The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-02-20
WHO SIGNED THE
PETITIONS FOR
HIGHER FARES
Many Men Whose Signatures
Appear on Railroad Pleas
" Repudiate Them
HOW MANY GENUINE?
2 ASK STATE SOLONs
Alleged Questionable Practices
Increase Sentiment Against
Fare Boost Bill
Trem q star Oorre,ponde.s.

q
yrsm sfar Corrssoosdsss.
LANSING. Mich. Feb. Is.-who
kJgned the names to petitions asking
for increases In rates OF passenger
fares Ga Michigan railroads,
That 70 the question which several
members OF the legislature are asa.
ing. not only of themselves. but also
or their constituents, A fact which
may tend greatly to neuralixe the
effect Of petitions, signed by thou.
sands Of voters, asxlng Increased
rates. came to light Thursday when
Rep. Charles ID. Symonds, or Powers.
Aenominee county. made public sew
eral letters from residents or Menom-
tnee, whose names were signea 70 q
petition asking>for straight Inree-cent
fAres In Michigan.
The resolution asking three-cent
fares purported to have been adopted
BY an unanimous vote Of the Men0m.
inee Commercial club and was signed
with the names of the 81 members
present and forwarded 70 Rep. Sy-
monds.
Rep. Symonds conducted little
quiet investigation and, a. result.
10 exhibiting several letters from the
alleged signers declaring that they
did not attach their names to the res
Olution. 4
One letter, from the secretary of
the organization, throws q great light
upon the methods employed In secur-
ing the signatures. In that II states
that there was no means Of ascer-
tanning who voted for or against the
resolution. which was adopted by a
viva vocs vote. In which there was q
considerable division. The resolution
was not put up for signature. but the
names Of all OF the 81 persons who
attended the meeting appear on the
Fist Forward to Rep. Symonds. Tue
tecretary Of the organization de.
clared that several Of these had left
the room before the matter was pre-
scented.
Another letter. from cashier OF
. Menominee bank, whose name APP
peared In the list. denies emphatical-
~ that the writer attached his sigma
ture to any sort OF petition relative
20 fares. The banker says he is op-
posed TO the rate boost.
Rep. Symonds declares II ID evil
dent, from the data he has gathered,
nat some Interested person collected
the names OF those present at the
Aenomipee meeting. attached them
TO ths res0lution and forwarded them
to the Legislature on his own 40
count.
Rep. symonds' investigation set
several others to looking Up the his
tory Of petitions purporting to come
fron their districts.
Rep. John Daprato, Of Iron Noun
tain, declares that resolution asking
Tor thret-cent fares was presented at
. meeting of Iron Mountain business
men and that no one could be found
to second 1t. Nevertheless. petition,
signed by, practically everyone pres
emit, was forwarded to the legislature.
Rep. Merlin Wiley, Of Sault Ste.
Marie, says that q resolution, leav-
ling the matter of fare increase en-
tirely within the hands Of the legisla-
ture, was adopted by, the business
linens organization OF the 500, but
that an unqualified petition for three
cent fares was presented to him, pur.
porting to be signed by the members
OF the same organization.
Who changed the resolution? Is his
Question.
Petitions with approximately TO-
900 signatures have been presented
to date. How many are genuine? ask
the solons.
The topic of railroad legislation is
the chief item OF interest now before
the Legislature, and as many methods
OF deciding the matter have been de-
vised 90 there are members Of botii
houses.
The railroads closed their case
Thursday and Rep. Henry, OF Battle
Creek, chairman of the house railroad
comnittee. announced that the OPP
ponents Of the measure would be
gwen q chanco to state their case
next week. before the Joint commit
tees Of the house and senate, mem
bers Of the railroad commission and
the attorney-general.
The fear 10 expressed In Legislative
clrclss that no one person will At
footod. BY the measure suniciently to
Warrant the annoyance and expense
of coming 70 Lansing TO oppose Il,
and that, even should they come, they
WIN be aDls to And no one familiar
enough with railroad matters to an.
Dwor the mass Of data presented by
The spokesman for the railroads.
Bvery attempt to put the matter
nm TO the railroad commission has
NIT With utter failure thus Tar.
Nembers Of the oommisqions declare
that they are without information a.
70 passenger business other than that
required By law 10 be furnished BY
the railroads themselves. They could
NOT conduct an inveofignt1on Of sum
olont scope TO verify the figures pre-
ssnted By the railroads and 70 form
IN opinion - 70 whether or not I'm
oreeses are necesgary before Jan. 4.
1915. they say. tfs
A resolution By Rep. Charles D.
0ymunds, of Powers providing that
he commission conduct such an In
yootieation, the expense to. be borne
- ne state, met with storm OF op-
Dooot1cn Thursday AFTERNOON.
n support Of his resolution, Rep.
0ymo0dS declared that the legislature
I'D heard but one side Of the case
end insisted that no one opposed to
<ho Increases was competent TO come
boonro the legislature 10 answer rail
ruaA flgures. He declared that his
foDuoution had been offered with the
49, tea Of obtaining the best pos
o1hoo Information On both sides OF the
mntter. He was supported IN his
btonG By Rep. Alex Sly, of Gould City,
nd Rep. william y. Jerome, Of Hills
ChAlrmsn Henry. Of the railroad