The New York herald., 1922-05-20

the reason they did not pass twas be-
cause IL violated a fundamental prin-
ciple OF private right, and am not
asserting that that was the right Of the
man who SELLS his labor any more than
It was the right of the man who en-
pboys labor Because IL anything should
be a matter OF contract. the right OF the
man who hires out his labor should be
"A matter Of contract for him to say.
And I thought that It would be un-
American to undertake to adJudicate 2
question which was not q subject. for
adjudication, which could not be decided
according to any known principles OF
law, which could only be settled by eco
nomic laws and which finally must
necessarily rest with the Individual. right,
Of the citizen; and that no court could
say to any American citizen that he
should work one day for single penny
less than he was willing to work that
day for"
Transit came last in his discussion
Again he reviewed the legislative enact.
ment on the subject and told what the
commission had done. Time and again
he was applauded. What he desires and
expects soon to see accomplished Is CON-
Portable transit accompnodattons for all
In New York under the cent fare. He
said:
"And although it was unpopular. 7 did
what could and the State Legislature
did what It could to hasten that, con-
summation. We lnve been accused os
playing politics with your transit.
don't think anybody thought-certainly
l did not think-that It was politically
expedient to pass the transit. act last
year. was told by your chairman what
would happen. He told mo that II would
make It possible to raise the cent fare
cry and. OF course, every one know that
that could not be laid in the dust before
the, November election. Tho prophecy,
was fulfilled va N
But you had a situation which did
not admit OF temporixing. For four years
you had had nothing but talk. For four
years transit had been q political issue
and nothing else. 49,,
We have had ono year Of work by
the Transit Commission Of your own
citizens. think the Scent fare myth
has been dissipated. and there. wan Just
as much truth in that propaganda as
tween now and next November. You
know how acute the situation was
growing. We could have dallied with
1t another year or. stiIl another; and It
would have still grown moro acute. but
there was public duty to perform. a
public duty so pressing. involving as
1t did the comfort. the happiness. the
welfare Of these millions Of people and
the future development Of this great
city. that did not think that tho Legis-
lature or the Governor had any right
to stoop to play politics with that, or 70
refrain from discharging Its duty merely
for political expediency.",
II tell you that there "a no way to
save the cent fare. because II IL now
,, lost. but you can set mack the 8
cent fare. You can only do It by pro-
ceeding honestly and in accordance
with sound business principles = You
can only do It by substituting Tor the
policy Of destruction. which has .diein-
tegrated your existing systems and has
been splitting them up so that II you
had a 5 cent fare It nds merely become
a question Of how many times you have
to pay II unless you happen to be fortu-
nate enough to live on the line Of the
subway--if you are to restore tho 5
cent fare you must do It, as 4 said, by
substituting a policy Of construction for
q policy Of destruction.
You can. only do 1t by substituting q
policy OF honesty for q policy Of dishon-
esty. Because, let me say to you, It 10
no moro honest to attempt to delude the
people into tho notion that they can get
something for nothing than II Is. to COM
pei them to pay fares for service which
they do not set. or to pay fares to pay
dividends upon capital not inveSted In
their service. One sort Of dishonesty
Of that kind Is no more attractive to me
than the other. I think you are going
to get relief: hope speedily" 10