St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-25
THE TIME FOR ACTION.

u
This week promises to be an impor-
tant one in st. Paul's history, inaSmuch
as it is likely to establish for long
time to come the city's policy with re-
gard to street transit. 1t is hardly
possible that under the pressure OF pub
lie sentiment council can longer post
pose definite action on matter in
which the people are so Immediately in
terested. Everything that can be said
has been said. Every opportunity to
outside parties to come in and be heard
has been granted, and it does seem that
every possible device to delay action
has been resorted to. In order to OBJ
tain new and improved transit facilities
the granting of new franchise becomes
necessary. Experience has demon
strated to the people of st. Paul
the necessity for more carefully
guarding their interests in the
future than in the past, and it
has been this attempt on the
part of the people to protect themselves
which seems to have confounded the
city council to such an extent that it is
scarcely able to tell whether it has an
existence or not, or, if it has, what are
the purposes of its existence. Judging
from the apparent trepidation with
which council grapples the franchise
question, and from the otherwise mex
plicable hesitancy in its movements,
one is impressed with the idea that pro-
tecting the public interests against the
aggression of corporation is such a
novel experience with that body it has
been dazed by the newness of its sur
roundings.
But the time for action has arrived.
There can be no more slumbering or
folding of the hands. AS the represent
atives of the people of this city the
members of the city council must by
this time be impressed by the gravity of
the situation, and with the immense re-
sponsibility resting upon their Shout
ders. 1t is no child's play that
they have in hand, nor is it a matter
that will admit of temporiZing policy.
Whatever is to be done must be done
promptly, and it must be done wisely.
The people of this city have considered
this franchise question thoughtfully
and intelligently, and the result of their
mature deliberation is embodied in the
ordinance reported by the council COM
mittee ON streets proposing to grant to
the st. Paul Street Railway company
the right to construct and operate cleo
trio motor lines on the streets of this
city. The safeguards and limitations
which the people believe to be essential
to their own protection are included in
that ordinance. They ask nothing more,
and will be satisfied with nothing less.
Unless the council is prepared to
convince the people of this city
that they are wrong in their
views and unjust in their demands,
for the life we of us fail to see why
action upon the matter should be pro-
crastinated, or why any course contrary
to the popular will should be pursued.
So we take it for granted that we shall
this week have decisive action by the
council, and, in view of the grave i'm
portance of the issues involved, the de-
cision will be worthy of the legislative
body of great municipality like st.
Paul. 1t is not for to-day. or for next
week. or for next year. that we are ex-
perimenting with new transit system,
but we are laying broad and deep the
foundations for permanent system of
street railway improvements. If the
members of the council will bear this
in mind, and remember that they are
the rpDrpSnntatiy of thp DaOnla and
not the champions of any particular
company or individuals, the interests of
the city will be safe.