Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-27

needed. OF course, all this time Mr.. Con-
nelly and every other Councilman, was
Enthusiastically for Rapid Transit, and It
was only caution, and n desire 10 safe
guard your interests that made them so
slow. II was not until February. 1915
that McNichol dropped the mask, and
then Councils followed their leader and
did the same thing
THE opposition to the transit loan res
olution had to be abandoned. the resolu-
tion went through the Legislature, and
the amendment is now before you for
adoption. II is No. on the ballot. Don't
forget TO vote for Il, whatever you may
do on Amendment No l.
COUNCILS FOLLOW McN1cHoL.
81 said that Immediately after Nc
Nichol dropped the mask. Councils fol-
lowed his lead on February II, 1915, the
Transit Department made n report to
Councils requesting them to provide for a
special election to authorize the borrow
ing Of 20OO.O00 TO start transit work.
Accompanying the report were carefully
prepared forms OF ordinances In which
the routes were specified. You will recall
how Mr. Connelly's Finance Committee
FIRST reported out an ordinance i'm which
some cunning legal hand had incorpor-
ated provisions that would have made
II wholly illegal and void. Again, under
the pressure of aroused public opinion,
II was restored to legal form, but two
vital practical provisions were omitted
the delivery loop, and the Darby line.
Why are these vital? Because without
the delivery loop, the City Hall stations
of the Broad Street Subway would be
called on to handle 20)O90 passengers a
day. When | tell you that the Broad
Street station OF the Pennsylvania Rail-
road with 70 tracks is taxed TO handle
5000 passengers day, and that the
Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue
(Brooklyn) stations of the New York sub
way handle only 6OOOO and $4,000 a day
respectively, / need not add anything to
convince you that this would be an abso-
lutely unworSablc and impossible propo-
sition. without n delivery loop, the Broad
street line should not be built.
1T is an integral and vital part OF It,
SO the Darby line, while perhaps not as
important in itself as some others, is n
necessary complement to the Frankford
line. A limo from Fra;ikford to Darby
running either through the Market street
subway or new Chestnut street sub
way, feeding from both ends, and, rum
ming through the delivery district,
would be n very profitable line; but a
line running only from Frankford to I'd
and Arch streets would fail to serve
public convenience and would not be
utbTlN so lTOIIHDle-lINt ildTh NOh' Aii'
construction of this line has been au-
thorized without any agreement having
been made for the use of the Market
street subway or any provision for the
construction Of a Chestnut street subway
If the use of the Market street subway
on reasonable terms should be refused
You may ask why the Mayor signed an
ordinance containing these grave defects
Because they are durable! If you will
elect next Tuesday Mayor and Councils
VINO are really i'm favor of rapid transit
on fair terms, these omissions can readily
be supplied; but If you elect an Organi-
Zation Mayor and Councils you Will be
delivering yourselves bound and gagged
Grated and tagged to the mercies of the
Transit Company. 1t needs no prophet
to forcsee the day when you will be told
that Taylor's plans were faulty; that
costs are going to be too high; that the
lines won't pay, and that the only thing
TO do Is TO accept some agreement that
the Transit Company will generously
off