, 1880-09-05

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER
time as was the first horse-ral'Way "nen
constructed on State street IN 1903. ...:.
The South S!aaa, however, Is but small
portion Of the city. 1T contains but fraction
| over. one-fourth OF the whole population,
The great spread OF population Is 1n the Wes'
| and North Divisions Between the central
| part Of the city and these divisions the river
interposes an fnsuperable barrier to the con-
! struction Of elevated railways. Such I'M
proyements, when constructed, as they un-
| doubtedlywill be, must have thelr downtown
| termini at Canal OF Knzie street. An ele-
vated railway with branches may yet, and
within short time, become Indispensable to
furnish therapidly-increasing population now
living in that part of. the city west OF Canal
street. This district, ten years hence, If it be
furnished with the means Of rapid communi-
cation with the other parts OF the city, may
contain half million Inhabitants, and the
greater their number the greater will be the
necessity for speedler transit than can be
furnished by horse-railways. In like man
ner the North section of the city will need
something faster and something capable OF
moving more people than the horse-cars; and
La Sale or Franklin street may yet. become
the route OF an elevated railway extending
even into the suburban villages, and render
ing Lake View. In point Of time as near the
river as is Chicago avenue at present.
But however remote may be the day for
lines of elevated roads to meet the pressing
wants Of city travel, nothing Is so much cal
culated to make them an immediate necessity
as an insufficient supply Of horse-ratlways.
However numerous may be the cars now EN-
ployed, their insuf6ciency on the North and
West Sides is shown whenever travel Is In
terrupted by the opening Of bridge. In a
few years, to accommodate. the travel on
clark street and on Madison and Randolph
-treets, there will have to be continuous
double professions OF cars occupying those
streets exclusively by day and by night.
There must be more lines of travel opened
for horse-cars, or living west OF Halsted
street and north: of Chicago avenue
will become intolerable to persons doing
business in the southern part OF the
city. To open these additional streets for
horse-ral1way travel would be simple thing
wer it not for the necessity Of crossing the
river. The cars now SO crowd the bridges
that they greatly incomn1ode all other vehi-
cles. All the bridges crossing the main river,
except that at Rush street, are now used by
horse-cars. To the west, Randolph, Madison,
and Van Buren street bridges are used by
horse-railways, and there are now pending
applications by several companies to estab-
lish line on Lake street; and we do not see
why lines may not be also put on Adams
street, Harrison street, and Twelfth street..
The additional lines are all needed. and the
want Of them is positively great inconven-
ience.
just here It Is probably the time to suggest
that, while the cityhas been heretofore most
]ihe. II in its dealings with horse-raiIways.
the City Government should remember that
the general public have some rights and In
terests which might now be as well asserted.
The horse-railways are not struggling for ex-
istence; they are all able to maintain them
selves and to declare dividends that are
large, no matter to what proportions their
capital stock may; be increased. Without
saying anything as regards the past, and
without raising any question as to disturb
ing vested rights, would it not be well for
the Council to withhold any further fran
chises unless there be some compensatory
consideration made to the city? Thereis
not .dray, a truck, an express-wagon, or
a hack, or any';other vehicle. used in
this city for miro Or gain which
does not pay; into: the City Treasury
ncense-fee, we except the cars Of the
horse-railways. The bridges used by the
horse-ca are occupied -one-half the time
By the cars, which in like manner have the
right of way, to the exclusion of other ye-
hic1es, on both bridges and streets. Has not
the time now arrived when the City Govern
ment before extending these privileges and
these franchises, or granting them to new
lines, should, stipulate ~ that the horse
railway companies using any bridge shall
be compelled to keep the same in repair, and
when thereto required shall build new
bridge in place of the old one; or (2), that the
company shall be allowed to use its addi-.
tional privileges upon condition Of paying an
annual ucense-fee for each car run by it In
the city; or (3), In lieu OF these considera-
tions, that the company shall pay monthly
into the City Treasury. one cent, or one
half cent, or even quarter cent, for each
passenger carried by it during said month,
not only on the newly-authorized lines OF
routes, but on all the lines operated by said |
company within the city? =.
It is possible that within the next few years
there will be as many miles Of new horse
railway opened In the city as there are now
operated. Such additional service has or will
become public necessity; and it is for the
City Government now, and before it enlarges
existing or grants new franchises, to con-
slider that if these franchises are worth grant
ing at all they are worth paying for, and that
now is the time to make them contribute to
the City Treasury and to the benefit of the
general public, We submit this suggestion
to Mayor Harrison, to the City Controller, to
the Railway Committee Of the Council, us
we'll as to the City Council generally, and to
tho public. ~, =.
0UR SCHOOLS.
TO-fn0rrnyr tha n1lhlfc schools Of Chicago