Stand By The Mayor

Detroit, Jan. 9. - What is without rauch doubt the final ohapter of tho pi-olonged struggle in this city for general 3cont fares, free transfers and practical municipal control of the street railway corporations was reached Tuesday night when the council, in accordance with Mayor Plngree's prediction, sustained hi3 veto of the now al most famous Tom Johnson street railway ordinance passod a week ago. IJever beforo lias the counoil chamber huid a larger audionce. Men stood even' on the window ledges waiting to know the fate of the measure. The railroad people had inany frieuds in the crowd, and they arrived early in the evening. The ordinance adhcrents were not late, either, in setting on the ground, and when Mayor Pingree put in an appearanoe they gave him a hearty welcome. He seemed to appreciate It, for when hfi ascended tho steps to his desk he smiled genially and bowed to his friends on all sides of the room. His Views Deep Set. The gist of the messago shows that the mayor's views on stroet railways aredeep set. He evideutly regards them as a public right, and the oftic3r3 of the company as public sorvants with a duty to perforni. And that duty, too, they must be made to do. The niossage also shows that the mayor has a sarcastic stratum in his composiiion. With delightful irony he says, in respect to the clausa of the ordinance exempting aü personal property of the railroad oompany from municipal taxation: "The policy of this state has been to exempt religious and charitable institutions from taxation. A company that will undoubtedly be able to pay interest upon bonds which represent doublé the value of lts property, to pay large salaries to its officers and to reap revenue from the peoof this city which, during tho thU'ty years of its life, will amount to millions of dollars, can hardly be called a religious or charitable institution. " Ilisses and Cheers fnm tlie Crowd. Although Mayor Pingree had declared that a majority of the council was favorable to the raüroad company, he was confident that his veto actiou would be sustained. His confidonce was basod, first, upon the fact that, a minority of the council was honest, and, second, upon the fact that it required a two-thirds majority to pass a measure over a veto. Every ono listened cagerly when the message was being read. The real test of the matter caine when a motion was made to lay the whole street car business on the table. This gave each aldormau an opportunity to explain his posición, and the oportunity was quickly taken advantage of. Tho friends of the veto ordinance loudly applauded those aldermen whose speeches showed them oppoed to the bill, and on the other hand, when a member spoke in favor of the original measure he was hissed rouudly and his voice drowned ia jeers and hoots froui the spectators. liare Niglit in the Council. It was indeed a raro night in the council chamber. Excitement ran up to 100 Iii the shade as the vote progressed, and when the ckrk announcect the defeat of the motion by a voto of .8 to 13 the Pingreeites turned in a yell of triuinph that fa'rly loosened the plastering on the walls. During tho session Mayor Pingree sat in his chair serenely, with a wide smile on his face. He realizad in the defeat of the motion that Torn. Johnson was a "dead one" in that council. There was even more pleasure iu store for the mayor. When it carne to the ballot upon the final disposition of the measuro the Johnsonians were unable to muster any strength worth speaking of, and Mayor Pingree's veto was sustained by a vote of 25 to 6.