The Washington times., 1919-10-22
E0'Te7'44 g aE 7AeE WASHINGTON TIMES os4ss! MSSz
Start TO-DAY to Restore the Five
Cent Fare Forever
By EARL GOODWIN.

Inc washington Railway and Electric Company can
not 1--we on hvecent fare; and perhaps some day the
Capital Traction Company viii be in the same FIX Ther
guarantee that this present imposed ON working
men and for the benefit of the street railway
panes VIII be the last one In view of this possibility the
wlsest thing Washington do to settle street railway
problem is to take the street lines absolutely or
partially and INSURE perfect service extension where the
city development needs it; AND THEN REDUCE TIE
FARE TO FIVE CENTS OR LESS FOREVER, paying
any loss during the periods of high prices out of general
taxation
There is nothing revolutionary or unprecedented 1t
merely progress In the same direction in which have
been progressing for the last hundred years Not so MANY
ago private companies built our streets and charged
toll for their every few miles built our bridges and
charged toll for their Education private and
the people had to to to school pay 70
10 theaer. Water supplied to us by private com
panes Men used to hire private policemen for protection
and used to hire mercenay soldiers Men went
into the business of soldering. They would gather
together bands of fighting at much and hire
them out to government taking profit on their use
Gradually the folly of all this of thing dawned upon
the governments and by the police and the military
protection the water supply the supply of education the
bridges the streets have all been taken and made part
of the functions of the ITSELF and Europe the
railroads, the street railways the gas and electric
anes have passed into government hands In the way
We do not make the man who works or the business
who sends his teams the streets the automobile
trucks automobiles generally pay the of maintain
ing the streets any more There is reason in the world
in logic why should make the persons who ride the
street railway pay for this service least pay the full
cost of it, when by paying that cost going to aggr
yate bad social conditions
Tom johnson, mayor of Cleveland, made his fortune
out of railways and after years of struggle gave the
city of Cleveland street railway which enabled to
her citizens for three-cent fare Tom johnson
declared that street railway ought to be like public
highway an elevator in public building, absolutely
free Of charge
If old fogyism is to dominate public counsels and
we going to stick in the mud with transportation
problems look forward to periodical raises in
car fare. These will increase wrechedness win deny many
children the opportunity to get into the green spaces and
the fresh air. and viii have tendency to throw out of
Joint that intricate mechanism of social order which
call city.
There is ONLY way to get fve-cept fare and
that through act of Congress 1t is manifesy mpos
se for of roads at least to operate longer
FIVE cents; and regardless of whether this situation is
brought on the evils of former day not the truth remains
that the Washington Railway and Electric is In bad way
The directors of that system ought to welcome suggs
ton that the Government step In and put that totterng
system in position of financial security and INSURE ALL
THE SERVICE WE NEED FOR FIVE CENTS A RIDE
OR LESS