The Detroit times., 1915-10-22
East Side Meeting
Strongly Against
Purchase Plan
WEADOCK AND
DALTON IN TILT
Formers Sarcasm Is
Highly Entertaining
to Audience

Charlevoix and Ellery-sts.. Thurs
day night, Attorney Paul Weadoc 4
presented the arguments for the
street railway purchase plan and
Attorney Thomas l. Dalton present.
cd his own record On municipal
ownership and his personal opinion
OF Prof r. w Bemis, the street
railway commissioners, the mayor
and a 10, OF other folk. so many. in
fact. tina, he did no; have much
time to discuss the purchase propo-
sition.
Most OF the audience, and II was
fairly representative east side
1 crowd. made up largely of working
men. gave both sides careful atten-
ton and perfunctory applause ex.
cept In the latter part OF the meet
ing when Weadock went after"
Dalton. and then an amused chuckle
over Weadock's sarcasm grew TO
roars of delight.
The crowd was not for Dalton,
that was plain. And II vas just as
plain from the talk OF the men
among themselves before and after
the meeting they were not for the
purchase plan.
Too many kinks 10 H." was one
good natured observation. and that
seemed to come nearer than any
thing else TO expressing the opinion
Of the crowd. But how they did
enjoy that meeting and the tilt be-
tween the two speakers.
Attorney weadocK started of by
briefly sketcting the history of
street railway affairs. declaring that
the ID. L. r. had made no extern
sions to its lines or additions to its
service except under compulsion IN
% years he pointed out that %
per cent OF the property within the
| nvemile circle If quarter OF a
mile or more from street car lines.
He recalled the decision OF THE city
for municipal ownership and for a
street railway commission to secure
1t. referred TO the appointment OF
the present commission and said
that this body was confronted by
three ways to secure a street rail-
way line for the city-condemna-
ton. the unity plan or a purchase
plan.
The objections 10 the condefDna-
ton plan were outlined, being prin-
cipally that any one man on a con-
domination jury could tie the whole
thing up. that taking the property
by force meant opposition and con-
sequent federal court delay for as
many years as the ID. L. r. could
make IL last, and that condemnation
provides for consequential damages,
which no other method OF acquiring
would entail. The tag ends Of fran.
chises on all the main streets stood
In tie way of the unit plan, he
argued, and that brought him down
to the present plan, which he pre-
sented clearly and dispassionately,
ending his opening talk with this
statement:
IL should Ike n have Mr. Dalton
tell VS. whether there IL any objec.
ton to this plan that would not also
be raised 10 any plan his side might
offer
I And Mr.. Dalton bounded 20 the
center Of the room and yelled
Blank check"
II Then he told how many years
he had been for municipal owner.
ship. how few there were in the
' game when he got in, bow Pingre4
| fought for IL, how ne didn't like the
crowd that was for this proposition
how one of the members OF IL.
street railway commission had mad,
failure in the railroad business
mo name mentionedI. hov man.
lawsuits Lawson appealed from tn
circuit court when be was corpora
ton counsel, and how Prot BENZ
never built a mile Of railway In hi
life but had 10 hire practical build
ers TO measure the rails and ovei
head wire. Then he related no
the street car commission had no
published the BeInis appraisal AM
how the ID. U. X. tried 10 grab
piece Of sidewalk belonging 70
client OF his on the west side for
curve IL wanted 20 build ana the
appealed from the decision NJ tn
circuit court and tied the case "a
for q year.
I'VE oppose this plan because VI
are fearful. We who have labored a
long and faithfully in the vineyard
that we are going TO get municips
ownership In such a dose that ",
VIII get choked by II" he declared
The circuit judges could not IN
der their solemn oath say that IN,
value OF the ID. U. r. was less thar
s2S.ooo.0oc." was another statement
In the time given him for rehut
tai. wesdock uncorked a fow Of
sarcasm that made q hit with tn.
crowd. He sympathized with IN,
poor. misguided chaps on the stree
railway commission having the WOO
pulled over their eyes by men a,
Incompetent a. Bemis.
But when II comes to nxing tn,
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