The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-06-19
Struggle Of Chicago Masses and
Transportation Franchise
By WEYLER

full control of raising the fares, raising taxes,
which will mean higher rent for the working
men and poor population of the city of
Chicago
The present franchise also has clause that
the SIS per cent that the city of Chicago re-
ceived for the last 20 years from the gross
income of the transportation companies, which
accumulated into a sum of 100000, should be
used for the purpose of building subways for
the ownership benefit of the transportation
company. These subways will also be used
only by the elevated riders with the charge of
three cents per transfer. The capital raised
by the street car riders, and it will be used
only by elevated riders now, out of which the
transportation company will benefit. These
subways will improve the value of the prop
erty of the rich landlords but it will increase
the taxes of the city and it will again in
crease the rent and the indirect taxes of the
poor population of the working class.
Twenty-Five years ago the street car COM
panies tried to rush through perpetual
franchise through the city council of Chicago.
The aldermen were ready to carry through the
orders of the financers, but the people of
Chicago organized and surrounded the City
Hall with hatchets and ropes and scared the
life out of the city administration, so they
then passed twenty year franchise with the
clause giving the city SIS per cent of the gross
income of the company. to make it possible
for the city to establish municipal ownership
of the transportation system. The present
franchise not only provides that the $60,000,-
900 should be used for the transportation in
terests by investing it in the subways, but it
practically does away with the entire matter
of the city getting any revenues out of the
transportation company. 1t provides for a 8
hut ut tho
allows the companies to make profits in the
form of dividends to the share holders, that
will never allow anything to be left over for
the city at all.
The mere fact that the newspapers of Chi
cago are favorable to the franchise shows that
the complete merger between the finance capt.
tai, industrial magnates, wealthy property
owners and the city administration of the
Thompson machine united in an open at
tack on the poor population and the workers
of Chicago.
The liberals of Chicago are divided in diff
ferent camps very small group is dissatis-
fled with this franchise, but its fight against
it is so weak that it really has no value. The
Chicago Federation of Labor with the street
car unions, openly endorse the present fran
chise, which is detrimental to the interests of
the workers whole and especially to the
carmen and mechanics of the companies. 1t
is very clear that if the franchise passes
through on the LIST of July, this gigantic in
terest of finance in industry that constitute
the transportation directors will establish a
method of naturalization that will increase
unemployment and will create system of
speed-up among the transportation workers of
Chicago unequaled in the country.
The Communist Party calls upon the work
ers not only to vote against this franchise, but
to demand free street car and elevated rides
for the unemployed, free riding for children
that go to school, five cents carfare.
The Communist Party is the only party that
exposes the true nature of the new traction
ordinance. The traction ordinance is another
line in the growing merger of the city hall
with the bank traction interest and further
fascination of the Thompson administration.
All workers must vote No in the July first
referendum and Vote Communist in the No
vember election