St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-14
AGAINST THE MOTOR.
Owners of Many Ducats Oppose the Rapid
Transit to the Eighth
Ward.
At a Mass" Meeting They Kick Vigor
Ously Against the Use Of
Steam.
Resolutions Said TO be Adopted De-
claring War TO the Knife
Against IL.
Was Cut aud Dried.


and residence avenues and streets by the
tracks and trains of the Minneapolis, Lyn-
dale & Minnetonka Railway company" 10
meet and protest against the further con-
tinuance Of the steam motor on our central
streets'-whch call purpOrted to signed by
several hundred citizens whose names were
published including several who are resi-
dents of cemeteries and Others who long
since left the state-an anti-motoT meeting
was held at Harrison hall last evening.
Exactly ESQ persons were present, presum-
ably including alp those citizens of Min
neapOlis who object 1t was very evident
to those versed in such things as all re-
pOrters necessarily must be, that the pro-
ceeding from beginning TO end were ''cut
and dried" including the eloquent appeals
of the attorneys employed in the various
suits from time TO time against the motor,
one of the attorneys inadvertently adj
hitting that he was still under pay, and
would see the thing through. The meeting
was presided over by Mr.. Elwood s. Cor
ser, former president of the city council.
and the gentleman 10 whom the pub
lie is mainly indebted for the intro
ductiOn of steam as motive power. The
secretary was Mr.. Charles p. Stevens,
while Mr.. George A. Bracket. who was
never known to do a wrong. acted as
prompter and reminded the chairman from
time to time. who was to speak next.
S. c. Gale opened the oratorical depart
ment by giving what he claimed TO be the
early history of the motor, claiming
that II was always understood that
IL was TO be street railway
only, and conducted in such a way as to be
Objectionable to none. The council re-
tanned the right to prohibit steam and in
view of this fact and the fact that the
Eighth ward has since then been mainly
bnilt up. the claims of the people there
abOuts are devoid of truth or sincerity. As
matters now are the streets are cOnfiscated
and the immense cars show an intention TO
use steam permanently. The issue is
squarely forced upon us. and owing to the
courageous conduct of one man
the outspoken attitude of Mr..
Washburn - we are In shape
to meet it. In regard to the alleged ad-
vance in values on First avenue south every
body knows that 1t is because the under
standing was that steam would go. Asses
sor Case has persistently claimed that for
that reason he Ignored the motor
IN MAKING ASSESSMENTS.
We are ready to stand anything provided
the management removes steam. uses o
single track and ordinary cars. but steam
will not be endured.
Chairman Corser next announced
distinguished attorney living on
Nicollet avenue, but A. V. Merrick
hardly knew why he was called upon. and
referred to his notes to see. The Eighth
ward was a pleasant refuge for politicians,
and no one objected to the removal of
steam. The people must have rapid
transit, but the street railways were
rapid enough. at present Nicollet avenue
was deserted. and property thereon worth
next to nothing. while it was notorious that
fences were constantly burned by the motor.
The time is coming when the courts will
give redress If the council fails. and permit
only single cars to run. Now trains of
never less than three cars are run at a rate
of from twenty-five to thirty miles an hour,
and generally the trains were of four.
| five and even six cars. In pleasant
weather decent people are annoyed
| by picnic trains loaded down with thou
sands of people from morning till night
trains following one another as fast as they
can 90. and no one knowlwhere it will end
Butt is a case pending in the supreme
court, on an appeal from Saltwater, the
decision of which
WILL sETT LIE THE THING
| IL It Is decided right, and no mans prop
erty will be taken without compensation.
| We don't propose to submit much longer.
1t is no use relying on the city
council, as the members of that
body are too easily fixed up,
at least Col. McCrary always claimed so.
Chairman COrseT then announced that
we have another lawyer present, and Hon.
Eugene NJ. Wilson frankly stated that he
appeared in that character. whereupOn he
made an eloquent plea, claiming that the
franchise was worth $500, 600. and that
August Ende and his other clients should
have their due. The continued use of steam
! would cut the city In two in the center and
that as a cable line could be laid without any
expense worth noticing, the present
wealthy owners Of the motor should be
made to bleed. The soda fountain or
seidlitz-powder steam was delusion and a
snare, and his clients wouldn't submit to IL,
and if the council does its duty the cable
will go down at once. E. j. Phelps, who
stated yesterday that he favored the shot
gun policy, including tearing up
the track, was the next speaker.
lie said he was comparatively newcomer,
and protested against mere child like the
Eighth ward debating to its parents. he
demonstrated that the motor deprecated
the value Of property throughout that ward.
after stating that the residents near Lake
street and avenue depended on street
ears. and not motor. he read figures
showing the street car system 10 be far
preferable especially from rapid stand
point. Rev. j. +. Chaffee was the next
speaker. He insisted that the mo-
ton smelled bad and that the city should
make war on the Eighth ward.
As to the soda motor he could say little
Soda was good for wind on the stomach,
however. The chairman announced that a
citizens league had been organized with 9
membership of great dimensions. Nearly
all Of you are members and your executive
committee has drawn up some resolutions
which will now read, as follows:
THE RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved, That we call upon our city coun
ell, which is the guardian OF our rights to re
deem the pledge made in the original ordi
: nance, and repeated many times In othe
ordinances and TO remove AT once from, ant
forever prohibit on our central streets ant
avenues inside OF Twenty-second street, III
steam motor and any other OBJECTIONABLE
motor, as we'll as all tracks and trains of tn
Minneapolis. Lyndale & Minnetonka Railwa,
company inconsistent with the rightful us
) and occupation Of our public streets an
: avenues; and,
Resolved, That the position taken by tn
Hon. w. ID. washburn respecting the use O
steam on our streets, receives our full ap
prevail and deserves the recommendation of al
g good citizens, and that IL has especial fines
9 from the fact that Mr.. washburp has N
r property injured by the motor line. and base
: bis action purely upon the equities involved
and the general good OF our city; aud
Resolved. That we pledge ourselves neve
to rest until our just demand for the removl
of the tracks ana trains OF the Minneapolis
l Lyndale Minnetonka railway. as at preseu
e operated, from our central streets Is compile
- Al