The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-16
WIRES MUST GO BELOW.
MAYOR MDoNOUGH WORKING TO
HAVE THEM PUT IN A CONDUIT.

HAVE THEM PUT IN A CONDUIT.
He Is Now Getting Information From
Other Cities On the Subject and WIN
Have an Ordinance Prepared-The
Dangerous Trolley to Come Down,
Too-Ssvannah May Levy a Ground
Rent Like st. Louis in the Meantime
for Poles-The United States Supreme
Court Says 1t Is Practicable.
Mayor McDonough, since the experience
Of Boston with overhead wires during the
recent fatal fire in that city, has begun lay
ing plans looking toward having all the
wires in Savannah placed underground
and the unsightly poles removed from the
streets.
Mayor MoDonough favors the conduit
system now in operation in New York and
has written to the authorities there for all
necessary information about It. He sees no
reason why the electric cara cannot be oper-
ated by an underground trolley placed In a
groove similar to that used by cable cars
The mayor has written to prominent cleo
tricians for all Information on this score,
and when he gets all his data together ne
will have an ordinance prepared and sub
mitted TO the council compelling the re-
moval of all overhead wires
MUST GO UNDER FINALLY.
1.-THE city," said the mayor, "must event.
ually take some action about this indis-
criminate striDging of wires and the sooner
such action is taken the better it will be for
ell concerned. Some of our streets are SO
heavily strung with network Of wires that
in case of fire it would be an impossibility
for the fremen to get ladders against the
buildings. and, il the attempt was made,
fatal results would most surely follow. The
wires must go under ground everywhere In
this country some day, and if Savannah
moves early in the matter, the expense in
cident to the change will be much less to
both the city and the companies than if it ia
delayed for few years"
A CHANCE FOR REVENUE.
In the meantime while the underground
movement is taking shape tine city can swell
its treasury considerably and comparatively
reduce taxation on the citizens generally
by making telephone, telegraph aud other
companies using poles pay a ground
rental. The decision rendered last
week in the United States supreme court,
in the case of the city Of St Louis vs. the
Western Union Telegraph Company, paves
the way.
The opinion of the court established the
rule that the city of st. Louis had the right
to impose license of IS per year on all
telegraph or similar poles within its pre-
cincts. The ordinance on which the suit
arose was passed by the st. Louis councils
in 1885; but the company ignored the law.
In 1888 a suit for $3.50 due for such
rentals or taxes from the company was
brought
CITY's RIGHT TO TAX POLES.
After running the gauntlet of the Mis-
souri, courts the case was taken to Washing
ton, where Bhe supreme court, in an opinion
delivered by Justice Brewer, 1t was estab-
lished that the s. per pole was evidently
not a license tax, for it was not laid on the
basis of the amount of business done. IL
was rather a rental charged for the use of
the public streets, and the eminent Justice
commended, the city had as much right to
charge a rental in this case as for the use Of
a room in the city hall. There was nothing,
the justice said, in the charter of the COM
pany exempting it from taxation on the
ground that the public streets of city are
post routes.
The decision has awakened considerable
attention in many cities throughout the
country. Mayor McDonough's attention
was called to il yesterday, and he thinks the
opportunity to secure revenue from this
source ought to be considered by Savannah.
mere are LDOuShuOS Oh poles 6E6CC6u IN LQ6
streets here, and a yearly rental of So, or
even 81 or 50, would help greatly In reduc-
ing the burdens of the taxpayers generally.
BALTIMORE MOVING IN THE MATTER
Mayor Latrobe of Baltimore has been
quick to recognize the value Of the decision
Of the supreme court and has, in accordance
with public opinion, referred the matter to
the city's law officers in order that they
may examine past ordinances and the city's
prerogatives and ascertain whether or not
the council can enact an ordinance requir-
ing companies using the streets in that city
to pay an annual tax or rental similar to
the one in st. Louis. This is probably the
action Mayor McDonough will take.
1t is safe to assume that if rental law
could be laid upon the companies for the
poles, a considerable number Of old and
useless poles, that now disfgure the
streets and are not used by the companies,
would be removed. They are standing now
because il is cheaper for the companies to
let them rot than to have them taken down.
These poles obscure the architectural
beauty Of many buildings, mar the appear
ance Of leading streets, offer impediments
to the prosecution Of business by merchants,
shut out the light of heaven and endauger
the lives OF those valuable public servants,
the tremen.