St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-05
AT LAST ALL GET IN.
No Exclusive Franchise for
q Conduit COM
pany.
The Ih2mson-Houston and
: Edison Franchises
Passed.
The Council Finally Gets Ac-
ton on the PerpleXing
Problem.
Nov, NH@vxo kI>~
A New Move in the Track
Bridging Cues
ton.

over the underground conduit ordi-
nances yesterday at its morning and
afternoon sessions, and finally sue
ceeded in passing the Edison and Thorn
sOn-Houston ordinance in a battered
and amended condition. After its I'M
successful Friday night struggle the
council assembled at 10 o'clock yeSter-
day morning, and AID. Sterling was
called to the chair. The special order
was the second reading of the two
ordinances. and all the men,
bers but Aid. Chimes, Tultz
and Warren were present to
take hand in the fray. Aid. Under
wood opened the ball by hurting back
the insinuation that he had been bought
up by the DOrsett people. He simply
opposed discrimination and intended to
do so. He then moved to go into COM
mittee OF the whole. Father Parry of
the Seventh ward was called to the
chair and the second reading of the Edi-
son ordinance was begun by the clerk.
Aid. johnson undertook to explain the
situation. 1--WE have passed" he said,
"a general ordinance governing the
introduction of subways which
makes the greater part Of
these two ordinances superfluous.
All that we really need is to annul the
general ordinance so that these two
companies can go in under the present
law. The space ought to be extended
also two feet toward the curb for the
benefit of the Edison people," Aid.
johnson outlined an amendment to the
general ordinance embOdying these
armand m re ond ~ IN nv,
the committee. Then Mr.. johnson pro-
ceeded to reduce the Edison and Thorn
son-Houston ordinances by amendments
that cut out unnecessary sections and
left them nothing but permissions to 60
on with their work in the city trench.
These amendments called out
DIVERSIFIED DISCUSSION
which was not always good natured nor
to the point. Aid. Loye made one
of his buncombe speeches about fran
chises, and Aid. Vandewaker made
demand for the definite allotment of
space in the trench. He also dwelt
upon the question of selling franchises
and thought the city should at least have
a percentage of the gross receipts of the
conduit companies. Aid. Woodward
moved an amendment that they pay 10
per cent of their gross earnings but the
motion was lost and 8 per
cent substitute was recommended
by the committee. After full
ly considering the amendments
the committee rose and the discussion
rebegan over the acceptance of its
recommendations. Ald:.Johnson moved
to amend by striking out the per cent
clause, but was beaten by large ma
jority. The aldermen In favor of al
low fhn o,,S0 To T,r4<
were Barrows, Brazie, Farnsworth,
Reeves. Smith and Johnson.
Several motions were made affecting
Sterling in the chair, being not satisfied
with the progress made, began to push
matters to vote. Then Aid. Wood
ward got ratified and wanted to adjourn,
because, he said, ''two-thirds of
the members do not under
stand what they are voting on"
This gave Mr. johnson his opening and,
turning on the youthful member, he re-
marked: "The gentleman certainly
undertakes the ability of two-thirds of
the members, though he may under
stand his own" Then Mr.. johnson re-
stated the objects and provisions of the
ordinance and added: eff the council
can not hold that in its head until a
vote is taken it had better adjourn till
the next election" The laughter at
Woodward's expense was quite vOcifer-
Gus and under cover of it Mr.. johnson
got through an amendment requiring
the Edison company to put in its plant
within twelve months. It was then de-
creed that the ordinance was granted,
subject to all ordinances that may here
after be granted on the same matter.
The council was then ready to vote and
THE ORDINANCE PASSED, 81 TO IL
Yeas-Adams. Barrows, Brazie, Bursell,
Billings, Cole, Downs, Enstad, Flaten, Farms
worth, Gray, Hunter, Loye, Meloy, Potter,
Parry, Rhode, Reeves, Smith, Swanson, Ster
lug, Vogt, Johnson-23.
Nayes-Brueshaber. Bradish, Bliehfeldt,
Lowell, MCGOWAN, Phillips, Thompson,
Woodward-12.
Aid. Vandewaker declined to vote.
The council then adjourned until 8
o'clock when the Thomson-Houst0n
ordinance was taken up, read the Sec
ond time and passed with amendments.
The johnson amendment to the general
ordinance was read the first time and
referred to the committee on ordinances.
1t is by far the most important amend
ment before the council and provides that
''There is hereby granted to all per-
sons or companies using. operating or
leasing electric wires or cOnduitS the
right to use the space on each side of
every roadway within the limits, six
feet wide, and not to exceed four feet
below the grade of the street; provided
no system of underground wires shall
in any way interfere with any city i'm
provements, and that all companies and
persons laying wires and c0nduits
under the provisions of this ordinance
shall begin work at time fixed by the
council. All persons accepting this Or
dinance assume liability for accidents
in putting their wires under
ground, and shall at all times hold the
city harmless therefrom and all dam
ages growing out thereof"
THIS AMENDMENT,
if it passes, will save the city from the
annoyance of having the streets torn
up at different times. because it compels
them to agree on time when they are
ready to go into the trench and go in to-
gether. The Dorsett people also claim
that this amendment relieves them from
the weight of bad defeat, because they
think the other companies cannot agree
on time when they will have to go, and
therefore they will have tH &c into II. the
Dorsett system. The North Amer
lean Telegraph, Westinghouse, Brush
Electric, and A. D. T., COM
panies have already agreed to 60
into the Dorset company'S system, and
the Thompson-Houston people are ex-
pectteeu TO. Their only object, so it is
Said, was to get better bargain from
the Dorsettites by having the right to
put in system of their own. The net
result of the days work by the council
is that the Dorsett, Thomson-Honston
ord Ed;con oomoanios all nave FRAN