Omaha daily bee., 1890-12-02
Wanted-Boys at American District Tel
egraph Office.
The (ity Council.

The meeting of the city council last night
was -eminently gathering of the city
fathers TO discuss charters and franchises
They we're no little common everyday fran
chises that people are in the habit Of asking
of the city, but were franchises and charters
asking the right to invest capital in amounts
that reach well up into the millions. The
two prin cipal charters asked for were by the
Twin City street railway company
and the Interstate bridge and street
railway company. The former was
to take the place of the charter granted at
previous meeting, but which the mayor
neglected to sign, and which the company re-
fused to accept on account of the numerous
restrictions that had been placed upon it by
the council The Twin City company is
backed by j. w. Paul. who has invested sew
eral hundred thousand dollars in Council
Bluffs realty in the vicinity of the river, and
a powerful corporation back of him. The
other charter is asked for by the East omaha
land and improvement company, backed by
unlimited capital in the hands of some of the
most progressive and aggressive men in
Omaha. Both companies propose TO build
and operate street car lines across
the river and throughout the two
cities. The latter company proposes to
constructa Sl,200,000 bridge over the river
connecting Council Bluffs with East Omaha
The interests of both are antagonistic and
competitive, and the council IS surrounded
by a lively fight. The Omaha " Council
Bluffs electric motor line and bridge COM
pany has SHE'D its castor into the ring and is
engaged in a hot fight against both of the
new companies. The council is in trying
position, but the general public is jubilant,
confident that out of all the turmoil only gen
eral good can come; assuring additional ties
to bind the Interests of the twin cities and q
8 cent fare both WAYS.
The ordinance submitted by the Twin City
company differs slightly from the former one
amended and passed by the council, 1t is al
most verbatim copy of the Omaha motor
charter, and relieves the company of some of
the restrictions that were deemed too en-
barrassing Incorporated by the council in the
rejected one.
In the charter submitted by the Interstate
company every provision incorporated by the
council in the ordinance rejected by the Twin
City company is volun tarially added. The
charter was prepared jointly by Finley
Burke, esq, and the attorneys of the land
company in Omaha, and is candid, fair and
| explicit. "If ] thought there was n
scheme to it, if l thought the com
pany did not intend TO comply with
every provision, if thought fora minute that
| the intention was not to build u bridge and n
| railway system of the character described, /
wouldn't touch it," remarked MIR Burke.
| "But know Wnat am talking ABOUT, ana
| know what is coming. l know that all the
| company desires is a charter under which it
| can build and operate it's bridge and lines. IL
| is rs fair charter as can he drawn, without
subtilty or disguised loopholes through which
| the company can sneak out of its obligations
| to the city and the people,
| The charter is very brief and explicit. 1t
grants the right to build and maintain street
railway lines on all the streets of Council
| Bluffs and East Omaha, except Broadway
| west of Sixteenth street and other streets
exempted 1t runs for period of twenty
| five years and asks no exclusive rights. As
| to the construction Of lines on paved streets
| it places itself under the usual restrictions,
and agrees to pay for the paving between the
| tracks and one foot on each side on all
streets paved before the tracks are
laid, and TO pay the cost of all new
| paving without protest. The company agrees
to erect and MAINTAIN lights at all street inter
| sections where other lines are crossed. The
| company agrees to commence work of con-
| struction within six months from the date OF
| the charter, and to complete and have in oper
| alton it's lines from the business center OF
| Council Bluffs to within rea
| sonable distance of the business
| center of Omaha within three years, ano
| TO construct lines and occupy ali other streets
| named within ten years, II provides that on
any Of the streets not occupied by that time
| the right to construct lines shall be forfeited
| The requirements OF the interstate law re
garding 10 pooling or pro rating are compiled