The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-04-03

of money by this company largely
 within the territory of electric road en-
 croaehment, present and proposed, for
 the safety, convenience and expeditions | transportation of the travelling public. l This fair protection by the state, but se- cures upon more solid foundation, 1 the prosperity of the state itself, This is all this company expects or demands,
 and that, believe, this committee and | this legislature will accord.
 There is but one other subject al- 1 luded to by Mir. Gager in his argument
 to which desire to call your attention, and that is, "The heavy burdens that
 sneet railways bear" What are they? | Is the gift of the free use of every street
 and highway one of them? He says they are compelled to maintain the highways they tear up and destroy for | the space between the tracks and two feet outside each rail. This is heavy burden, indeed, for the free use of the highways. What do they do towards supporting the bridges they cross? What depots or flagmen or gatemen or switchmen are they burdened with?
 What expenses are they put to for the
 protection or safety of the travellers
 upon the highways? But they pay tax es, and therefore, they deserve to be
 favored. Let us see what this foreign
 capital, my friends are so sensitive
 about, pays the state of Connecticut
 for the vast franchises that have been
 so freely granted them.
 According to the state treasurers
 last report, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1894, the twenty-one street
 railroads paid taxes amounting to $37,
 3S4.33, while the sixteen steam rail-
 roads paid SIPS, 036,43 or, in other words, Of the total tax on railroads, amounting
 to $766, 420.76 the street railroads paid
 only per cent, while the steam roads paid 95 per cent, Of the $766, ,420.76 taxes paid by railroads of all kinds, the New
 York, New Haven and Hartford rail
 road paid $536,S03.04, equal to 70 per cent, and of the taxes paid by strictly
 steam roads (S729, ,OS6.4S), the New York,
 New Haven and Hartford Railroad
 company paid "A per cent Further
 more, the taxable valuation of the
 whole twenty-one street railoads was only 1882, ,1231O, while that of the New
 York, New Haven and Hartford rail- road Qncludlng it's leased lines) was, in the state of Connecticut alone, s56,- O0OOOO My friends say that they will pay more this year. They have proba- ply tioated more bonds upon which they will be0taxed. But the figures I have given are the official figures from the last report of the state treasurer.
 "As a taxpayihg interest for the state of Connecticut, which should be foster ed and preserved by intelligent and conservative legislation? It seems to me there can be but one answer among intelligent men. Let the street railroads have every facility for the free exercise of their legitimate functions as public carriers within cities and large towns and their suburbs, but forbid foreign speculators, who own and control all but two or three of the electric roads in this state, from usurping your high ways to infiict irreparable injury upon the legitimate business of the steam roads as public carriers between towns. In the language of the supreme court of Pennsylvania, lin the electric road case decided last week, "It is apparent that the attempt now being made to convert these city conveyances into long lines of transportation, connecting wide- ly separated cities and towns by cleo trio railways traversing country roads, was not anticipated or provided for by the legislature" Pennsylvania Schuyl- kill Valley Railroad company vs. Mont gomery County Passenger Railroad company.
 Public policy, public safety, public honesty and good faith demand that you forbid the forging together of fur ther links in the parallel chain, already nearly complete, except when you find public necessity clearly demands it. If you will adopt this rule, and adhere to it, you will conserve the best interests of the whole state and fairly protect the interests of both the steam and cleo tric roads. There Is room for both to operate successfully within their legit- | innate limits. There Is loss and damage | to both by useless competition. But | under this rule some part or all of near | Iy every application before you for char ters and extensions must be refused, | for they propose to parallel without | any necessity or public de- mand whatever for intiicting such an injury upon the steam roads.
 II am aware, gentlemen, I have al- ready trespassed too long on your time, and thanking you for your patient at- tention, I must leave the further dis oussion of the questions involved to my | able associates"
 NEW HAVEN CHARTER HEARING,
 The matter of the proposed new char ter for the city of New Haven, pending before the committee on cities and bor- 1ughs several weeks, was heard again this afternoon.
 J. P. Goodhart, representing the town 1f New Haven, said that he wished op- later to put some amendments f he should deem 1t desirable.
 The chairman said that proper time would be given.
 J. D. Dewell said he would favor car 'ying on the hearing at evening sessions f necessary.
 Ex-Mayor J. B. Sargent, who was on he stand at the last hearing, was the irst witness this afternoon. He said:
 "The chief of police should have the ntire control of the police force, when m duty. The commission should not " to assume this control. The eff iency of the police has been lessened because the policemen do not feel that hey are under the immediate control