The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-07


Turth1rnoes. ths eompsny asks sxbaptiun
from III paving inpfoseusnts Of II tracks
hescGeoftA. II other words, y demands moss
n9s, tnDaired equfpnent. And sesks q he
same timS to stAps any past OF the public
improvsmsnt that GOES to hsIp The city. aad
TsLhancs the value Gifts franchise As mat
tsr Of fact it, franchise 4 is chief asset. and
from this It desires to evade any return To
The people Who bestow 1t
In other vordE. the company would have
its patrons pay more for poorer service. willis
1t divorces itself from any part OF the COM
munity welfare and abandons its lively spirit
Of cooperation in public improvement, such -
heretofore popularized 1t. and made it an in
etituton in which the people have felt just
pride
In measure, the present attitude of the
company vindicates the position BY The Argus.
when it took its positive stand against the
substitution OF bobtail cars. for the. present
metropolitan conveyances. At that time the
company assumed to submit a two sided propo-
sition involving either more fare or the resort
to the one man car. The Argus then con-
tended that il the company was permitted to
sLelve its big double truck coaches for the
smaller type, in lieu Of an advance in fare,
there was no guarantee that sooner or later 1t
would not come along with the dinky car any
way. Now 1t dfscloses its real program, which
calls for both the higher fare and the little car.
The Argus feels that it has been reasonable
in its position 80 far as the Tri-City Railway
company is concerned. 1t has maintained, and
still maintains that if the company can show
to competent experts that it Is operating at q
loss it should have all the increase in fare
necessary to reimburse ITSELF from the loss
but it should not be permitted under any cir
cumstances to reduce the standard of its equip
ment. Furthermore it ought to be required
to make some return from its valued fran
chises, not necessarily in cash payment 1t the
time they are granted such, as is the rule in
many Cities but that it should maintain it's
proportion of street improvements on those
thoroughfares on which it operates. This seams
hut just.
A liberal public policy, spirit OF enter
prise in it's relations to the communities it
serves, and in its car equipment has popular
lied the Tri-City Railway company in the past
with the result that the people have always
been willing to meet it more than half way
in all its petitions for franchises and fair treat
ment. The company is losing much of its long
time prestige in its present attitude, and if the
Chamber of Commerce is animated by sense
of pride in the town where policies of prog
ress, rather than retrogression are to be fur
thered, it will see to it that strong protest
t. I'll. Ill;
ton Of the present equipment, and the exemp-
, ton Of the company from its proper portion of
public improvements, both before the municipal
bodies OF the cities affected and the public utili
ties commission, before whom the company
expects to force upon the people the changes
1 1t contemplates.
This is important not only for the general
public welfare, but particularly so. if the COM
pany is getting ready to reduce and sell out,
as rumored-and hence has no more pride or
lasting interest in the community it has served
SO long and 50 we'll