The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-21

For screaming farce commend us to the
report of the committee on the new street
railway and the action of the City Council
thereon whereby, by a vote of IA to Z, the
citizens of indianapolis are delivered over
forever to the merces of the present COM
pany for street-car facilities and accommoda-
tons. According to this marvellous report
and the more marvellous vote of the fourteen
honesty" involved, which would not per-
nit the monopoly of the present
company to be interfered with.
1t is hard to consider this action with pa
thence in any light, the most charitable, in
which it may be viewed. The railway COM
pany has violated its contract with the city
In every possible way, seemingly taking de-
light in ignoring every consideration of the
comfort and convenience of the public
Old rails have been laid, CIV. rail has
been used, the tram of the rails
has been laid outward so as to
destroy the roadway of the street. the
streets have been cut up and dismantled
without let or hindrance, "bebtail' and
bandbox cars are in daily use, the abuses
and discourtesies to which passengers are
continually subjected are reported and talked
OF in vain-the charter of the company is
daily and hourly violated in score of par
ticulars; but, forsooth, the sense of moral
honesty" in the Council is so acute that it
will not permit the granting of
the right of way to a competing
company, thus securing to the city the CAPT
tai to be invested in the new enterprise and
to the people the additional facilities and
conveniences promised. We congratulate
the councilmen upon this wonderful tender
ness of conscience, this sudden and strange
awakening. This same Council can embark
in the enterprise of building a useless city
hall, the expense of which no one
can foretell-the ordinance providing for
the work specifically stating that
when $3.50 are spent work shall stop"
showing that it is not intended to complete
the building for that sum. This same Coun-
Gil could not bring itself to vote even so con-
temptible license fee for liquor saloons as
$50 year, but with a sauctimonious leer of
''moral honesty" deliberately gives over the
full monopoly of the streets OF
the city for all time to one
company. For if the moral honesty" of
the Council will not permit rival company
to come here until the alleged option of the
present company is exhausted, of course the
monopoly will lay worn-out or "T' rail
wherever it may be necessary to occupy dis
puted territory, and thus crowd ont every
rival forever. 1t is not often a rich and
prosperous company comes across a compla-
cent Council the members of which will vote
fortunes into its Golfers for the asking. The
City Council of indianapolis, however is so
troubled with the "moralities' of an alleged
contract which confessedly has no force in
law and which is treated as so much waste
paper by the party of the second part that
it makes haste to vote untold possibilities of
wealth into the pockets of monopoly.
"Tis strange, it's passing strange" If the re-
ported ground for the action OF the Council
be the true one, the members should not
venture too far from home. Their verdant
and unsophistcated natures are certain to be
made the prey of designing and wicked peo-
pie. For there are such in the world.
A PRESS dispatch from Lafayette, presuma-