South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-24
THE TRACTION OCTOPUS" AND
THE ANANIASES.

Gen. Mgr. Emmons. that estimable
traction official. who talks one thing
10 one paper one day. and another
thing 10 another paper the next VINO
wouldn't for the world injure the auto
bus business. but merely wants the
public rotected-though always so as
not 70 interfere with street railway
revenues. who pleads sympathetcally
for his poverty stricken corporation,
while MS superiors build half-mlllion
dollar palaces from its earnings who
went personally 10 Mayor Keller 10
ssee what could be done toward put
ting the auto buses out OF business,
and then allowed himself 10 be quoted
by his defending Newspaper as having
never thought OF such a thing; ne,
tf,is gentleman, whose company had
nothing 10 do with the institution OF
the Terre tiaute anti-jitney case be
fore the public service commission,
but had an attorney on hand when
the case came up for hearing 70 take
part in the arguments; Gen. Manager
Emmons. we have it. is now anticipat-
ing the organization of an Ananias
club. and we wonder, if for the pur-
pose Of having himself. in his official
capacity. made it's president?
II is all because. reading in it the
undermining thickness with which the
local traction interests have, wherever
necessary. always accomplished their
ends, the embryo 5itney regulation ord
nance. submitted anonymously to the
city councilmen, has been charged
against them. we never did it, says
the general manager. adding that he
should have been consulted before be-
ing accused.
Very well. we consulted him, for
instance, with respect to the discon-
tinuance Of service on the north side
Mishawaka line, and the company's
disinclination TO pay for paving be-
tween its tracks, and then the next
day. when ne had apparently found
that what he had said the day before
wasn't taking so very we'll, he was
ready 10 be quoted as having never
given the matter Official considera-
ton"
Previously. earlier in the season,
Supt f. l. Hardy was interviewed with
respect 10 a change of schedules on
the interurban line running up into
Michigan's dry territory and then the
following day, Gen. Manager Emmons.
proceeded. as quoted by our contemp-
orary, to set all that Mr.. Hardy had
said. at naught.
These ere only isolated instances.
Quite evidently it is Of but little use
10 interview Gen. Manager EmmOns,
when the interests of the Chicago,
South Bend & Northern Indiana lines
are so shifting over night, and so far
as his being correctly quoted is CON
cerned. we will believe not only our
own reporters. but ouE contempo-
rary's. any time as 10 what he says, in
preference 20 his succeeding denials,
when the shifting interests of those
lines are at stake.
Had we interviewed him Thursday
night with regard TO the anonymous
auto bus ordnance, and published his
denial Of the traction interests being
back of il, Friday. in the face OF past
experience. would probably have
brought an interview in our con-
temporary. claiming the credit.
But let him deny until his heart is
content. That anonymous ordinance
was unQuestonably framed in the be-
half OF the traction interests. and
bears all the ear-marks of some of
the legal brains employed locally.
Plus sitting competition on all the
streets of the city where the street
cars run, il is calculated TO put the
city in the hole by proposing its ac-
ceptance of a 1.000-dollar bond, and
assuming financial responsibility for
auto bus accidents. IL is an entering
wedge. The insuficiency of a $1,000
bond would after an accident or two.
serve 20 force the bond required mp to
about $4,000. where the traction in
terests want it.-that the iitneys might
be unable TO furnish it and have to
quit the business.
From beginning 20 end. the pro-
posed ordinance is "a miserable piece
of self-interest trickery emanauns
from somewhere. and we know of no
other self-interest for IL To emanate
from save the traction interests-or
its. for some reason. ultra enthusiastic
friends.
Probably it wasn't Gen. Manager
Emmons who sent out the ordinance.
since he says IL wasn't. but he isn't
the only pebble on the beach. consu-
tuting the local traction interests. and
remember IL was the traction interests
and not the general manager. against
whom the ordinance, We still believe,
was quite correctly guessed. Maybe
Il came from some Of the much inter-
ested bond-holders. quite weu known
locally 20 be considerably Interested
in traction welfare III We remember
rightly, local man once appeared be-
fore the council 20 plead for such an
ordinanee-in behalf OF the widow
and orphan" bond-holders. only. we