Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-26


upon the subject, propounding number
Of pertinent questions upon the subject.
The following is the reply:
THE CITY ATTORNEYS REPLY.
OFFICE OF CITY ATTORNEY, Minneapolis,
Dec 25. Hon. A. A. Ames, Mayer: Sir
| In response to your inquiries of this date,
| have to say:
| First-The Street Railway company being
public carriers, are bound to provide sufi-
cient conveyance and to carry as the needs
and convenience of the public demand.
Besides this their ordinance-section s.
| provides for the forfeiture of their
| privileges in case they neglect to properly
| operate any one of their lines. OF course
there may be exceptional cases where from
an unexpected rush the company cannot
accommodate.
Second.-Overloadin their cars is
CRUEL TO THE HORSES,
of course. This is misdemeanor in the
nature of a crime.
Between their obligation to carry and
their liability for cruelty to animals; be-
tween two evils they must choose the least.
That is when car has received all it
| ought to carry they should decline to re-
| ceive any more passengers;
NOT PUT ANY ONE OFF,
| because when passenger gets aboard and
pays his fare he is entitled to his ride; not
| stop the car on the streets, for whether
| it obstructs the streets or not, the
| thirty, more or less, passengers who are
| entitled to their ride should not be hind
| cred.
suppose the fact is that the company
HAVE NOT ENOUGH OARS:
that they are getting new ones con-
| structed as fast IS they can so that when
they are completed the larger part of the
present complication will cease.
In the meantime the company must not
| be cruel to their horses aud must, as far as
they possibly can. serve the public by
furnishing sufficient and suitable trans
portation. Very respectfully,
G. H. BENTON, City Attorn ey.
AN ARREST MADE.
Yesterday the thing was put into
operation. One of the
cars on the Fourth avenue
line having been crowded to OVERLOOKING
by passengers, the driver stopped stock
still in the street just after having made
the curve off from Washington avenue on
to Fourth avenue south. The passengers
had paid their fares and refused peremp-
torily to get off when SO ordered by the
cranky driver. Fully an hour was consumed
in this manner, and three other cars had
driven up in the rear in the meantime
A large crowd of people had also gathered
upon the streets filing and obstructing
the street proper as we'll.
Mayor Ames. came down from
his hospital and requested
the driver of the advance car to
''MovK ON"
but he absolutely refused, stating he had
been forbidden to do so by the street rail-
way company. The mayor blew
his whistle and several patroll-
men responded. The driver was
given another opportunity to move,
but would not avail himself of it. The
mayor said "drive on, or you will be taken
to the city lookup" mot very badly
answered the driver. mo one will arrest
me-" ''Take him." said his honor, and the
order was instantly obeyed. The driver was
taken tothe calaboose, where he was retained
for time, but, upon the promise that he
would not stop the car in the public streets
to
QUARREL WITH PASSENGERS
again he was released, and later in the day
he was seen upon the platform
of his car, performing his Jshu work as
though nothing extraordinary had &C.
Cured.
PUBLIC OPINION.
The GLOBE reporter also interviewed a
number of the leading citizens upon the
subject. They mostly all endorsed the &C
ton of the mayor. Many stated that for
long time the street railway company
had laughed the people to scorn, figura-
lively speaking. The city had given them
| an exclusive franchise, and now the COM
pany in return said, 1--WE own these lines,
these cars, these horses and employ these
drivers, hence We propose to run the thing
as it best suits US. If you don't like it,
| what are you going to do about it. Every
body feels highly gratiied with the legal
opinion of the city attorney as we'll. They
! are pleased to know that this exclusive
franchise can be easily declared null and
| void in the event of its having been estab-
lished that the company had failed to
properly operate any one of the various
lines.
SALT ON TIE TRACK
Another serious injury done the public
BY this monopoly company is the throwing
| of salt upon the tracks. First the en-
ployes spread the salt Oh the rails, then
the huge snow-plow is drawn over the track
| and the salt is scattered over the street in
such quantities as to destroy the proper
ties of the snow, and make sleighing very
bad-or running it entirely. In Eastern
| cities, the GLOBE reporter is informed, this
practice is prohibited, nd it certainly
| should be here. -
| THE COURTS,
Municipal Court.
Before Judge Cooleyl
Joseph Sexton, drunk; 81 or ten days.