Street Railway Bylaw (Part 3) - 1892

On Friday, March 11, 1892, another public meeting to discuss the street railway question was held at the Arcade Hall on James Street North. Once again, the three Hamilton daily newspapers differed substantially in how the meeting was reported.

          The Hamilton Times said that “nearly a thousand attended the mass meeting held in the Arcade Hall … notwithstanding the large number present the meeting was generally an orderly.”¹

¹ “Was Council Fixed? : Street Railway Stockholders Figured in the Elections” Hamilton Times. March 12, 1892.

          The Hamilton Herald, in describing the beginning of the meeting noted:

          “At that hour (8 o’clock) the hall was scarcely two-thirds full, and many f those present were boys and youths who will not be able to vote for some time yet, but whose ability as noisy enthusiasts was tested frequently during the evening.”²

²  “Blessed Is the Kicker : The Motto of Citizens on the Street Railway Deal” Hamilton Herald. March 12, 1892.

          The Hamilton Spectator, which supported the renewal of the franchise with the Hamilton Street Railway carried the following:

          “There was a strong flavor of the old T. H. & B. at the ‘mass’ meeting held in the Arcade last evening. The ‘indignation’ also had a musty flavor as if Jimmy Davis had cut a chunk of it off the old reliable T. H. & B. article.

          “Organizer Davis lent an additional charm to the scene with his genial presence and many other familiar faces were observable in the gang who ovated ‘Cass’ and howled down every speaker who was benighted enough to think that they wanted to hear good reasons on the other side of the question.”³

³ “A Distinct T. H. & B. Flavor : Pervades at the ‘Mass’ Meeting at the Arcade” Hamilton Spectator. March 12, 1892.

          Ex-Mayor William Doran was chosen as chairman. In his opening remarks, Mr. Doran explained that the meeting had been called to protest against a valuable franchise being bartered of without being put up to the highest bidder:

          “ ‘I don’t think,’ he continued, ‘that the present street railway company would let that franchise out of their hands, even if if they had to pay $20,000 for it. (Hear, hear.) It has been proven in Washington that the storage battery system is better than the trolley, and if we wait for twenty months until the expiration of the franchise we will undoubtedly have the advantage of a much improved system of electrical railroading.(Applause).” ¹

                Mr. J. V. Teetzell, Q.C., was the next speaker. He began by stating that the audience before him was “not a pack of hoodlums” but “bearded men.” Mr. Teetzel felt that it was impossible to justify a private sale of a street railway franchise before the current agreement had run out:

          “ ‘Supposing that within the next twenty months,’ said he, ‘a cheaper mode of electrical railroading is invented, and owing to the experiments being made in connection with the World’s Fair in Chicago next year, there seems every probability of such being the case. The city will get the benefit if it in the fact that an offer made them will be on such a basis.

          “ ‘As far as my company is concerned, all we want is a fair field and no favors. (Applause) We don’t want any button holing of aldermen or wire-pulling as regards our application. (Renewed applause) The members of my company are all rich men and our offer is not, as one of the papers has said, merely a bluff. As far as wealth is concerned, the new company could buy out the old road, and the directors, and still have a nice surplus left. (Applause) I would like to know if there is any logic in trying to keep foreign money out of the city (laughter and cries of No! No!) still that is the way some of the adherents of the present Street Railway are arguing. Whether the money to purchase this road comes from Toronto or anywhere else, all we want is to have it spent here!’ ”¹

                Later in his address, Mr. Teetzel charged that the current franchise holder had been heavily involved in the last municipal election in order to pack the council:

          “ ‘I don’t doubt for one moment but what the directors of the present company watched with keen interest the nominations for aldermen in December last. As a matter of fact, I know that in this ward (No. 5), while the directors of the company had not cheek enough to do that kind of thing, still Mr. Harris, one of the stockholders of the Street Railway Company, nominated Ald. Dunn, and I also believe that before doing so, he secured from him a pledge that he would support their application for extension. (A voice – There’s too many McGreevys and Connolly in the Council). I also know that in No. 1 Ward, Mr. Fearman, another heavy stockholder in the company, seconded Ald. Tilden’s nomination. I believe there was a deep plot laid by the Street Car Company prior to the last municipal election to have their franchise extended, and the granting of the street railway’s application will be but the outcome of a well-prepared scheme to rob the city.”¹

                In his speech, Alderman Morris declared that neither threats nor slanders would prevent him from voting as he felt would be in the best interests of the city. Ald. Morris felt that the present franchise holder’s offer was a good one. He had seen the trolley system in operation in Minneapolis and thought it worked admirably and it did not disfigure the streets.

Unfortunately Ald. Morris’ stated intention of voting to accept the offer of the Hamilton Street Railway Company provoked loud cries of dissent from the audience, and he was unable to present his arguments effectively because of the tumult:

“In conclusion, he said the whole affair was one on which there might easily be a division of opinion. ‘You have one paper saying you are right, and the other saying you are wrong and another –‘

A voice – ‘On the fence.’ (Laughter.”)¹

The following resolution was placed before the meeting by Mr. Roberts, seconded by John Rogers:

“That in the opinion of this meeting, it is not in the best interest of the city that the offer of the present Street Railway company should be accepted; resolved therefore that the members of the City Council be requested to wait until the present charter expires before offering the franchise for sale, unless the present company is willing to give up its lease and come into the field as a competitor, and in any event, the franchise should be sold to the highest bidder.”

Without allowing any further discussion, the chairman put forward the motion, and a large portion of those in attendance stood up in favor of it:

“The nays were not called for, but Chairman Doran declared the motion carried almost unanimously, just as James Ferres mounted a chair in the center of the hall and expressed a desire to move an amendment.”²

² After some wrangling and delay, Mr. Ferres was allowed to present his amendment which he proceeded to do. It read:

“That in view of the desirability of having rapid transit on the street railway at the earliest possible day at which it can be obtained on fair and equitable terms, and in view of the present schemes proposed, offering the prospect of immediate adoption of an electric system, and of the immediate establishment of the Grimsby road, the plan of the Railway committee is hereby approved.”

Having got his motion before the meeting, Mr. Ferres proceeded to deliver a short address, but the howlers in the audience did not give him much opportunity to be heard.

Although it was nearly 11 o’clock, many people in the audience noted the presence of Ald. Carscallen who had arrived late. Cries of “Cass, Cass” were heard until the popular alderman agreed to deliver an address:

“Although he went over much of the same ground as others who had spoken on the same side, his points were made with such force, and urged so effectively, that the audience was stirred up to the manifestation of an enthusiasm it had not displayed before.”²

Ald. Carscallen ridiculed his fellow aldermen who intended to vote in favor of renewal of the franchise with the Hamilton Street Railway Company. Although he talked until nearly midnight, most of the audience remained to hear him out. When he finished, the audience rose in a body to leave:

“While the audience was moving towards the door, Chairman put the amendment and asked those in favor to ‘stand up.’ Of course, everybody was standing up and on the move. Then he asked those in favor to indicate by saying ‘yes’ at which the heelers set up a wild howl and drowned all expressions of feeling.”³