Morning journal and courier., 1889-03-30
AN OPEN LETTER o the President of Yale College.

To the President of Yale College.
 Honored and Reverend Sir:
 Believing that public convenience and ne- cessity require the construction of a horse railroad to connect the northern portion of
 this city with the passenger stations of the
 Derby and the New York and New Haven railroads, Tredwell Ketcham, William W. Converse, Thomas G. Bennett, s. H. Mosely, Joseph Sheldon, Edward Bryan, R.P. .Cowles,
 Massena Clark, Gardner Morse, Marcus E.
 Baldwin, Harmanus M. Welch and myself have petitioned the legislature, now in ses- sion, for charter granting us permission to
 build road through Winchester avenue, Prospect, College and other streets to said stations.
 This route was selected for the simple req son that it is the only practicable one. The
 people of this city appear to be almost unan-
 imously in faver of the proposed road. Some
 persons along it's line are under the delusion
 that horse railroads injure private houses;
 but the number of such persons is small.
 In fact, the chief opposition to our petition
 originated from and has been carried on by a
 few men who about two months ago vainly
 endeavored to extort fee of five hundred
 dollars from us as the price of their silence.
 have been told that you have written a
 letter to the chairman of the committee to
 whom our petition was referred objecting to
 it's favorable consideration. Furthermore, l have been informed that, as president of Yale
 college, you appeared in Hartford, by attor- ney, and opposed this public measure. In view of these facts beg leave to ask: First-Have the colleges in other cities
 been damaged by horse railroads in adjacent streetsa
 Seoond-Have the Westville and Center vile horse railroads injured either the prop erty or the usefulness of Yale college? Third-Has Yale college any more right te passage over and through College street thar the humblest citizen of New Haven't Fourth-While her property is protected by all the machinery of costly government Yale college is exempt from taxation. Some years ago Yale college had an opportunity tt remove to Q more extensive and quiet site or central location. Has any such institution any right to oppose harmless measure which an overwhelming majority of tax payers regard essential to the public pros perity?
 Permit me to call your attention to anoth CT point. Your private residence is on Col lege street. You have said that horse railroad in front of a private house was { nuisance and that you objected to a road il front of your house. I beg leave to ask i your judgment in regard to the college may not be biased by feelings relative to youl personal interests2
 Yesterday morning I had the honor of ar interview with you. I then stated that g paper, favoring our petition, had been signed by fifty of the most prominent business men in town, and that the name of J. B. Sargent stood at the head of that paper, and the name of L. B. Morris at the foot. To this you replied that all these men, multiplied bJ ten thousand, were inferior in importance tc Yale college. Your remark led me to sus- pect that there may be some difference oi opinion in this community.
 Hoping this letter may lead to better comprehension of the matter in question aad thus promote the cordial feeling which it if desirable should exist between Yale college and the citizens of New Haven, I remain very respectfully your obedient servant. J. P. PHILLIPS.