Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-10


people for vote they would be marched
TO the polls in droves 60 scuttle their own
ship"
| TT WAS in October 1914, that the EVEN.
i ING LEDGER fred the first gun for rapid
transit and followed It with series of au-
thoritative articles explaining in detail the
! comprehensive Taylor plan.
On the day the first article appeared. an
able citizen of Philadelphia, whose business
1t was to diagnose political situations, de-
cided to give this newspaper some advice.
You are in wrong" he said. II believe
| Councils are crooked, and whether they are
crooked or not, they won't lett anything by
| that is sponsored by the Blankenburg Ad.
minlstratlon. Besides, do not forget the
powerful interests in opposition. There is
not one chance In million of this transit
scheme ever getting to the people themselves
for vote, and If 1t does ever get to them,
don't you know they'll be fooled and marched
to the polls in droves to scuttle their own
ship7 When Lincoln said, You can fool some
of the people all the time he was referring to
the people of Philadelphia"
But in the middle Of November Director
Taylor began his remarkable meetings in
all parts of the city. He went about and
explained his plan and his purposes to large
he went he left behind him a new group of
adherents, pledged to the great enterprise
and enthusiastic In its support.
Again and again Providence seemed to take
care of rapid transit When one set of poll
ticians had their knives out the other set
was strong in its advocacy of the undertake
ing. Each of the factions has BEEN in turn,
enemy and friend to the Taylor plan, but
never at an important juncture has that plan
been without the support of either. For the
Taylor plan has been at all times above
picion thing so inherently good that it could
serve as lifeboat for any drowning politician
who could tie to it. Amid the chaos of selfish.
ness, trickery and abysmal treachery which
has characterized so much of the municipal
legislation proposed or secretly contemplated,
the transit plan has been shining, radiant
light, with no flaw in it.
That the undertaking should have passed
through so many dangers in safety is posi-
lively remarkable. The State had to be per-
suaded to assist in the financing by yielding
the personal property tax; permission had to
be got to use this taxed personal property as
a basis for extending the loan capacity Of the
city; amendment to the Constitution had to
be passed permitting a further extension of
loan capacity for financing transit and port
they would be self-supporting investments
and in addition, an easier method of amortiza-
ton was provided The financing being
provided for, it became necessary to educate
the whole people to understand the plan and
force action by Councils. Thereafter came
the first loan vote, which was overwhelmingly
in favor of transit, and this finally fol-
lowed by an approval of the Taylor plan by
the Public Service Commission.
It has run the gantet and been subjected
to every scrutiny but in no essential feature
has even modification been necessary.
At last and finally it is before the people,
the supreme jury. They'll be fooled and
marched to the polls in droves to scuttle their
own ship" The rhetoric is not very good but
the idea is there.
Is 1t true?
Last year, when the city was casting an
overwhelming vote in favor of the s6,0 900
loan, Dave" Lane was able to line up his
territory in opposition He was able to lead
his people 'in droves to the polls to scuttle
their own ship" He expects to do it again
and seems TO have assurances that enough
other leaders will be with him this time to
swamp the project. For let every voter
understand that If the Taylor plan is beaten
now, he will never get another chance to vote
on it. A defeat would throw the whole sub
ject back into the arena of controversy, assure
the continuance of present intolerable transit
conditions for a term of years and guarantee
new deal in which the people could be assured
Of holding the deuces with the transit COM
pany standing pat on its aces.
Were it not that the gang had put so many
things over on Philadelphia, threats to kill the
loan could well be ignored, so inconceivable is
it that an electorate should "sell its birthrght
for mess of pottage" But the public has
been beguiled or sold out before, 1t may hap
pen again unless individuals are awake and
vigilant
when Lincoln said, You can fool some of
the people all the time he was referring to
the people of Philadelphia"
It can be proved Tuesday that he was not.