El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-04-10
JITNE DRIVERS
MIN III MIAMI

/ Miami. Fla. Aprn 10-8uami had
I a fitne service which Is said by widely
I travelled persons % be one OF tne 1es-
I IN the United states bul l4l1 ~
3 that u has fought two corporations
and the city council and licked them
b all IL now parks It's cars on LA4
street car tracks which are mere NO
mentos Of a dead enterprise, and X
: has also put a bus line out OF ousi-
ness
These giant killing feats It occom-
ulished IN q dramatic struggle by rea-
son OF having the people back Or u
. The Mlamiaus liked their lttle llsle
I service and they refused 20 leJ IL ul7-
Corporations Not Favored
] This battle between the independenl
iltue operators and the street car and
other corporations IS or course an
old story The same fight has been
fought IN scores OF cities Bll - -
Y II not quite eVery17 mere else tle cor
! uorations have won out In these
I United States. for some reason, cor
porations almost Invariably WIN our
against Independent operators OF any
. Ia would appear that the street car
service in Miami. however was never
z very big fellow and certainly not
very efficient one To Is SAID l-a- -.e
people used 70 run 70 their doors 20
watch the street ears 90 BY. 10 hap
pened so seldom None the less olu
citizens remember that aiay BACK ~
some kind OF an attempt 10 have the
4 fitues put out OF business and that
u The attempt failed The the car oarn
and all Of the street cars burned "
and she car company vas our OF the
It was then that the real enemy q
the iitne drivers was organized IN
the form OF bus company when plo-
posed 70 operate large motor buses
over the same routes the 1itnes trlF-
eled II is said that they INTENDED %
charge 10 cents tor eLaelly ne SD
trips tha- were costing the cl-lzens
cents in the 1ines- II Is also sara ln.lt
they had signs all painted and reaqy
for use. charging IS cents FOR a IT'D
thar could be made in q jit1e Tor 70
cents But Il never got a cnance %
Sbont ne time thu bus company
r-as orEanized. the town counc-
!. uassed a law which placed a F-r-alg
/ OF limitations upon the operation OF
fitres. The most formidable OF these
) made Il necessary 1or eacn lllfeE o.
\ fftue TO furnish bond for the soQl
Behavior OF himself and bis car In the
: auur OF several thousand 4o-laEa- -l
80 a sum which no jilne driver could
{ POSSIBLY pay. u was Intended anc
expected by some people 70 be the
. death OF the Miami 1ltue service
Protected by this law. the bus line
MT efght buses into operation win
/ ne fare fixed at 10 cents where the
? iitnes had charged 5 cents But me
. Z buses Immediately ercoln 1ere- --1
Z { formfdabIe difficulty thai Almost NO
hodv would ride in them Lney li-i--a
. their regular and scheduled trips IL
lonely and empty stare
p Meantime. all OF the 1l-nel -
I uaared on the streets II was a=-li-a-
? the law for them TO operate Lor IRE
v-fthout having put up that pronlo-
: frive bond 50 they did not operate
lo- T.@fead. each Of them carried a
, -f--- -1,iua slFree union jicnes'
~ q r-enernI Invitation was e1-
tended 70 all the good people o.
Miami to ride uhsfeter t-es
wanted 10 20 for nothing
me iitnes had already Command .
A rood deallBf popular SYM a-ll5s -l-
now they won the -1"l 80 ~
, free uniou jltnes. and no one rode n
: me buses When he gol olL o. a
. fffne. The passenger threw -l1 -
Z On ne seat and in order 70 snow ~
he was On the see o. ~ -, - y, &C.,
operator and the 5 cent rl--. Ne 49,
! 10 - crnts or q 50 cert piece instead
Iof 4 cent piece The 5irne opefs.-9ls
! made more money glFlls -lr- 100
than they ever 0l4 e-ll-l a--5 = 80 --
! SIeantf1ne. the iltne operators. WHO
Z had organized themselves mo 49,
/ No. f94 OF the inter lE-t19l- - =. !. ~
E hood OF teamsters, cnauIEelrss 7---l--
-~a- and heluers. went mo cll-t
Z and found a judge Eno uee-al@- --- -
I the ordinance conpellAilz ---L- - - 49,
Inn 4 bond was uncousuturlonaL 4ne9
men resumed operation at the usual
. fares The buses. In order 70 nee
I rris- cou1uerltion, came down II -er-
- Z cents but even Al that price
- thev could not get any business inc
Z iitnes had l. all The 1usllne sol an
/ other ordinance. just Ike ne Llrs-
ono uassed and the 1llne 1Eifera
= o-sfn vent into court and had DC de-
7 clared unconstitutional Anat IN
iqhed the bus line me 1llne8 are
now absolutely supreme ana me!
? have q remarkably secure place III
: ne affections OF the people