South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-24
"WIDOWS AND ORPHANS" AND
THE AUTO Bus.

SIR Myron Campbell in addressing
the council committee at its meeting
Tuesday night overlooked one big bet.
We are grateful TO him for assuring
us-despite our evening contempo-
rary's pretense that there is no con-
nection between the anti-jitney agita-
ton and the street railway interests
that there really is some sort OF rela-
tionship; but. why allow SO splendid
an opportunity To pass for bringing
the councilmen down upon their
knees and compelling them TO weep
great. copious tears? He never men
toned the widows and orphans" at
all. as among those owners Of stocks
the value Of which are 10 deteriorate
10y auto-bus competition. oh, but had
he only remembered the widows and
orphans Pleading for millionaires.
or semi-sO. who, eager for rewards
10 be reaped from an unjust monopoly
have invested S25O,0O0 in the mOnOp-
olistic stocks or securities full Of
sympathy-inspiring possibilities to be
sure, but if the widows and or.
phans' could only be rung in on it
some way, then success would be
simply irresistible.
As we understand Mr. Campbell.
these stocks and security holders
speaking as he was in particular Of
the more local people who own $3.50
GEO worth. wished upon them by the
utility magnates.-have a right 10 ex-
pect il not demand the perpetuatiOn
of the street railway perpetual fran
pendages. and protection against COM
petition, and that the city is not keep
ing faith il these expectations are not
realized Well. we are told that Mr..
Campbell is a more or less strenuous
prohibitionist. Allow us TO answer his
argument in the equally more or less
nonsensical argument of the distiller,
the brewer, and the saloon keeper,
whom he would retire from business
entirely. For years the governments
of the nation and the state, and the
municipality, having been granting
franchises-licensed limited monop-
olies.-to these people, and taking
their moneys: as 10 the latter of which
the city never has gotten anything
save by property taxation from the
street railways. These brewers, dis
tllers and saloon keepers quite nat
uralIy. assert that they should be pro-
tected in their licensed mOnOpolies,
and perpetuated, as against the raw
ages OF changing public opinion. The
prohibitionist. however, says mo,
and perhaps rightly; that the gov
eminent has been wrong in licensing
the liquor business from the start,
and that the man who engages in it
takes his chance on changing public
opinion by entering the business"
Which is exactly the same with re-
gard to the granting of perpetual
street railway monopolies, and the
people who invest their money in
them. They take their chance. not
only in this latter case as against
changing public opinion, but also, If
YOU please as against new methods
of transportation; the product of
American inventive genius Which is
the precise status OF the auto bus.
American genius has come TO the pub
lie rescue to correct the wrong i'm
posed upon us by our forefathers, who,
not from dishonesty. but from near
sightedness. undertook 20 fix upon us
as evil in perpetuity. with which the
distilier the brewer and the saloonist,
is different in degree rather than in
kind.
Let the holders Of this S25O,OOO OF
street railway stocks go 10 the cor
porauion for relief. if they think they
need II, and insist that it provide the
public with service that will justify
the perpetuation of its monopoly
With such "a service, the field accom-
modated by the auto bus Will be diff
ferentIy cared for than il has been.
and perhaps the monopoly will re-
sumo itself The nation. the states.
and municipalities as we'll are getting
about through with legislating for the
protection OF special interests, or Of
welfare. Political divisions of govern
ment owe their allegiance 10 the peo-
pie first. The individual, natural or
artihcial-human or corporate.-is but
an atom. The whole is the sum OF
all it's parts. rather than any partic-
ular part
A street car service that drives men
20 the sidewalk. and creates a market
for bicycles. has no complaint il man
finally resorts 10 the automobile. even
though il be but for particular rides
al a 'jitney" e go. The local street
railway service is what has created
the held for the auto bus The supply
has responded 90 the demand. Amer
lean genius Is merely proving itself
equal 20 the emergency. and no
amount Of false pretenses about pro-
lection 20 the public by requiring pro-
hibitive indemnity bonds that would
put the auto bus ont OF business. will
be allowed 10 operate as a cloak from