Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-09-22
STREET RAJLROAD COMPANY,

The General COuneil Determined TO
MAKE the company Live Up 40 Its
Charter and Contracts.
At the General Council meeting held
yesterday afternoon Councilman Dono
van, Of the Second ward, offered a reso.
luton arraigning the Memphis City
Railroad Company for violations Of
its charter and contracts with the city. 1t
WAS referred to the Committee on Rail
roads by the A%ldermanic Board, bat in
the Council a committee composed Of
Councilmen Donovan, Boyle and Beas-
ley was appointed to investigate tie
"a lroad matter. The object of the in
qliry is to compel the City Railro d
Company to keep their tracks in good
repair and to repair the streets within
their lines of track. The charter Q. the
railrOsd company, among other things,
provides in section 8 that tine tracks
shall be laid with such rails and IN such
manner as shall not obstruct carriage
travel, etc., and said company shall
keep the surface of such roads inside
their rails, and for two feet outside on
e-ch side thereof, il good order and re-
pair"
The contract with the city entered iuto
by the railroad company in July, 1872,
also provides that the said railroad
company shall SO construct and keep
in repair the tracks Of its railways that
the same shall not become a nuisance,
or impede or interfere with public
travel ETC., and that the railroad com
pany shall keep in good repair the por.
tilus o; the street inclosed within the
tracks and Two feet on each side OF the
tracks, aud the said company shall TO
pair Tia ptysment on the said portions
of the SAID streets as Often as may be
necessary to keep the same in IS goot
condition as he adjacent portions o
the said streets; but the contract shall
not be so construed as to impose upor
the railroad the obligations to lay o.
pay the cost of a new pavement OIL Ghl
streets or any part Of them" etc.
1t is q ~well.known fact that the rail
rad company has, in evav.- respect. vic
lated its contract with the city in tn.
above contract, and that the tracks of tbI
company impede public travel, and tina
|, the company has not and does not bee.
the pavement in repair. An effort i
now made to compel the ten cent m
nopoly corporation to live up to its con
tract with the city, or if it does moi
, me sures will be taken to set aside th
contract aud abolish the charter of tn
company.
The charter of the company also pro
vides that the railroad company il
authorized to charge at the rate OF fv
cents (by a sub 'equent act ten cents
for the conveyance Of passengers for tn
whole or any part of the route from tn
depot to the terminus Of said railroad
By a sharp system Of forming th'
termini of the routes the passenger i
; compelled to pay double fare-twenty
csnts-in order to r. ch his destination
> For instance, you cannot ride irou
North Memphislor Poplar street to th.
head Of Vance street or out 8eal, o
from the Mississippi and Tennessee
dept in South Memphis to the head o
Vance street or out Bsal without chan
t ing cars aud paying double fare Th
r company should be compelled to live y
e to its charter in the above respect, b.
. furnishing the passenger with a transse
l check when the changing Of cars is in
e sisted upon. Ii ia to he hoped that tn.
General Council will compel the CON
/ pany to live up to its charter aud cor
h tracts in every particular, or procec
against the company with a view to d
clare the charter and contracts ahrc
gated.
g The preamble and resolution ofere
' BY Councilman Donovan are as follow;
Whereas, The Memphis City Railroa
Comp my, operated by aud under tn
o authority OF the State Legislature, au
n by contracts entered iuto with the ct
\. OF Memphis, having failed to compl
with the s%tipulations and conditions in
u posed by said charter and contracts an
whereas, the privileges aud grants col
K ferred upon said railroad was intende
n to subserve the public interests, by a
fording cheap, speedy and comfortab.
u transport .tion, these obligations o
re their part have beeu totally ignored az
violated they having failed TO carry OIL
the true meaning and intent of the
u charter, etc, and instead Of being q publ
accommodation it is fast tending towa'
d becoming a public nuisance aud m
nopoly;
Re1olved, That a special commit,
&c Of three from this Board aud - fro
Is the Board of Aldermen be appointed,
4 conjunction with the City Attorney,
ID investigate the matters above referred {
and report at the earle t practical
3 moment their views on the subject.
of A Card From Mr.. ROOsa.
To the Editor of the Ledger;
Ihave been urged by many friends
become a candidate for the Le.islRtul
ut aud | also notice your article in vest
days LEDGER mentioning my name
:. vorably for the office. Under other C
eumstances | should be much tempt
u. to become q candidate, but as it is
nd cannot do so without making a sacri6
he of priyate interests. feel very gra