February 10: ON THIS DAY in 1947, Clashes open fare hearing

February 10, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1911, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — Brooklyn is entitled to two additional members of the House under the new apportionment ratio established in the bill which the House passed last night. The Senate will adopt the measure without question and the House for the next ten years will consist of 433 members. Brooklyn at the present time has six members in the House. Long Island, outside of Brooklyn, has one, and it shares, in addition, a small slice of a district that flows over into Manhattan. The ratio of representation under the new arrangement is one lawmaker for every 211,877 of population. The Borough of Brooklyn, under the last census, had a population in round numbers of 1,600,000. This will entitle the borough to eight members in the House.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1939, the Eagle reported, “VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Pius XI, “The Pope of Peace,” 261st head of the Church of Rome, died today, just five days after the 17th anniversary of his reign. His frail body, wasted by illness and with features shrunken, was borne in the afternoon to the red-draped fifteenth century Sistine Chapel — where the new Pontiff will be elected — to lie in state for the homage of dignitaries. Tomorrow the body will be taken to St. Peter’s Cathedral where the first of nine funeral services will be held Sunday. Burial will be Feb. 15 in St. Peter’s. The death of the Pontiff, nearly 82, marked an interregnum in the administration of the church which Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli will fill as ‘Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church’ until a new Pope is elected.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “The city’s first public hearing on its most controversial subject — the nickel fare — opened in a jammed City Hall today before Mayor [William] O’Dwyer and the Board of Estimate. The Mayor and Controller Lazarus Joseph repeatedly interrupted two of the first three speakers, both of whom argued for a fare increase, but permitted Walter Gelhorn, special counsel of the A.F.L. Central Trades and Labor Council, to proceed without a halt in his plea for retention of the 5-cent fare. The first hour of the hearing brought a warning from Paul Windels, former Corporation Counsel, chairman of the Citizens Transit Committee and one of the most outspoken proponents of a fare raise, that unless an increase is granted and real estate is relieved of the burden of meeting mounting subway deficits there will be ‘an irresistible pressure for a 15 percent increase in rents.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1951, the Eagle reported, “TOKYO (U.P.) — An 8th Army spearhead pushed across the Han River into Seoul without opposition today while other U.N. forces captured Kimpo Airfield and the big west coast port of Inchon. Yongdungpo, Seoul’s southwest industrial suburb, also fell in the massive Allied land, sea and air offensive. It was the greatest series of Allied conquests in any single day of the entire Korea war. The Reds put up little or no opposition anywhere south or west of Seoul and there was speculation that the Korean capital itself also would fall without a major fight.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, an Eagle editorial stated, “Queen Elizabeth of England faces a world in turmoil with great sources of spiritual sustenance at her command. They trace their origins to the luminous traditions of her country in times of triumph and disaster and to the inspiration of the faith and courage of many of its leaders. Conspicuous among them is the young Queen’s father and predecessor, George VI. In Prime Minister Churchill’s moving tribute to the dead monarch, there is appropriate emphasis on many virtues of character with which only those who stood near to him were familiar. All of Britain, however, was aware of his strong devotion ‘to the enduring honor of his country.’ It cannot fail to serve as a guide to his daughter, who takes up in a spirit of sorrow the burden of responsibility that is a part of her heritage. She comes to the throne at a crucial hour in history, when strength and courage must be summoned up to meet the perils of aggression, when predatory forces are in wait for a sign of weakness to strike and embroil the world in war.”