Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-11-02
WALSH on REED
One Democrat Who Kls,ss Ssns'
thing About James A. Reeds
Corporation Record Z

James A. Reed. who is going up and
down the state telling what a friend
he is of the common people and how
he Is dead against the cruel corpora
tons. is not quoting from Frank P.
Walsh on the subject. MI. Walsh
is a Democratic leader at Kansas City
and knows MI. Reed very well. On
April 6, 1914, the latter made a speech
at the stockyards at Kansas City from
which we quote:
There is no question which SO deep
ly affects the homes as the conduct
of the public utilities. For at least
ten years there has been an effort to
get a street railway franchise in Kan
a City. The Scent fare went into
effect in Toledo. Ohio, yesterday,
which is not as good a street car town
as Kansas City; therefore, three mill
lion dollars a year has been taken
out Of the pockets of the people Of
Kansas City for which nothing is
given.
when James A. Reed was elected
mayor for the first time there was q
contest on with the street car COM
pany. 1t raj over a question Of paw.
ing eighteen inches outside the track
and other minor details.
"Mr. Reed was elected; the manage
ment of the car company changed
and we had forced upon US what l am
going to say was the most infamous,
undemocratic ordinance ever passed
in an American city, called the peace
agreement
II say it was Infamous because as
soon as 1t was passed more than
12h million dollars of securities were
rained upon the peace agreement
alone.
This was watered stock and the
Metropolitan is bankrupted today on
account of the 12h millions of
watered stock placed on it in that
agreement. There is another reason
why 1t was infamous. One of the
good things to come out Of it was the
paving between the q tracks and
for eighteen inches outside. l want
you to look over the car tracks Of
Kansas City today to SEE whether
they were paved inside or outside.
The people were buncoed. !
James A. Reed knows he betrayed
the people of Kansas City in the
depths of his guilty heart, because
he has tried to explain 1t every time
he makes a speech on city politics.
l want to follow that a little further.
Mr.. Reed, the violent defamer. the
challenging man, the paid vilifier of
his %neighbors, the hired verbal ruff
fian,-this man became q candidate
for Governor, Immediately following
the peace agreement.
"Mr. Reed came to Kansas City and
pretended to go into the employment
of the Metropolitan Street Railway.
I say pretended advisedly. He will
tell you that his firm was employed
for the sole purpose of c~ontesting
that litigation which my office had
against the Metropolitan. l want you
to ask Mr.. Reed this afternoon. II dur.
ing the next three years while he
was drawing thousands Of dollars from
the Metropolitan Street Railway he
ever had up one legitimate proposition
with my office.
IF he says he did, l will come back
here at four o'clock this afternoon and
politically apologize to Mr.. Reed for
doing him a wrong. He may say his
partner attended to that business,
Then / want to ask him II during the
first year his partners tried more
than two ase with my office; II the
second year they tried nor than
four: II the third year they tried more
than two.
"And yet all this time this abuser
was drawing thousands of dollars from
the Metropolitan Street Railway Co,
and I will show you later on the serv.
ice he rendered for the money he
drew.
when Gov. Major was elected
Chief Executive Of this state. n Of
the first things he undertook to pass
was a public utility law. Every Demo.
cratic Governor In the United States
has advocated It. 1t has been in
every Democratic platform where real
Democrats we're dominant In all Of the
states. 1t passed the lower house In
Missouri by an almost unanimous
vote. 1t went to the senate and I see
Reed using the thousands Of dollars
paid him by the Metropolitan Street
Railway Co. of Kansas City,. He sent
letters to Democratic Senators, beg
ging them to vote against the Major
Public Utility III. Why! I draw my
own conclusions: you may draw
yours"
WHICH 90 YOU WANTf