St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-02
Aldermen Only Go Through
the Notion Of Considering
the Plan,
As They Are 0bstinately Set
on Holding the Transfer
Clause.
A Tough Discussion Of the
Lightner Street Car
Ordinance.
Everything Seems to Hinge
on the Question Of the
Transfers.

The Street Railway Debating club
held another session yesterday after
nOOn The occasion was the regular
meeting OF the committee on streets
from the board of aldermen. Those
present from the adermanic body were
AID. Copeland, Warren, Zimmerman,
Montgomery, Hickman, Franklin and
IngersOll. The outsiders were NJ. ID.
Mum. Thomas Cochran, Claiming Sea-
bury. ii. l.. Williams, d. ID. Merrill. w.
B. Dean. Gerhard Bohn, \. p. Langford,
George K. Finch, d. X. Moves. AS. Tall
madge, George c. Squlres and Frederick
Driscoll The matter under cOnsidera-
ton was the so-called Lightner ordi-
nance, which has passed the assembly
and is now in the hands of the board of
aldermen. Aid. Copeland, who is chair
man of the committee, called the meet
ing to order. and, with copy of the
ordinance before him, asked whether it
would be better to take the measure up
section by section. There was long
pause, and, a. no one seemed to care
enough about the manner of procedure
to answer, he proceeded to read the
| first section.
This is the one section which prevents
the ordinance from going through the
| board of aldermen: at least that is the
statement made by those who have been
opposing it. The section relates eX-
! clusively to the transfer question. As
I soon as it had been read, Aid. Copeland
said he wanted to understand thoroughly
that part of the section which provided
for transfers being given ION all lines
which shall not return the pas
senger to or near the point
from which such passenger started"
Mr.. Mum explained the idea was to
prevent passengers riding down town
and then securing a transfer which
| would return them to the starting point
for one fare. He gave as example Of
this plan how the trick could be done
on the Rice street. Randolph street and
West st. Paul lines. The company, Mr..
Mum said, was not inclined to be at all
cautious in the matter of transfers, as il
could now under the present franchise
cut off transfers on five of the lines on
which they were given. The company
was not obliged to run the West t.Paul
or Grand avenue
Lines Around the Loop.
but thew were willing to not follow the
strict construction of the franchise as
regarded transfers. What the company
did want was protection so that pas
| sengers could not ride for one fare from
their homes and back again. Aid. War
rem said it was not the intention of the
council to make wo-and-a-half-ceni
fare. but the people did not want to be
obliged to pay ten cents where they now
only paid five. Aid. Copeland said now
was the time to fix the matter. lie cited
the Lafayette and Mississippi street
lines as an eXample.and wanted to know
if the passage of the ordinance in Its
present wording would not prevent
transfers from being obtained from one
line to the other. The lines, he said,
were not close together when they left
the heart of the city. but the terminus
of both was only block or two apart
According to the wording of the sec
ton. it might lie construed that the
lines in question were such as TO prac-
tically return the passenger to the
starting point, and the company
might refuse to issue transfers,
This phase of the question was dis
cussed at length by all hands. Aid.
Hickman thought the point raised
10y Aid. Copeland was good one. Mr..
Cochran thought it would be well to
have the present lines named III the
ordinance, and to take chances on the
lines to be bnilt in the future. Aid.
Franklin suggested the lines be named,
so the committee could tell what lines
Z No tod
the present ordinance passed. Several
amendments were suggested by which
the wording of the section could be
made more plaiu, but the combined
intellects of those present could not
word one which would fit the place any
better. Aid. Montgomery suggested the
stricking out of the word ''Dracti
callv," but as Mr.. Mum was willing
that this should be done it was
decided not to do it. Mr.. Williams SAID
it was Just as we'll that the word should
remain, and as the corporation attorney
said he would rather have it in, the pro-
posed amendment was dropped. MIR
Mum said Mr.. Lightner had given thu
wording of this part of the section {
deal of attention. and he had alst
: studied over the thing for days. Th'
result was the wording as read. hi
| seemed I'D D6 ldkGu dS dill lllulCdIlOl
that nothing more could be done as t
making any change, and after Mr.. Mum
had explained that all the railway com
pany wanted was to be
Protected From Being Robbed
by the travelling public the discussion
was dropped. AID. Warren then movet
to strike out all that part of the section
which abolished local transfers on tn
interurban line. The ordinance pro
vided that transfers would be good OIL
the interurban if local cars were no
run over the tracks every ten minute
, apart. Mr.. Cochran said the provision
for cars to run over the tracks every tel
:. | minutes apart would be much better. a
it would tend 10 increase the service
The company were anxious to make
through line ont of the interurban
and in order to do so woul,
. naturally be forced to put. Of
local cars running ten minutes apaT
in order to prevent transfers being use,
on the.interurban. The majority of til