Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-09
THE sTREEr.cAR FRANCHISE.
Prospect that the J-Street Cars Will b
Taken OR

Prospect that the J-Street Cars Will be
Taken of.
| The Board of City Trustees yesterday
! listened to arguments for and against
| granting the request of the Central Street
Railway Company for a modification of
! its charter so as to permit them to use
horses, and again postponed action for a
week. The whole matter has finally come
down to an effort on the part of small
number of those who subscribed towards
the construction of the road to evade the
payment of their subscriptions. They ad-
NIT that the road was promptly and well
built; that its construction has enhanced
the value of property all along the line
that the present horse-car service is excel
lent and giving satisfaction, but they saw
they subscribed with the understanding
that it was to be an electric road, and un-
less it is to be run by electricity they will
not pay the amounts subscribed by them,
The following letter illustrates their po-
sition:
SACRAMENTO, Cal, July ., 1889
Central Street Railroad Company E. Il ALsip
Secretary, Sacramento, CdI-DEAR SIRs: We are
directed by E. A. Burr, and We do hereby notify
you. that he has received a dun from the Ma
500, claimed to be due from him to you upon
his subscription to your company for the build
ing of the road on J street that Mr.. Burr signed
said subscription with the express promise and
understanding that the road should be propelled
by electricity, and that if you continue to pro-
pei the road by electricity he is ready to pay his
subscription, but If you change your propelling
power, either fyour own motion or by act of
the Trustees, he shall decline to pay his sub
scription. We are further directed to notify Won
that II you will release him from his subscrip-
ton he will make no objection to the passage of
the franchise asked for by your company giving
your company the right to propel cars by horses;
but unless you do release him from his subscrip-
ton he shall feel it his duty in order to protect
himself, to protest against the passage the or.
dinsnce asked by you. An early reply addressed
to ourselves will be appreciated by Mr. Burr
and yours very truly,
JoHNsoN, JOHNSON & JOHNSON.
1t would seem as though the question as
to whether the subscribers must paw the
amounts subscribed, in case the road is not
run by electricity, is a matter of law, and
not for the Trustees to decide Ifthe COM
pany has not carried out its part of the
contract with the subscribers it will not be
able TO collect, but it is the duty of the
Board OF City Trustees to do that which is
best for the people of the whole city. The
question is, Since it is evidently impos-
slble at this time to have an electric road,
do we want horse-car Hne?" The senti-
ment of the people is almost unanimous
IN favor of the horse cars, in preference to
none at all, or even in preference to a poor
and unsatisfactory electric road
at the meeting of the Board yesterday
L. L. Lewis, President of the Central Rail
road Company, said that there was but one
thing for the company to do. If on Mon
day next the Board refused to modify the
franchise, the horse cars would be with
drawn and the single electric car put on
again and run as often as the company
could afford to run ii, which would not be
very often. He said they should regret
very much to be compelled to take this
step, but there was no other course left for
them. They had put large amount of
money in the road; it was paid for, and
they did not propose to go in debt for
further equipments upon an uncertainty