Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-01
THE MAYORS VET0ES.
Three Ordinances Fail to Receive
His Honor's Approval
REASONS AGAINST THE EXCHANGE.
Directing to Gifts of Valuable Railroad
Franchises.
FREE GAS CHEAPER THAN ELECTRICITY

of his Office yesterday, and set his veto heel
upon three ordinances. He decided that
Councils was mistaken in granting fran
chises to the Exchange and the Pittsburg,
Allegheny and Manchester Street Railway
Companies, and in authorizing Controller
Morrow to settle with the Allegheny
County Light Company in the electric
lighting of Municipal Hall and the market
house.
In vetoing the Exchange Street Railway
ordinance, the Mayor says:
Under the ordinance the company will
have the right to enter upon and construct
its railway or branches or extension thereof
with a single line OF track over and along
any and all of the following named streets
or highways or parts thereof: Beginning at
the intersection of Fourth avenue and Mar
ket street, thence along Market street to the
intersection thereof with Liberty avenue,
thence with the consent of the Allegheny
Traction Company and the Transverse Pas
senCer Railway Company along the south
eastern side of Liberty avenue to Sixth ave-
nue., and with consent of the Pittsburg,
Allegheny and Manchester Passenger Rail-
way Company and Traction Company along
Sixth avenue to Wood street and to operate
its cars thereon.
An Act Of Assembly In the Way.
There are several street railway tracks on
Liberty and Sixth avenues at the present
time. The act of Assembly of 1899 expressly
saws: mo extension or branch of a street
railway shall be constructed on any street or
highway upon which track is laid or au-
thoriZed under any existing charter, except
as hereinafter provided" The hereinafter
provided" refers to the use by one company,
such portion, not exceeding 500 feet, of the
tracks of another company, as may be neces-
sary TO enable such company to construct q
circuit upon its own road at the end thereof.
If the distance from Market street to Wood
street is more than 500 feet, l cannot see how
the Exchange Street Railway Company
could, in the lace of this provision of the act
of Assembly, construct its railway upon
consent of the city and Of the company al
ready occupying the streets. II am wrong
in my understanding of the provision re-
ferred to in the act of 1889, L hope some mem
Der of Council more familiar than myself
with legislative enactments will explain
what the law really does mean.
1t is hardly reasonable to suppose that the
Exchange Street Railway Company desires
simply to run cars from Wood street by way
of Sixth avenue, Liberty avenue and Market
street to Fourth avenue and stop there. Yet
that is what the ordinance seems to indicate.
The intention must he to lease the franchise
and property to companies having rights
and privileges upon other streets This
statement is justified by the language of Sec
tion two. Undoubtedly the object of the
ordinance is to authorize the Duquesne
Traction Company to run its cars over the
route designated to Fourth avenue, thence
along that street to a connection at Wood
street with the tracks of said company now
used on Fourth avenue.
Public Sentiment Against the Ordinance.
Where the Exchange Street Railway Com
pany or the DuQuesne Traction Company
acquires the right to occupy Fourth avenue
between Market and Wood streets, do not
know. There is nothing in the present ordi-
nance granting authority to use that portion
of the street. However, the important feat
ure of the ordinance is contained in the
provision authorizing the construction of
railway tracks on Market street and the
operation Of the cars thereon.
Is it wise to permit street railway COM
panies to occupy this street between Lib
erty and Fourth avenuesH To this question
] have devoted considerable thought
have done more than this. 1 have talked
with many of our citizens. in order, If pos
sible to ascertain the feeling of our people
on the subject. have not confined my in
terviews to persons doing business upon the
line of the street, because l realize, and
say this with all respect, that their opposi-
tion, while entitled to consideration, is very
largely the repetition of history as regards
the construction of railways upon any
street. / have talked with citizens in all
determine the sentiment of the community
is against the operation of cars on this
street.
Market street belongs peculiarly, to the
general public, and the people of the city
have perhaps a greater interest in 1t than in
almost any other avenue. Our city markets
are on this street and they are visited by the
great mass of the people of the city on every
market day. The best interests of the city
demand that these market houses should at
all times, be accessible to those who bring
to meet the wants of the people. These
market houses are busy places on market |
days, and ! firmly believe the running of
cars upon the street would prove a constant
and a perpetual source of danger,
not only to horses and vehicles, but to men,
women and children. This street is but % |
feet from curb to curb and is one of the most
crowded thoroughfares in the whole city.
That portion of 1t between Fifth and Liberty |
avenues constitutes the narrow passageway
which the great mass of people |
daily pass. Perhaps So 200 to $1,000 human |
beings pass back and forth along this por.
tion of the street every day of the week.
Not Convinced by the Argument.
Very frequently, especially in the after
noon, the whole street is converted into q |
and crowded with men, women and |
children, who are unable to find walking |
space on the sidewalk. Add to this mass of |
moving humanity the innumerable vehicles |
that are constantly coming and going |
through this contracted passageway, and |
you will be able to form some conception OF |
the condition of Market street at the pres
ent time. l know it is claimed by the advo-
Gates of the ordinance, that it only requires
q line or several lines of street cars to re-
move this pressure and relieve the street.
But how street car, rushing into this mar
row neck every minute or half minute, is to
erect th1s radical change is problem which
confess my inability to understand. The
0 argument is based on the assumption that |
outside of the driver of an iron wagon or Of |
an ice wagon, the people have been taught
street cars and street car companies are
bound to respect.
At the intersection of Fifth avenue and
Market street the cars of the Fifth Avenue
Traction Company cross Market street one
way or the other on an average about once
minute. If the cars of the Duquesne Trac-
tion Company and the cars Of the Allegheny
and Manchester line are permitted TO occupy
Market street what will be the result? We
will have u car crossing Fifth avenue every
30 seconds and car crossing Market street
every minute; in other words, the intersec-
ton OF these two prominent streets will be
monopoiiZed by street railway
The principal inlet ana outlet
Tor the people of two great cities will be
turned over to street cars.
That such Il condition of things will seri-
ously interfere with public travel and the
rights of the people must be apparent to
my person who will take the trouble to
carefully examine the situation. l am in
f,vor of rapid transit, bnt am not in favor
'f giving railway companies absolute pos
session of important streets in the business |
,enter of the city to the detriment of the
general public.
Interests of the Public Paramount.
1t is the business of this city that main
aims and supports our people and insures
,ur prosperity. Street railways are an
'utgrowth OF the prosperity of the city, and
While they are great convenience, they
'ught not to be permitted to interfere with