St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-20
THE TWO REPORTS.
The Majority and Minority Sub
NIT Their Views and the Fun
Rnninc

NIT Their Views and the Fun
Begins.
The majority report on the great fran
ehise question was read by the city clerk
as printed yesterday morning, and sue
ceeding it resolution which granted,
as far as the council could legally act,
the rights detailed in the report. After
the resolution was read the minority re-
port, signed by Aids. Cole and Sterling
was read, as follows:
To the Honorable City Council of the City
of MinneapOlis-We the undersigned mem
bers of the Joint committees on railroads and
ordinances to whom was referred the appl1-
cation of MesSrs Anderson q Douglas for
grant of license and permission to construct
and operate cable and electric lines OF street
railway on the streets of this city, together
with the communication of the Minneapolis
Street Railway company upon the same sub
ject would respectfully report that they dis
sent from the report submitted by majority
of the said joint committee, ana beg leave 10
submit the following as a minority report:
The report of the majority Of the commit
tee, instead of being report on any definite
proposition, seems to US TO be report based,
not upon the consideration of the PROPOSE
ton of MessrS. Anderson d Douglas upon
It's merits, but rather as to certain conditions
which the majority thinks the City OF Mime
comply with in order to justify the council
in refusing the application OF Messrs. Ander-
son Il Douglas.
We do not understand that the street rail
Wav company has made to the council any
definite proposition such as ale embodied in
the report of the majority, and the gentle
men making that report do not know
whether the street railway company Will &C.
cept those conditions or not.
MesSrs. Anderson q Douglas nave mace
definite nrOrOSltlOnS. ana ask IOr
certain and definite privileges when we
think should be considered upon their mer-
its. If. however, we should consider the re-
port Of the majority in the llght OF dennlte
proposition by the street railway company to
do the things therein recommended and re-
quired, we still do not think the proposition
of Messrs. Anderson IL Douglas should be re-
iected, but that it should be accepted Tor the
following reasons:
clear. legal right to grant to MessrS. Anderson
q Douglass the privileges askedbT them; and
that there is no contract between the street
railway company and the city which either
legally or morally binds the city TO reject any
offer of street railway improvements such as
proposed by Messrs Anderson Douglas.
IrDOn the legal question. however, we sup
pose the council will hear and be guided by
the advice of the proper legal officer.
One OF the controlling considerations
which we have considered, and upon
which we have acted, is that
il is very impOr.ant that the city should now
have determined what are its legal rights to-
ward the Minneapolis Street Railway com
panv. That company has claimed and does
claim an exclusive right in the broadcast
sense Certainly no one question which has
been before the people of this city during It's
whole history can be of any greater import
ance Than that question. The majority re-
port seems to have drawn upon the theory of
Il recognition of this claim. The closing SEN
fences particularly contain a pledge that II
the street railway company Will accept the
conditions therein contained the council
agrees to grant no street railway franchises.
If the council now acts upon the theory
that the street railway company has got an
exclusive franchise by refusing any new
grants and especially if il should make any
such pledge as above mentioned, the street
railway comuany might with much force,
and probably successfully, urge for all fu-
ture time that the city was estopped to deny
it all that il has ever claimed III the way OF
exclusive franchises
We do not think it for the interest Of this
CITY to be placed in such position towards
any CORPORATION, and we do not believe that
this council wishes Understandings SO to
place 1t.
Third-Another, and very important con-
sideratiOn, which has devolved upon us is
that Whatever the street railway company
NAV offer to do. or actually perform, we are
firmly convinced that competition in the OPP
Grafton of street railways IN this city must
and will result in great benefit to the city
now and hereafter. We do not need to pre-
sent in detail arguments for this proposition.
II seems to us TO be so apparent that 1t
will at once strike the minds of all men
who will carefully reflect upon 1t, as one
found in common experience. The partlcu-
lar WAYS in which such competition would
so operate are too numerous TO be embodied
in such report as this. We do not believe
it is for the interests of this city to now or
ever declare that within its limits there shall
| ~ S,,,rN ont ~ r-I, ncc
which so nearly touches and affects our peo-
ple both as a whole and individually. We
are convinced that the sentiment of the peo-
ple of this city is Overwhelmingly III favor OF
granting these privileges to Messrs. Ander-
son II Douglas Our experience has taught
us that when the common intelligence of a
large community is so nearly unanimous IN
believing and in desiring thing which
touches the interests of the community at
large, that sentiment IS generally right ana
ought to be respected by the peoples repre-
senJatives.
The concluding part of the minority
report was a restatement of the Ander-
| son & Douglas franchise. as amended.
| The reading was greeted with applause.
Aid. Gilman at this point sent up COM
muuication from the trades and labor
assembly, calling upon the council to
| put up the franchise at auction.
Aid. Warren moved the adoption of
the majority report, and Aid. Sterling
moved the substitution of the minority
report. He was seconded by Aid.
Reeves. Aid. Sterling got the floor, and
the ball was opened. AID. Sterling
spoke emphatically and with much
feeling. He wished first to express his
confidence liz his colleagues and
to resent the imputations of cor
ruption he had seen in the news
papers and heard upon the streets.
| He hurled back such insinuations with
scorn. 1.-The two reports he said Il
believe, represent the honest cOnvic-
| ions of the gentlemen whosigned them.
| believe that ASP fully as believe in
the integrity of my own honor, that IS
far above my price, l have heard named
vet. Aid. Sterling proceededtO report
| briefly the argument in favor of compe-
| tition in the streetrailWay business, and
resumed his seat.
| Aid. Warren followed him. He de-
MED that the majority report pledged
| any exclusive right to the street rail
way company, that it does not do have.
and read from thereport to support him.
"The argument for the new franchise, :"
| he said, lis that it would bring capital
into the city, which would be especially
| grateful in the present period of depres-
sion. The majority report calls upon
the street railway company for the ex-
penditure of about S3,000.00O for cable
lines. Which money will we obtain
| G,e+0 Tho yoODav which tho ctrppt raj |.