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Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
HOYNE FILES STRONG INFORMATION AGAINST STREET CAR LINES The operating board of the Chicago Surface Lines is nothing and nobody. It has no money. It isnotjesponsible to the city, state nor nation for what it does. It ought to be wiped off the map in a hurry. This is the main idea in the bill of information filed in Superior court by State's Attorney Hoyne in quo war ranto action to dissolve the unifica tion traction ordinance declared un lawful and the Chicago Surface Lines. Glenn B. Plumb, Hoyne's assistant, declares he has never seen a clearer case of a city ordinance going con trary to the state laws. The suit will be argued Feb. 24. "Under this unification ordinance the management of all the street rail ways in Chicago is turned over to a board of seven persons," said Plumb. "The companies can put anybody they want to on the board of opera tion. They can slick messenger boys, bookkeepers, saloonkeepers, pickpockets or anybody else on this board whom they might want as their dummies. These dummies would be responsible to nobody. They have no treasury to sue and there are no criminal penalties that can be impos ed on them. "The profits of operation go to the corporations that own the car lines and all responsibilities and duties go to the board of operation of the Chi cago Surface Lines under this ordi nance. Those who are supposed to be legally responsible for what goes on in the management of the lines hold no stock nor bonds, have no bank account, no cash reserve. They are not elected by the stockholders of the companies, as the state constitu tion requires the managers of a cor poration to be. From every stand point the board of operation of the C. S. L. is the most irresponsible pub lic body of importance ever created by city ordinance. "Nowhere in the law can you find sanction for the city turning over to individuals the management of prop erty owned by a corporation. I don't see how laws could be more explicit than they are on this. The so called unification ordinances jammed through the local transportation committee and city council hurriedly last year grant to the four street rail way companies the right to hand over all cars, car lines and power houses to a board of seven men to operate. These individuals on the board are not chartered by the state. They don't have the responsibilities of a corporation. They cannot be reached for violation of laws. Altogether,it was the cleverest plan that could be devised for traction owners keeping the profits while throwing away all responsibilities." ' The members are: L. A. Busby, preisdent Chicaga Surface Lines board of operation; John J. Wilkie, assistant to the president; Markham B. Orde, treasurer! Fred S. Hoffman, secretary; F. L. Hupp, assistant sec retary; John J. Duck, auditor; Henry A. Blair, chairman of the board. o o JOBLESS MEET TONIGHT The Unemployed league is going to meet again tonight. Strengthened by their successes the jobless are put ting out a call to others in their plight to attend. "We have starved enough in se clusion," a handbill reads. "Come out into the open. Action must be taken to relieve the sufferings of unemploy ment." The meeting is to be held at Bak ers' hall, 220 W. Oak st, tonight o o j RATHER CLOSE "Is old Doxey as stingy as they say he is?" "Yes. He won't even buy a calen dar for fear he may not live the year out tQ use it up." New York Sou,