The Tomahawk., 1919-12-25
MINNEAPOLIS
V0T / |E|.R||'S RS DEFEAT
:STREET-CAR PLAN
Company Fails by 6,943 Votes in
Spite of Newspaper Support.
LARGE SUMS EXPENDED.
Result Shows People Are Awake
Will Strengthen Farmer-Labor
Cause At Next Election
Next Fight In State Leg.
isIature.

Minneapolis, Minn.-With only
Of 13 wards in the city favor
able, the people Of this city turned
down the plea Of street car COM
pany for higher fares by deci-
sive vote.
Nearly as many voters turned
out for this special election IN
spite Of the cold as turned out
last fall. The vote for the whole
city was 23,sN for to 3o,3'6
against.
Noteworthy features Of the elec-
tion were the expensive, publicity
campaign carried on by the com.
pany while claiming to need high
er fares and the lineup Of the city
daily papers with the company.
In spite of its heavy election ex'
penses the company shows profits
for the first 10 months of this year
Of $s5o,ooo.
The company wanted an excessive
valuation recognized and a so-calted
"cost of service" plan which was only
round about way Of raising fares
over the franchise rates.
State Battle Next.
Aside from getting poss ale minor
concessions from the city council such
as waving of charges for paving be-
tween tracks and penalties for poor
service, the company will probably
make its next fight in the state CAM
paign. An attempt will be made to
push through the legislature measures
which could not be obtained locally.
The defeat thus lines up another
strong group to help oppose the farm
er-labor candidates in 1920. But on
the other hand, the progressives
which won in the recent electioni with
out press support will have to join the
farmers and workers of the State to
protect their city. The machine can.
didates will inevitably be pledged to
give the utilities what they want. The
new farmer-worker daily to be pub
llshed here soon will also be a promin-
,nt factor in the 1920 fight.
High Valuation Wanted.
The company was probably more
interested in getting it's own valuation
approved by the voters than in high
er rates. Traction maganted through
out the country are preaching public
ownership now because the business
has been milked to death and cannot
yield the returns obtained in indus
tries still operating ON the war prof
iteering basis.
It would appear that the sooner the
properties are sold, the higher the
prices are likely to be. Sales have
already been made to the city In
seattle, Washington, and many other
interests in Seattle, while Ole Hanson
WAS mayor there are said to have
been especially satisfactory to the I'm
terests On the other hand they make
profitable municipal ownership that
much harder.
Two Fares Pay Better.
Minneapolis is one Of the few cities
Of the United States in which the
traction company has not been a.
lowed to increase rates on the plea Of
higher expense. And 1t is probably
due to this fact that the company 10
able to show considerable profit.
In other cities where the rates have
been raised to to 10 cents instead
Of cents, people stopped riding short
distances to such extent that the COM
panies found themselves worse off
than before Boston became worse OF
with 10 cents than it had been with
cents, and on the contrary Cleveland.
Ohio, which for many years has had
8 cent fare, has been doing fairly well
in the last year with an increase Of