For Your Pocketbook's Sake Take Street Cars out of Politics - YES on Charter Amendment 24 Will Do It! Map of San Francisco Showing Expiration Dates of Privately Owned Street Railway Franchises.
- Title:
- For Your Pocketbook's Sake Take Street Cars out of Politics - YES on Charter Amendment 24 Will Do It! Map of San Francisco Showing Expiration Dates of Privately Owned Street Railway Franchises.
- Alternate Title:
- For Your Pocketbook's Sake Take Street Cars out of Politics - YES on Charter Amendment 24 Will Do It!
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Citizens' Transportation Committee
- Date:
- 1928
- Posted Date:
- 2017-04-14
- ID Number:
- 2281.01
- Collection Number:
- 8548
- File Name:
- PJM_2281_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1920 - 1939
- Subject:
- Politics & Government
Advertising & Promotion - Measurement:
- 46 x 55 on sheet 48 x 63 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This poster urges support for proposed Amendment 24 to the Charter of the City of San Francisco concerning the City's rail transit system. The map shows the City's patchwork of privately-owned street railway systems and the various expiration dates of each franchise. The verso, ID #2281.02, contains facts and explanations of the proposed Amendment and 24 numbered arguments why "You Should Vote Yes." The Amendment was rejected by the voters on November 6, 1928.
In the late 1920s, about two-thirds of the public transportation ridership in San Francisco was on private systems, principally the Market Street Railway, and the balance on the public "Muni" system. The Muni had held its fare to five cents, "universal in the industry since its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century," while it paid "essentially the highest wages of any transit system in the country." Matoff 1999. All this put the public and private transit systems in an untenable economic position, with the 50-year franchises authorizing the private operations on various streets due to expire at differing times from 1929 through 1947. The logical solution was for the City to issue bonds, purchase the private system and consolidate the operations.
To facilitate such a solution, "the chamber of commerce and many of the leading civic organizations" supported a ballot initiative in November 1928 to add Amendment 24 to the City Charter. Nanry 1929, 60. The proposed Amendment provided for continued operation of the private lines under a revokable permit of indeterminate length, subject to the right of the City to purchase any system at any time for "fair value." ID #2281 is a map-poster supporting proposed Amendment 24. The measure "was opposed by four of the five daily papers, and by all city officials concerned with utility matters . . . on the grounds that it would wipe out existing city tactical advantages, would put the city at a disadvantage in future purchase proceedings, would add to the cost of acquisition, would jeopardize the five-cent fare, and would give valuable rights to the street railway companies without any remuneration to the city." Ibid. Proposed Charter Amendment 24 was presented to the voters on November 6, 1928, as part of an extraordinarily complicated ballot including 61 city charter amendments, bond issues and state measures, and was defeated. "Several good as well as bad measures were snowed under in the avalanche of 'no' votes, which was the voters' method of cutting the Gordian knot presented to them." Ibid. 59.
Two years later, in the fall of 1930, those supporting consolidation tried again. They submitted a new proposed Charter Amendment - by this time, numbered 35 - very much like the version from 1928. However, instead of permitting the private street railways to continue operations under revocable permits of indeterminate length, the new Amendment proposed to grant 25-year permits, subject once more to the right of the City to purchase any system at any time for fair value. ID #2146 is a map-poster supporting proposed Amendment 32. Apparently, the Citizens' Transportation Committee and other civic groups had done a better job of preparing for this second initiative, because when it was presented to the voters on November 4, 1930 (on a less-complicated ballot with only 12 proposed charter amendments and other measures), it was adopted. The Muni did eventually purchase the Market Street Railway, but not until 1944. Matoff 1999.
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Cite As:
- P.J. Mode collection of persuasive cartography, #8548. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
- Repository:
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
- Archival Collection:
- P.J. Mode collection of persuasive cartography
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.