New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-04
GRABBING A BIG FRANCHISE.
VALUABLE RIGHTS TO BE TAKEN WITHOUT
COMPENSATION.
EXTRAORDINARY POWERS GRANTED TO THE
QUEEN CITY GAsIIGHT COMPANY OF BCF'

EXTRAORDINARY POWERS GRANTED TO THE
QUEEN CITY GAsILGMT COMPANY OF BuF-
F,LO By MR.. GALLAGHEH's BILL.
frRoM THE RI GUAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
ALBANY, March Bone Of the greatest scandals Oh
the present Democratic administrator of the state Is
the granting Il valuable franchises BY the Democratic
LEGISLATURE without providing Tat the state or 'ne
city land II Is usually cities which snher by such
misuse OF tn r power by the Governor and the Legsa
turel shall receive adequate compensation I"r I'VE
franchise aned II can generally he Suspected WIN
good reason that promin mt Democratic p"huel'lN
profit pccuniarily by the granting OF these eAcVc""7N
valuable franchises.
year ago the Legislature bound together a mum
Der OF wrct,hed little street railways In the Annexed
District of New York. the chief of which, from i've
circumstance Of It's running through some huchi'pi'N
patches, was known popularity as 1.-THE Huc"eoeIH
Street Railway and gave TO th"nl' pracuc"iE'
monopoly OF the street railway privileges OF that I'M
portant mart OF New York under ihc title 81 I'll"
Union Railway Company" \ year has riSsel anu
the effect OF this action of the Legislature Is oencecu
In the market price OF thc bonds ana s'ocN oi '"c
y-r,o, Pathway Componv The financial article Of
"The Albany Evening Journal OF last sa'Ni'"'
stated that bid and 1O5 asked for the bonus VI
the Union Railway Company. and that li0 was niu lor
Its stock II is said that $50 Is asked for the stock
az understand" said a prominent D"mocr",c Po,
Nolan to-day that the men who pushed THIS Dill
through the Legislature we're able to buy the bonus
NJ mar and for every "a 900 OF bonds received al ooo
Of stock further understand that the Union Kali
xrav Companv was authorized to issue S"OoocVo III
bonds and a. 100000 In stock. and that the bonds
have all been sold. which took Soooooo IN S'ocN anu
left ST. 500 900 Of stock In the hands OF the OWNERS
Of the Company AT the present market rates o
their stock therefore the promoters OF TINS roao a
made 81 100000. In any case. understand 'n'
tba If
made hundreds Of thousands of dollars by that "Hl'
latve enactment. have heard that some OF lhoSe
who pushed the Till through the Legislature had 80"
lots In the Annexed District, and tlElt the increase
In the market price Of those lots owing to the Ia"
relating TO the Union Railway Company, far more
than paid for their bonds of that company 80 that
practically they got their bonds and stock Tor ho's
The success of the promoters CT the ltncNiepcrrH
Railway In thus getting great FRANCHISE from NV
State for practically nothing. has embollched some
other men to seek to get q like FRANCHISE from
the state for a proposed great gasligh company III
the western part OF the State. few days ago
Assemblyman Gallagher, Of Buffalo. Introduced
bill giving to corporation TO be known DIS in'
Queen City Gaslight Company Of Buffalo the riS"t
to put down gas pipes anywhere In the counties OF
Erie and Niagara without the consent OF the local
authorities. The places affected in this district are
the cities OF Buffalo LOckpor and Niagara FAILS ana
the large villages of Depew. Calling Tonawanda'
springville, Lancaster. Hamburg East Aurora, Akron
and Willamsve. In all 100000 persons I'VE III the
two counties and Is proposed by the promoters of
the Queen City Gaslight Company to override the
wishes of the local authorities of all the place
mentioned The wholesale invasion of local rights pro
posed in the bill is made clear By Its first section
given below:
Section 1.-The Queen City Gasieht COMPANY Of Buffalo
shall have the right and hereby empowered to sup
ply In the towns, villages and cities OF the counties
Of Erie and Niagara. and for that purpose is hereby au
thorzed without other or further authority Of Law or
ordinance to lay and maintain requisite conductors mains
aAd pipes through and under any streets, avenues OF
public places Of such cities, towns and villages. Aud
purpose aforesaid such corporation shall have the
right and is hereby empowered 70 lay and maintain such
Conductors. mains and pipes under and across any inter
vening land belonging tho ciues towns and Villages In
Erie and Niagara counties to private persons at such
places It may determine provided however. that such
conductors mains pipes shall be so laid and maintained
20 obstruct impair navigation commerce or
anchorage Of navgabc waters without the nsnt OF
the Secretary War. And such corporation shall have
the right and 1t Is hereby empowered, to acquire by
condemnation purchase, such real property public OF
private right easement therein Tor the lay
ing aid maintaining Of its mains pipes and conductors a.
may the exercise OF the powers her'py
conferred. Such property when acquired shall be
deemed have been acquired and held as and for public
The local authorities OF Buffalo, LOckport and
Niagara Falls naturally protest against granting 70
any corporation the right thus 10 invade their streets
without permission. All the newspapers Of Buffalo
I'm the last week have denounced the bill so lar as IL
affects their city but Notwithstanding this the pro
moters of the bill still pushing ii here. Evidently
they in II the stupendous profits of the promoters
Of the Union Railway Company OF Ncw-fork one
OF the promoters Of the gasligt company, upon being
asked how and why he had the audacity to ask the
States authority for such sweeping invasion OF the
local rights Of many municipalities. replied:
1--WE could not get our full franchise from the
Buffalo Common Council. We would have to go to
the Supervisors and TO town boards and to other
boards In Niagara County. We would have been com
PEELED to 10 several boards, rs you see ana there
would have been no end of trouble. BY going 10 the
Legislature II successful get the whole franchise III
one lump
As one Of the Buffalo newspapers points ont, the
passage of Mr.. Gallaghers bill would certainly make
Il easy for the promoters of the Queen City Gabght
Company to override the local authorities Of uila.
Iockport and Niagara Fails and turn to Their own
uses the valuable franchises which are now the prop
erty OF the whole people.
Another Ubiquitous part OF The enterprise OF the
Queen City Gaslight Company is an attempt 10 evadc
State taxes by captannng the company for only
small amount.
When the Legislature rcas,embles big delegations
from Buffalo, LOckport and Niagara Falls Will be
here to protest against the passage OF The bill but
If the promoters Of the Queen City Gasght Company
are pertnaciO,s as were the men VINO pnshci
through the bill of the Union Railway Company and
have thg political pull, perhaps they VIII even
yet pass their h and persuade Governor fi3"er 10
Invasion Of local rights and londy proclaimS his IN
tention of vetoing charter tinkering bills; but hi
practices frequently belle his professions. The OPP
ponents OF the Queen City Gaslght Company, II they
are prudent. will defeat the bill In the LEGISLATURE
rather than intrust that duty to Roswell p. Flower