Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-02
DAILY REU0RD- UNION
SEPTEMBER ?, 1880
NO ELECTRIC ROAD.

franchise OF the Central Street Railway
Company, so as to permit the introduction
of the electric system, was shame and a
disgrace, and notice to all men of enter
prise and public spirit to keep away from
this city until the terms of Trustees Nc
Laughlin and Wolf have expired, and
men can be elected who will be governed
by different motives than those which
actuate the gentlemen named. Sacramento
has suffered under many hardships and
evils, but no curse ever fell upon her which
has done more to retard her progress than
the election of the present Board of Trus-
tees.
-Four weeks ago Mr. j. H. Henry, the
owner of the electric railway system in
San Jose, appeared before the Board and
asked them to amend the franchise of the
Central Street Railway Company in this
the overhead trolley electric system. He
stated that he had purchased the Central
line on condition that the Board would
permit this change, and proposed, if
1t was allowed, to expend $780,
600 Immediately in equipping the
road. Citizens who had seen the over
head system in operation in other cities
were delighted at the prospect of its in
PRODUCTION here, and those who had not
seen it at once took steps to ascertain the
facts in regard to it. The Board of Trade
held meeting and sent committee to
San Jose to investigate the workings of
the road there, and citizens went there on
their own account for the same purpose.
The members of the Board of Trustees
visited San Jose on the same mission, on
the invitation of Mr.. Henry. All returned
convinced that the system was wonderful
improvement over our present one and
that it would be a great benefit to this city
If introduced here.
The Board of Trade held a meeting to
hear the report of its committee, and upon
learning the facts appointed committee
of FIVE to wait upon the City Trustees and
urge that body, in the interest of the city,
to grant the amendment requested by Mr..
Henry. The committee appeared before
the Board and performed its duty. The
Board then asked Mr.. Henry to put into
the amendment certain restrictions,
such as giving the Street Commits
sioner complete control over the setting of
which that gentleman promptly acceded
to. 1t then became evident, however,
that Messrs. Mclaughlin and Wolf, for
reasons best known to themselves and
which can only be conjectured by others,
were not ready to act and the matter
was put over another week, notwithstand-
ing the fact that every citizen who had
spoken upon the question openly had
favored the granting of the change, and
not one single person had appeared before
the Board to make the slightest obec-
ton.
So the matter stood when it came be-
fore the Board for the fourth time yester-
day. Mayor Comstock brought up the
question and promptly announced that he
was ready to vote for the amendment and
asked the other members what they wished
to do. For nearly half an hour they sat
and looked at each other and
around the room, the most pitable pic
ture of imbecility, or something worse,
ever presented by public body. Finally
Mclaughlin produced from his pocket a
long typewriter document purporting TO
be another amendment. After reciting
everything in the codes in regard to the
responsibility of the owners of street rail-
ways and everything in the Vrooman Act
in regard to the care of the streets, a sec
ton was added giving the Trustees the
right at any time on sixty days notice 70
declare the franchise null and void and or
der the poles taken down within another
sixty days.
Mr.. Henry saw at once that such fran
chise would be worthless and promptly an
nounced that he wanted no franchise upon
any such terms. He evidently saw that it
could not be offered in good faith and
plainly told Mr.. Mclaughlin that he nor
any other man of sense would entertain
such proposition for moment. Mayor
Comstock agreed with Mr. Henry. He
said that he did not think any sane
man would accept franchise con-
tanning such a clause and even
Mr.. Wolf said he would not vote for
such provision. Nevertheless it served
its purpose, for it gave Mr.. Wolf a chance
to join Mr.. Mclaughlin in putting the
matter over for another week, and thus
killing the proposition, as Mr.. Henry had
announced that his contract with the Cen
trail Company was a conditional one and
would expire before next Monday. And
thus the matter will probably end. The
city will lose the investment of $4,000
in a property that would have added vast
~ to her prosperity and attractiyeness,
and this through the acts of two men in
trusted with the care OF the citys interests,
in refusing to grant what was demanded
by the entire city and against which not
a single voice was raised. What motives
governed these gentlemen in their actions
cannot, of course, be stated definitely, but
people have their opinions, and the general
expression of citizens is not at all compli-
mentsry to them. They will have hard
work making anyone believe that solicit
tude for the public good had everything to
do with their course
IT looks very much as if Minister Miz-
ger has precedent and State Department
ruling in his favor in authorizing the seizure
of General Barrundia. The case of lose