St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-13

citizens at different times. there is
abundant proof" This is false. At
| the last moment, when your committee
had overwhelmed me with condi-
upon, Aid. Pratt sprung the Hamline
and Langford avenue line and insisted
On its being built, or he would vote
against it. 1 absolutely refused
to accept this last straw until your cti-
zens urged me to "let it CO." and prom.
| iscd that it should not be required if
| it was found too burdensome. Among
| these was your business manager,
| Mr.. Driscol!. Mr.. Ed Rogers. think.
| can also furnish some proof on this
| point, as can also Mr.. IL. j. Horn. Early
in 1891 in company with Mr.. Scott, was
| driving, out Como avenue to see what
improvements had been made in the
| park. Near Como we met Mr. Warren,
who proposed to show US where the
| street railroad should be built. He
| pointed out the line Oh Front street and
| ChatSwOrth, and showed us where the
| embarrassing of the Northern Pacific
| road was to be made, and said it would
be completed at once. l listened, and
said very little. When committee of
citizens of st. Paul, including Mr.. War
| rem, called on ME few weeks ago (the
latter part of May Mr. Warren spoke
| OF NY promises to complete the line and L
| at once made the statement as above, and
which he did not at that time deny.
| Two or three days later | telephoned
d. ID. Merrill that Mir. Goodrich and N.Y.
self would meet few citizens, and look
| the ground over with view OF build
ing line to the park. We called at
Mr.. Merrill'S store the same morning,
and met Mr.. Merrill, D. R. Noyes, Mr..
Hager and Mr.. Warren, who drove US
through the park. Before separating l
stated to .he gentlemen present that
within few days we would make a
| prop ositiOn as to building the line, and
requ ested that in the meantime moth
ing be said, as it was useless to have
the matter discussed or published until
we were ready to make a definite prop
| osltlon. 10 this all agreed, including
Mi. Warren. Imagine my surprise at
seeing more than occurred in the Pho
neer Press the next morning, and an
article bearded "He Wants the Earth, -
etc.
This was based on proposition made
originally by Mr.Warren to run through
the park and connect with our Langford
avenue line.
The morning, it appeared called on
Mr.. Merrill and informed him that we
did not propose to quarrel with the Pho
neer Press or the city of ST. Paul, and
that we would drop the matter until
some one with authority would meet us
with a reasonable proposition.
This is the extent of my promises con-
corning line to Como park. You say:
The sudden blooming of the Twin City
Rapid Transit company. the removal OF
the superintendent of the ST. Paul sys-
tenn" II you will peruse the columns
of the Pioneer Press. you will find that
the Twin City Rapid Transit company
"hlcomed'' more than year ago. 1t
was caused by reason of the fact that
The Obligations Imposed
upon the Minneapolis Street Railway
company and the st. Paul City Railway
| company in Transforming their systems
into electric lines and building so many
new lines and extensions in so short
| time required the raising of all amount
of money greater than the combined
capital and surplus of all the banks
in either st. Paul or Minneapolis, and
| that, to accompli sh this. it became
| necessary to put the ownership of both
| companies under one control. In this
| great enterprise [ risked my all to carry
out the contracts of these companies
and give both cities an efficient street
car service. How well | have kept
faith, and more tnan redeemed all prom
lses and expectations, your own citi-
Zens testified by their presence to do
me honor on very cold night in Janu-
airy last. Since then the street car serv-
| ice has been improved in both cities.
Of all the cars operated in ST. Paul,
only five were in service before the
change from horse power to electricity
was made. while in Minneapolis fifteen
cars are in use which were operated
with horses. All the other cars oper-
atcd in the st. Paul lines are from AZ
to feet longer than the cars formerly
used. The transfer system IS, no doubt,
| objectionable. as is also the operation of
the extensions to which you refer, but
and as insisted upon at the time it wa
| passed. The service is more than AIDES
quate to the travel. and there is not a
car in operation i'll st. Paul that is not
! equal to or better than any street car
operated in the city of New DIRK. am
not to blame because Minneapolis has
the most perfect park system in the
world, and because st. Panl residents
come here to enjoy it. l am not
at fault because Minneapolis has
a library where not only the citizens OF
st. Paul, but of the whole Northwest,
necessarily must come to make scien-
tifc, political and other educational re-
searches: nor because of other attrac-
tons calculated to bring st. Paul people
to our city. l have endeavored to assist
in MY small way in educating your peo-
pie to go and do likewise" When
Field, Mailer & Co., after weeks, if
| not months of solicitation. failed to in
duce your citizens to build for them
building suited for the finest dry goods
store in the Northwest, ''tilled the
gap" on the mere request Of MI. Field,
who, at thai time, was to me a compar-
tive stranger; and when your Masonic
brethren and Young's Mems Christian
association needed comfortable quar-
tiers, which your people would not fur
nish. 1 enlarged my building so as to
accommodate them; and yet you boldly
assert that am doing everything
in my power to lnjure st. Paul.
'Tis said that "self-praise is half
scandal" and l believe it: but. in view
of your. malicious and uncalled-for at
tack. cannot resist saying word in
self-defense. 1t is all the more mex
cusable on your part, because only three
days ago l personally told you that [
would do anything necessary to correct
mistakes or abuses, if such existed, in
the street railway system. Your
Hatred to Minneapolis
| leads you to advocate, in the case of the
| street railway. course that would put
tA shame the Homestead strikers. You
| KNOW better, but their education and
experience is limited to their own real
or fancied grievances. Ordinarily, l
think you intend to be honest, but when
Minneapolis is named it curdles
the blood in your veins and elm
mates every iota of justice or hon
esty from your nature. Now, my once
dear old friend land see no reason why
you should not be SO stilD. you are not
too old to take advice. Exercise lit
tie common sense, if you have any left.
on this question. You concede tina: the
only remedy left for the city is to annoy
the company. Suppose tracks are Or
dered OIL severed streets where they are
not needed, the company will build
Street railway tracks are not an orna-
ment to street. and are only laid as
| matter of convenience to the residents
| of the CITY. ALL SurnluS tracks ar. q