Laying the Groundwork for Conflict, 1891-92
Author | C. Ian Kyer |
Pages | 15-30 |
Chapter
LAYINGTHEGROUNDWORK
FORCONFLICT
EdwardFrederickNedClarkeandthethirtynine
aldermen who made up the Toronto city council were much concerned ab out
theCitystransitsystemThethirtyyearfranchiseofthedetestedToronto
Street Railway Company (TSR) was coming to a close. There was no doubt
that the TSR had to be replaced, but determining what ought to replace it
occupiedaverylargepartoftheiragendaAStreetRailwayCommieehad
been formed to hold hearings and consider whether the City itself ought to
assume ownership and operation, or grant a new franchise to another pri
vate sector company. Transit was increasingly important because the City
hadgrownsubstantiallyandnowhadapopulationofmorethan
Much oft hat growth was from the an nexation ofs urrounding commun
itiesYorkvilleinRiverdaleandBrocktonintheAnnexin
SeatonVillageinandParkdaleinAsJesseMiddletonwouldlater
writeTorontonolongerfounditselfacompactlilecitybutastraggling
big one, outgrowing its civic services as rapidly as a small boy outgrows his
pantaloonsMovingaboutthiseverexpandingcitywasnoteasyStreets
were unpavedwit h the dust kept down byst reet sprinklers a horse
drawn half cistern mounted on two big axles with a tube across the back
from which water was spread onto the dirt roadway.Thewelltodotra
versed these roads in their carriages, but the working class had to walk or
takethehorsedrawnstreetcarsoftheTSRSomeformofimprovedtransit
AThirtyYearsWar
systemwasneededtoservetheexpandingcityandtobeergetpeopleto
their jobs in the central core.
MayorClarkeknewtheimportanceoftransitandthedicultiesofef
fectingchangeHewouldsoonbeseekinghisfourthoneyearterminthat
oceelectionswerethenheldeachJanuaryHewasverymuchapolit
icianevenwhilemayorhewassiinginoppositionasaConservative
MPPintheprovinciallegislature He owed both positions to the fact that
hewasaprominentmemberoftheOrangeOrderinfacthehadbeenthe
founder and publisher of the Orange Sentinel, which was considered to be
the voice of the group).AsaCitypoliticianhewasknownforhisnancial
and administrative reforms. That reform program explains in part why he
wascommiedtoendingthemonopolyheldbytheTorontoStreetRailway
Company and why his enthusiasm for the establishment of a publicly owned
and operated transit system was rapidly growing.
Clarke’s growing enthusiasm for a publicly run transit system was shared
by many people in Toronto; however, not all of those people could vote. As
one commentator on civic government then wrote, Canadian municipalities
wereregardedasaspeciesofjointstockcompanyonlythosecontributing
thecapitalbeingallowedtoshareinthedirectionofitsaairs Thus, the
vote was only given to men and unmarried women who owned or rented
apropertywithanassessedvalueofatleastorwhohadanincome
over that amount. This meant that many users of the transit system had no
meaningfulsayinthemaerneverthelessanumberofthosewhocould
vote favoured some form of public ownership. Even Clarke’s opponent in the
comingmayoraltyracerealestatedeveloperandfourtimealdermanErnest
AMacdonaldhaditunderconsiderationMacdonaldwasoftheviewthat
itwouldbeabigmistaketograntanotherthirtyyeartransitfranchiseto
theprivatesectorwithouttheCityatleastaemptingtooperatethesystem
itselfHesuggestedhavingaCityappointedcommieeoperatetransitfora
year or two as an experiment — if nothing else, it would allow the City to
learn the true value of the franchise. To his mind, even a poorly operated
transit system would be preferable to selling the franchise before its true
value was dete rmined.
The public sentiment was reected by a lively meeting on the Stre et
RailwayQuestionheldinearlyJanuaryBetweentwoandthreehun
dredpeopleaendedthemeetingatStAndrewsHalltodiscusstheissue
The meeting had been called with the support of the mayor, but neither he
noranyaldermenaendedWhilethiswasnoteditdidnotdeterthosewho
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