San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-03-25
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying.

What the People are Saying.
The recent occurrence of the s..
A. Street Railroad company jump
ing into street after night to lay
track and thus secure a franchise
granted two years ago, has set the
people to thinking over our street
railroad business in general.
Without waiting for grade or
the designation of the time, this
company began to tear up South
Laredo street. They were stopped
by the mayor until the matter
could be Investigated, when it was
found that another company had
also been granted franchise on
the street, and that the street was
so narrow that it would not accom-
MEDIATE but one line, and that
must be placed along the curb on
one side in order to admit of the
passage of vehicles.
This disclosed the fact that
whichever company occupied the
street it amounted practically to a
monopoly of the street, and to a
public nuisance besides.
Alderman Beckmann asked if
street railroad could not be re-
moved from a street if it proved to
be a nuisance. Another aldermen
promptly replied, not if it had
franchise.
No franchise to maintain a nui-
sance can be held good. The street
railway franchise is subject to the
provision of the ordinance that the
road running through any of the
streets, avenues or plaZas within
the corporate limits of the city of
San Antonio, shall be so cOnStruc-
ted, as not to interfere with or OBJ
struct the passage of vehicles or
travel of pedestrians.
The only street so far exempted
is Commerce street, and that only
from the use of the San Antonio
Street railway company, and this
street has been occupied east of
Alamo street and west of the San
Pedro and at the intersection of
Navarro street.
Numerous franchises have been
given away, to various corporations,
until almost every street leading
into the center of the city has been
occupied. The city has given away
| its streets to these corporations
without any compensation what
ever.
These franchises are more Valu-
able than the plants of the COM
panies, and the city receives no
compensation for the use of its
streets for generation. Never was
a greater piece of extravaganza fol-
ly perpetrated.
There is no excuse for this as Col.
Belknap, the first street railroad
builder in our city, offered at one
time to pay per cent of his gross
receipts to the city from all fur
Their extensions of his lines, prOvid-
ed all other companies that were
given franchises did the sam e
This offer was ignored.
|
There has not been the least at
tentiOn paid to the fact that the
granting of franchises over all our
narrow streets leading into our
business center would eventually
prove a nuisance, an construction
to the passage of vehicles" an ever
menacing danger to life and limb
and detriment to business.
The substitution of electric lines,
with the over head wire system
with polls planted every few yards
along the curbs has added to the
blockade of some of our narrow
streets, until, as measure of re-
lief, it is proposed to widen the
streets.
AS the widening of the streets is
for the benefit of the street car
companies and on account of their
occupation of the streets, they
ShOuId he made to bear the eX-