The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Denis Loof

Civil and Political Speechmaking

7/29/2015

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Fare hikes, poor service, overcrowding, lack of access in growing areas of the city. These are all things that we can relate to today when talking about the subway system and the MTA in general. But while these are certainly issues still, the election of Mayor John Hylan was also won on a campaign that railed against the poor subway service and ever-increasing fares. While on the surface, this may seem like a very familiar story, the circumstances surrounding the subway system in the early 20th century were vastly different than they are today.

The primary difference between the subway now and the subway then is that in the early 20th century the system was not unified. This meant that there were numerous lines that were run in different ways. But the biggest difference was that the lines were not publicly owned, they were owned and run as private entities. The two companies that owned the subway system at the time were the IRT and the BRT. While the companies were independent, they were required to sign contracts with the city, and these contacts contained a clause that stated the subway would cost 5 cents per ride. At the time, this was a bargain considering the cost of so many other goods, like coal and steel that literally kept the system running and were essential to system maintenance, were rising. A once profitable business was becoming less and less so by the year. (DuTemple, 59-60)

While some sympathized with these business owners who were providing a fairly important service at the time, the majority of New Yorkers did not. One New York resident who was in the latter camp was John Hylan. Hylan was Mayor from 1918 to 1925 and was opposed to the private ownership of the subway system. This was a major focus of his first campaign, and during his first administration he proposed the construction of a publicly owned line, the IND. This line was not started until the final days of his second term in office, but his ultimate goal of keeping the fare at 5 cents, eliminating private ownership of, and unifying the subway system was finally realized years later. (DuTemple, 61) (New York Times, 21)

While the issue of the subway system is not the main focus of Hylan’s 1922 inaugural address, it was alluded to in a number of ways. The most obvious of these references comes when Hylan mentions the fact that prior to his election, the city was mainly focused on serving special interests and corporate interests. It is also apparent when he mentions the “up-state interests” who threatened the city during his first campaign, as the state government was seen as an ally of the transit corporations and was alleged to be attempting to eliminate the 5 cent fare in favor of a higher one. (New York Times, 10)

This brings us to the other issue that was a centerpiece for Hylan and his administration while in office: home rule in New York City. Again, similar to the issue of transportation and subway service, this is still a major issue today. An example of this is the recent decision by New York States highest court that expanded taxi service to include Green Outer Borough Taxis. . This case substantially expanded state control over city affairs in a way that Mayor Hylan would have decried vociferously.

In a section of the speech titled “Home Rule Denied to New York City” Hylanspeaks out strongly against the decision of the State Legislature, which denied the city more control over it’s own issues. A quote that exemplifies this is when Hylan states “The refusal of the Legislature to permit the City of New York to conduct its own affairs untrammeled by legislative interference, can only be construed as an obvious attempt to obstruct the City Administration in its endeavors to reduce the tax bills already skyrocketed by mandatory legislation, direct State taxes, and other legislative impositions.” (New York Times, 10) He goes on, “The conference which I called in this building of the Mayors, Corporation Counsels and members of the Legislature from the cities throughout the State, unmistakably demonstrated that the difficult problem of protecting its citizens from the legislative raids and freeing them from the strangle-hold of public utility corporations.” (New York Times, 10)

Both of these quotes exemplify the intent of the inaugural message. Hylan was looking to rally his base around two issues; transportation, which was briefly addressed in the reference to “public utility corporations” and the lack of control City government had over its own affairs. This related to issues of taxation, surely, but also went back to the main issue that stuck with Hylan for the entirety of his time as Mayor, transportation. During his first term, the Republican dominated State government created a commission to unify the transit system and stabilize the fare, but in doing so the commission would be allowed to create a sliding rate of fare. This was unacceptable to Hylan, who was determined to keep the fare at a rate of 5 cents. He decried the commission as State overreach into City affairs and stated that the only reason it was created was to burden the City with an outdated above ground system and raise the price of the fare for the benefit of the corporate transit companies.

Having known nothing of Hylan going into this assignment, I have to say that reading about the man was a complete joy. His views strongly align with mine today in that I, too, think the City should have significantly more power over its own affairs and that something has to be done about the deteriorating service and infrastructure of our modern subway system. Hylan was a strong advocate for the City of New York, and that shows in his emphasis on progress within the City, honesty and efficiency from those working within the City government, and his railing against those who chose to serve special interests over the good of the public.

Works Cited

DuTemple, Lesley A. The New York Subways. Lerner Publications Company, 2003. Web. 29 July 2015.

“Ex-Mayor Hylan Dies Suddenly of Heart Attack.” The New York Times.1936. Web. 29 July 2015.

“Text of Mayor Hylan’sInagural Message.” The New York Times. 1922. Web. 29 July 2015