St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-06-30
LOWRY IS SMOOTH.
He Addresses Words Of Oil
and RoseWater to the
Council.
His Past Deeds Affection
ately Referred to
Also.
~ xxy.,, nv, o-l1 EJ11
He Will Build Cables or Elec-
tric Lines if They Want
EN-.
More Hard Lines for Saloon
keepers--Health Inspectors
Confirmed.

The street car magnate must be
scared by the avidity with which the
people seized upon the Anderson q
Douglas cable proposition as an escape
from his monopoly. judging from the
following communication he sent the
council at its session yesterday after
noon. Mr.. Lowry said:
MISNEAPoLIs Mimi, June 29.-To the
Honorable Mayor and Council of the City of
MINNEAPOLIS: Before action is taken by your
honorable body on the proposed cable and
electric ordinance OF Messrs Anderson ana
douglas. desire, on behalf of the M1nneap-
oils Street Railway company, to enter pro-
test Ordinarily. contracts between corpora
tions or individuals and municipal bodies
are executed on purely legal bass,l eacn
party thereto getting all it can, and avoiding
any and all burdens not strictly imposed by
the contract. During the existence OF the
Minneapolis street railway, have been, t
only closely identified with it, but with all
itv and welfare of Minneapolis. Having
been so thoroughly identified with the cityS
interest, and almost the sole owner OF the
street railroad, have in every case avoided
a conflict with the city, and when de-
mands were made upon the company,
which to me seemed wholly unreasonable,
ana which by the terms of our charter we
were not compelled to grant, have sacrl-
feed personal interests in the desire to do
what seemed to others for the city's best in
terest. The growth and development of our
city has been wonderful and unsurpassed;
but no institution has kept pace and IN
fact in advance. of its rapid strides like the
street railroad and assert. without fear OF
contradiction, that no city of its population
in America possesses so tine and complete
street railroad system. Within the last Few
years the inventive genius OF every nation
on earth has been active III trying to pro-
duce something better than horse power to
operate street railroads. Our company has
spent much time and money in investigating
all inventions up 10 date. Those that have
been found to operate with any degree OF
satisfaction, are the cable. pneumatic
and electric systems. The cable IS pro-
nounced success. but it is so expensive as to
bar its construction except in cities and on
lines where the traffic is very heavy. Pneu-
matte power. it is claimed, has attained that
degree of perfection to warrant the assertion
that it will supersede all other devices. Elec-
trio power seems to making rapid progress, and
! think, has arrived at that stage of perfection
to warrant your honorable body in author
tZing line TO be equipped as an experiment
In case it failed, horse power could again be
resorted to. We are more anxious than the
city to substitute other and more effective
power than horses. But as yet am not pre-
pared to say as to what that power shall be.
furnish all necessary street railroad IA
cilities for the city OF Minneapolis: we
are entitled, if not by contract, by
our past deeds, to preference over any and
honorable body that the Minneapolis Street
Railroad company will build such new lines
as the city council think the public necess1-
ties demand, and supply the same with any
practicable power which your honorable
body deems best suited to the needs Of the
city. The only existing lines of the street
railway on which it is practicable to build ca
bles at the present time are Washington ave-
nue. from Twentieth avenue north to Cedar
avenue south, and the present. line to Thirty
first street. In case the council so requests,
we will substitute cables for horse power on
these two lines as soon as the same can be
built. We will also equip any of our present
lines which the council will designate, with
electricity as an experiment. and il it proves
successful and satisfactory to the council,
will rapidly substitute such power in
If it proves failure, we will
take it off as soon as such failure is decided
and operate as now. Of course we will re-
sist ell attempts to infringe on our rights.
railroad will only result in damage to both
and detriment and Inconvenience to the
public. Railway tracks are not an ornament
to any street. and only sufficient number of
our streets should be obstructed thereby to
afford sufficient accommodation to the tray
cling public and keep pace with the demands
OF the city. / sincerely hope that you will
receive this communication in the spirit in
which it is intended, and that your honora-
Bile body and the street railway company will
in the future, as in the past work harmoni
ously and hand III hand for the best interests
of the whole city.
The st. Paul City Railway company has in
operation two cable Hnes-one completed
and opened within the past few days. We
think it is better constructed than any road
In the country, and would respectfully ask
your honorable body to name time as early
as possible, say Monday next if convenient
to go to st. Paul and inspect both lines. If
accepted, we will arrange to take you in
body, and have our engineers and others on
hand competent to explain the whole sys-
ten. You will then discover what will be
necessary for the city to do to insure the sue
cessful operation of a cable line. Respect
fully submitted,
THOMAS LOWRY, President
The council, on motion of Aid.
Grimes, of the Eighth ward, accepted
the invitation. and agreed to meet at the
union station and take the $3.50 o'clock
train to ST. Paul Tomorrow morning.
Later the motion by which was de-
feated the amendment proposition from
the street railway company for the
cabling of the line of the present motor
to Thirty-frst street was reconsidered,
and it passed with but one vote in the
negative, that Aid. MCGOWAN, who said
he had no information whether the COM
pany had the right to cable the motor
limo