director Taylor
'ill alter his position.
Should the Mayor veto the bill and the
Organization attempt to pass it over his
eto, a three-hfths majority of the MEM
ers will be required. In Common Coun-
il this will mean 81 members and in Sc
act 20.
AS any delay would delight the Organi- {
alton, whose whole program had been S
0 prevent real rapid transit from becom-
lg reality in the present Administra- {
on, the Councilmen's action upon the !
layers veto is doubtful. !
In the anomalous position which the t
have forced 1t was OBJ |
rived today that their wish for delay c
oincides, strangely enough. with the a
'ansit fighters demand for the defeat of n
le ordinance 1t was declared the de-
at OF the present ordinance would please
lem because it would insure delay of
veral more months and probably carry -,
'er the plans, still unsettled, until Coun- p
Is meet again in the fall IL u
To defeat the present ordinance and "
force Councils to adopt an ordinance ~
oviding for real rapid transit will mean ~
e hardest fight of the entire campaign q,
II real transit Improvement. "