Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-07-27
MINNEAPOLIS

RAILROAD CROSSING ASSOCIATION.
The Meeting Held In Turner Hall Last
Evensn0 ADDRESS Of Citw Attorney Ben
tOn-Resolstions, Etc.
A meeting OF the Minneapolis Railroad
Crossing association was held in Turner's
hall last evening. The meeting was called to
ordsr by Anthony Kelly, president, W. J. Alb
erneth by acting as secretary. The first order
report of Ethe secretary, which specified the
progress made towards securing
the object of the association,
the bridging of the railway crossings of the
city. 1t mentioned the black eye which the
association had received from the hands of the
city council, but stated considerable progress
had nevertheless been made. The report was
adopted.
Byron Sutherland offered the following reso-
luton, which was adopted:
Resolued, That the action Of the committee
and the officers OF the association since the
last meeting of this association is heartily en-
dorsed and approved, and that they are by
their action entitled to the thanks OF the PEG.
pie Of North Minneapolis.
CITY ATTORNEY BENTON
being called upon made a short address. He
began by calling the attention to an omission
in his report, that OF the fact that
the matter was still in the hands of the coun-
ell committee on ways and means, and would.
undoubtedly finally result in the end being
accomplished. He thought it was not alone
to the interest of the citizens OF North Min
nespolis that the crossings be bridged, but
that 1t was TO the interest OF the whole
city, because whatever concerns
one portion of the city it was likewise for the
interests OF the whole city. IL is a single
corporation, and therefore the interests of
each portion of the city are identical.
/. As TO the means OF getting the desired
bridges, the speaker said, there Is question
as to the propriety Of the policy OF being
for which they were laboring required time.
He advocated the continuance OF meetings
and the continuance OF agitation. But the
association must not be too impatient and
expect too much. He was in favor of accom-
plishing compromise between the railways
and the people: The railway companies, con.
cede the fact that the tracks must and will
eventually be bridged. The question alone
lies in how much Of the labor of construct
ing the bridge should aevolve upon the rail-
way companies and how much upon the city.
1t had been urged that it was the duty of
railway corporations to build 1T all. But they
will not do that without a struggle. II the
COtumittcc iIOnl COQuCii III WnOsc uduuS tut
bridging resolution now ID, would make propo-
sition to the railway companies for a compro-
mise. He thought the tracks should be
lowered. Manager Hill has already mani
tested his Willingness to lower the tracks
within a certain time. He proposed that the
committee use the above resolution IS an ex-
cuse for an interview with the railway cor
porations and open negotiations for propo-
sItions.
Mr.. Kelly stated that he had seen Manager
Hill, who told him that while the engineers
of the company thought there were many 90.
stacles in the way of lowering the tracks, as
suggested by the city council. vet he (Mr.
HilD thought he knew Of a way by which it
could be done.
MAYOR AMEs
was the next speaker. AS practlcing physi-
clan he deemed the railroad crossings dam
gerous and nuisance. To his
knowledge the Chicago, Milwaukee 81 st. Paul
Railroad company was willing and ready to do
what is fair and equitable in building Bridges
over its tracks in South Minneapolis. In the
event the railway corporations could not be
induced or compelled to build bridges, il the
public expense, the result must needs
be happy. The property OF the
city would be enhanced ten-fold. He
was in hearty sympathy with the association
and vouchsafed his full cooperation.
BYRON SUTHERLAND
followed. He believed negotiations were a
fine thing, but negotiations would not stop a
railroad train which was about to run over
you. He beleived.the only thing for the asso.
citation to do was to punch up the,city council
to active measures. Let the council first
do what they can to get the railway compa-
MES to build the bridges, and failing, then
take measures to construct them by the city.
Mr.. Kelly had little faith in punching"
up. They had been punching for many months.
1t had been very Improbable and unsatisfac-
tory. They had only made a big fizzle. Speak
ing of the evils of the crossings
he stated that he had repeatedly
witnessed the blockading for many minutes
by freight train, and then whenit was broken
it would be closely followed by II switch en-
CINE, without permitting single team to
pass between them.
The question of negligence ON the part of
the policemen to enforce the ordinance con-
trolling the moving Of cars acress streets was
brought up by Mr.. Kelly. The mayor re-
sponded that he should make an investigation
OF the matter, and if he found the complaints
well founded he should zee that the evil was
remedied at once.
Mr.. Kelly opposed further delay from the
fact that damage to many times the cost of
building the bridges must result to the
property adjoining the tracks, from the change
of grade which will be made in constructing
| the approaches, after fine and costly business
blocks shall have been built.
The meeting was adjourned upon the
adoption of q set of stringent resolutions,
too lengthy for publication.