THE OLD, OLD STORY.

Evening Star, Issue 10401, 24 August 1897, Page 4

THE OLD, OLD STORY.

PEOPLE’S RIGHTS BARTERED AWAY BY “BOODLE” LEGISLATORS. The Chicago papers are furious over the action of the State Li gislaturej which, by a majority of 32 to 12 in the Senate and of 82 to 70 in the House, in the dying hours of the session, passed a Bill to enable the City Council of Chicago to grant “franchises” or charters for fifty-three years to the local street car companies, which are controlled by a millionaire named Yerkes. The purport of the Bill is thus explained by the ‘ Tribune ’:— When these franchises are new, taking in streets not previously used for street car purposes, the Council can fix the rate of fare to be charged, but after the fare is so fixed it cannot be lowered for the following twenty years. When these franchises granted by the Council are extensions for fifty years of franchises, under which street railways are now operating, then the Legislature orders that the present rate of 5c fares shall not bo lowered for the next twenty years. The question of what comjiensation the street railway companies shall pay the city is left open. The Council are left with the same general power they now possess, which offers no protection to the city when the Council is a “ boodle” one. The Bill also allows the consolidation of street railway companies when they are not comneting lines. That in brief is the Yerkes-Allen Bill In other words, it hands the city over to the present Council, which, if the Bill becomes a law, can now by a vote of forty-six extend over the mayor’s veto for fifty years all the present franchises without the slightest provision as to compensation for the great gift, but restrained absolutely from cutting down the rate of fare for twenty years to less than sc. It pillories the men who voted for the “infamous proposition,” and declares that their names ought to be held up to perpetual scorn and contempt. The Mayor of Chicago (Mr Harrison) was away from the city when the Bill went through, but on his return home he spoke his mind very freely. “If the Chicago City Council,” said he, “ had conducted their proceedings as did the General Assembly on the closing night of the session there would either bs a few dead aldermen or a dead mayor. The way in which Bills of all kinds were rushed through was disgraceful. A Bill would be declared passed when there would not be a dozen members of the House voting. Of course, lexpectedtheYerkes-Allen Bill to pass. I knew it would be put before I left for Springfield. My only hope is that the Governor will veto it. The city will take no action beyond looking toward an extension of the street railway franchise. We will wait and see what Mr Yerkes and his friendsproposetodo.” Ontheotherhand, Alderman Harlan, who is also an uncompromising opponent of the monopolists, thinks there is no cause for alarm. He said : “ The street car companies will now try to get from the Council all they can, but I am confident that they will get absolutely nothing, and that the time and money that have been spent on the Allen Bill will have been spent in vain.” He does not think it possible for any such Bill to pass the City Council with Mayor Harrison in office and in the present state of public opinion in Chicago. ‘ 1 Consolidation of street railway interests ” is said to be the real motive of this muchcriticised legislation. It had been known for some time Yerkes had in mind the formation of a single corporation to take the properties of the several corporations of which he is the leading and guiding spirit. There are some who go further and say that out of this legislation there will grow a single company which will not only include the Yerkes companies, but will take in the City Railway and the General Electric, as well as all the elevated lines. Charles T. Yerkes controls twelve big surface lines, which are either a part of the West Chicago and the North Chicago systems or run under the same management. Of these some are absolutely in his control, as the stock of the corporations is owned by him. In others he and his friends are in control. Yerkes preserves an attitude of stolid indifference, and will not allow himself to be drawn, but some of the other tramway “bosses” do not favor the chances of the scheme going through the City Counci', as at present constituted, even though Governor Tanner were to give his signature to it. Mayor Harrison is evidently the lion in the path, and to remove the effect of his veto it requires an absolute vote. It is acknowledged all along the line (adds the ‘ Tribune ’) that it will take fortyfive votes in the Council, or a two-third vote, to pass the proposed ordinance, as any measure which is satisfactory to Mr Yerkes is pretty sure to meet a veto from Mayor. Harrison. The latter is too strongly on record in the matter to change his position now, even if he wanted to, and there is no evidence of that anywhere. Mr Harrison has his own ideas as to what would be a proper compensation to the city for the extension of the existing franchises, and they are considerably at variance with those Mr Yerkes is supposed to entertain. The proposition now made, and which the mayor has under consideration, is when the Yerkes ordinance is introduced in the Council it will be met with a counter ordinance, prepared by the administration and backed by the mayor and his friends. This ordinance would provide for a liberal compensation to the city in case of an extension of the existing franchises, or submit an alternative proposition by which the Council would refuse to extend these franchises, and auction off new ones, to be granted in their place to the highest bidders. All this, however, is largely in the air at present.