New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-11
THE TROLLEY IN BSSE& COCNi1.
CALDWELL AND MONTCLA1R MAY HAVE ~
LlT1CAL FIGHT ON HAND OVER IHH
QUESTION OF RAPID TRANSIT.

rAIDvEI1 AND MONTCLAIR MAY HAVE Po-
11T7ca1, FIGHT on HAND OVER THE
QUESTION OF RAPID TRANSIT.
The possibilities OF the Caldwell troiey are nNe
a balancing board-now up and then do"ri' 'ou"9
they are down because Mayor Harrison mas vetoed
the ordinance granting a franchise 10 the Noi'h
Jersey Traction Company TO operate ROAD Oh
R,oomHeld-ave Tomorrow they may be up, Tor
there Is a possibility that the Common Council VIII
pass the ordnance over the veto Inc Mayor
states that since there Is already suit pehuihs
in the courts his approval at THIS une wouia pidce
him in danger Of contempt OF court ms now
ever is secuted by the trolley advocates, Tor When
the first two ordinances rejected. Judge Depue
pointed out the defects in them and the tnira
ordinance was carefully prepared with We" u
covering all possible objections.
The bulk of the population anxious TO have the
trolley since thereby they will be abe to get out Of
their town after o'clock without waiting an unrea-
sonabe length of time for the cars on the Caldwell
branch of the Erie Railroad Last Monday even
Ing when the Council passed the ordinance, the en-
thusiasm was intense. and impromptu congratula-
ton meetings held on the street corners, and
bonfres lighted up Clevelands sleepy Ettle birth
place. The town now. however, has woke up
enough to See that the delay OF trolley has not
come from its actions. The real cause of ;he delay
from first to last is the Bloomfield Ayenre PrOtec-
tive Association. which is a Montcair organiZati0
having Mr.. Bowman It's Caldwell mouthpece.
from any street railway, having taken this county
road under its special protection 10 this is due
the opposition to the trolley company IN Caldwell.
Montclair, however has different Influences at
work. She bitterly resents any foreign influence,
and absolutely refused 10 allow Caldwell and We
representatives. to speak at the public trolley
meeting held IN September. The heads Of the op-
posing party here 10 be found in the leaders of
the local Democratic party, and incidentally are
almost identical with those who have opposed all
the public Improvements which have been intro
duced in the last ten years And as IS only mai
ura, the majority OF tner followers are those who
have horses and carriages, and AFFORD TO DIS
pense with any other mode OF transportation An
investigation Of the clearly proved that
the trolley Will be potent factor in the elections
Of next April. MontcIair is and always has been.
stanch Republican town, and gives handsome
majority for the party, save when one Of its res
pride OF the citizen is apt to overcome the strict
adherence party lines. The anti-troey people
pose the road ana by making this a plank in their
platform, succeed in obtaining Democratic major
ity in the Town Council with therefore, all power
in their hands.
There is. however. an undercurIent setting in
which may upset an calculations The most openly
formulated objections 10 the trolley are headed
with the statement that with its advent there would
be introduced undesirable element in the town
1t is claimed by the other side that this does not
necessarily follow since there are no factories or
large establishments In the place to act "a lode
But within the last three years nearly all
houses on lots with forty or nifty feet frontage.
which. although pretty and attractive in appear
their carriages, but who desire some means
Of going from one end of town 20 the other. Here
Democratic proclivities may not prevail over the
desire for cheap and rapid transit.
In Glenridge there are some legal difficulties 10
overcome before the road he extended from it's
present terminus in Bloomfield 10 the Monclair line
but there strong expectations that this trouble
can be smoo,hed over without much delay.
This will leave Montc,ar the only hiatus In the
trolley lire which Will connect with the New-York
ferries. and for the first time the wilderness be-
yond the Orange Mountains which is dotted here
and there with quiet villages will be opened for
colonial ton. This missing link will be bridgeJ by
a stage line. which will transfer passengers from
the western to the eastern boundary OF Montclair
or vice and which. while highly announcement,
will still be preferable to the method now in vogue
OF driving the entire way from Caldwell
Some years ago this arbitrary manner OF Mont
clair would have been impressive but Lately broader
influences have crept In, and have touched the
people II never the intention TO make the
trolley question a party issue, but II the Demo
Gratis force II upon the people some interesting de-
velopments may be watched for next April.