The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-13
TRACTIOA.|T'RUST
CUTS SERVICE
AS PROFIT AID
Continued from page u

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feet, however, for the city council has
not vestige Of jurisdiction over the
operation of any utilities, having been
robbed of all home rule by the crea-
ton of the P. S. G. and other commits
sions.
Appeal was made to this P. S. G.
which ordered" the /. R. G. not to
discontinue service on the advertised
lines and the l. re. reversed its
previous order, 'for the present"
Apparently the Hpeop1e had
triumphed" over the arrogant officials
of the l. R. C. Mayor Schwab was
"elated"; Commissioner Perkins smil-
ed; the chamber OF, commerce modest
ly shared in the credit for the 'vic-
tory" But establishment followed
when intimation came from the P. S.
C. that possibly if the 1. R. c. would
be authorized or permitted to raise
the fare, service on the five lines in
question could be Indefinitely con-
tinued. Gossip and speculation held
the stage for about 48 hours when
suddenly decision from the P. s. C.
was handed down authorizing an
eight-cent fare-and the plot was out.
1t was seen that the whole play, from
| the first announcement by the l. r.
G. of intention of discontinuance Of
service, the protests of representa-
tEes Of the people" and of the G. of
G. was a conspiracy for the purpose
of providing club with which to
force higher fare from the patrons
Of the road.
The International Railway company
Of Buffalo, is a scab road, and with
out question, is the most poorly equip
ped and most inefficiently managed
Of any road in a first or second class
city in the country. The present
head, Herbert Tully, is highly paid
strikebreaker imported from Philadel-
phia, Pa, where about eight years ago
with the aid of the Pennsylvania
state troops he broke the strike of
the employees of the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit company. His reward
was the presidency Of the Buffalo
system. In this capacity he proded
the employees into strike which
proved to be one. of the most stub
bornly fought conflicts in recent Ia
Dor battles. State troopers were call
ed out, and, upholding the record of
brutalities of these American cos
sacks, they terrorized the people by
clubbing them in front of their bust
ness places and IN some cases fol-
lowing the fleeing citizens into their
homes.
For months the people refused to
ride the street cars but patronized
privately run taxis until the courts
drove these off the streets by fining
the drivers and owners by the hum
dreds. Every municipal institution
and bureau of authority were mobil-
| lied to break the strike. The officials
of the road boosted that they had a
fund of S4,000,000 with which to
break the endurance of the strikers.
They finally succeeded; they smash
ed the union but the finances of the
road went down in the crash, and to-
day approaching bankruptcy is writ
ten across every ear and along most
of routes traversed by the cars.
The rails curl and twist along the
streets because of sunken roadbed
and frequently jump the tracks and
crash into store fronts or telegraph
poles. From the greatest number of
1.-THE cars the paint is pealing and
they present a most drab appearance.
Cracks in the floors let in the icy
blasts; the roofs leak like sleeves,
and the motors work in jerks so that
only the most rugged of the patrons
can remain on their feet while the
cars are in motion. In many of the
cars seats lack backs and are broken
SO that one end Of the seat rests on
the floor and the other end clings
orecariously to its rotten support.
| For a quarter of century the sys-
| EN- has been in semi-bankrupt state
| md bankers have, by crafty "reor-
/ ganization" schemes endeavored to
inject new life into the dying enter
prise. But the public service COM
mission has been obliged to come to
the rescue by twice permitting a raise
in fares. In due time, another crisis
will follow and the plant commission
will again throw out the life line.
There is the usual lesson for the
workers in this experience. 1t is one
of many experiences that should con-
vince them that their solution will be
found, not in regulation, not in col
Elaboration with the ruling class rep
resentatives, but by the seizure OF po-
Iitical power by the workers and de-
termination to administer municipal