Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-22
PRO BONO PUBLICO.
In Re Electric Cars on Broad street,
Overhead Trolley, Etc.

In Re Electric Cars on Broad street,
| Overhead Trolley, Etc.
| To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
| Now that the fight Is over between the
| old Electric Street Railway Company and
| the Richmond Traction Company as 10
| street cars on Broad street, and the CITY
| fathers in their wisdom have seen III
| to grant the charter to the traction COIN
pany, 1t may not be amiss TO say Few
| words upon this much-vexed question
which has occupied the minds OF ths
| people for some time past
After a long delay the FRANCHISE ma.
| been awarded. and, taking II Tor grah.so
| that all good citizens must vish tor 'nS
] best thing or nothing, allow mo 10 ASK
| IN tho name of common sense why II IL
| that no other motor-power seems 10 en-
| ter the brains of our people except thlS
hideous oyerhead-:roiley system, wnicn
| ruins the looks Of beautiful city aio
| proyes 80 dangerous to life ana properly
Look at the other streets OF our city
| and behold the forests OF ugly, crooked
poles. obstructlng the vision Wherever
| you turn, leaning about as IL they hau
| been struck by u hurricane ana ieit nan
standing Why Is IL that we never near
| the storage battery system spoken Oh
1
as I know 80 satisfactorily, In Detroit
| and other places? / am reliably informed
| that this storage-battery system IS ap-
| nroved by Edison himself, the present
| father OF electricity, es the best ana inc
safest plan and the coming system OF une
| world.
WHY is IL that we never hear mentioned
the underground system now SO
successfully used In Atlanta, Ga, wnich
| dlspenses with these ugly poles and DAN
eerous wires? Why Is II that tho capie-
| cars. with their safe, smooth, ana easy
| travel are not adopted here. as they are
| ali over the city of washlngton-the capt.
| tai of a proud nation. where they arc
| ambitious to do things up TO Hoyie-the
eyes OF the whole civilized world peihg
amongst and resting upon them IN the
shape Of foreign ministers ana ehoaSsu
doris and their legations!
| Go 10 the city Of Toronto, Ontario, can
ada, a beautiful city twice the size OF
| Richmond, where they have adopted TINS
| overhead trolley and are now 80 sorry
for 1t that they are arresuhs, uS."s,
| conytctlng and imprisonng the city
oouncilmen for SO doing by bribery and
| corruption over the storage battery. L
speak from a knowledge that appertains
| to facts, and as an eyewitness Wouio
like TO 90 into the details Of this deal and
| it's subsequent results, but 1t would oc-
cupy too much valuable space In your
paper Suffice 1t TO say that II was oy
rascality and "greasing the wheels that
thesa trolley men succeeded in fastening
their systen upon that fair city, which
could not possibly have been the case In
| 'Richmond, on the James" whose coun-
| cilmen and aldermen are now, ana ever
have been, like Caesars wife" 1t Is de-
voutly to be hoped that this new traction
| company will make haste slowly. ana
| not lump at conclusions" but maturely
consider the matter. and II we are TO
abolish the mule team as reno Oh the
| past for some more modern system or
| locomotion, do let US have something up
| to-date and now in vogue, and as Tar
| ahead of the present ugly ana dangerous
overhead trolley as that IS above bob-tail
| muie-cars.
have not had the opportunity of know
ing much about the working or the troll
ley In and around Richmond. having seen
in your paper notice of only one death in
Manchester recently. but would respect
fully refer your readers to the long lists
Of injuries and fatalities in other cities.
and more especially to those OF Toronto
Ontario, and Brooklyn, n. Y.
I am open for attack and conviction,
and IL any man doubts the truthfulness
Of my assertions Of the great danger TO
both life and property OF the overhead
| trolley I would simply refer him TO re-
cent numbers Of the New York Herald
and let him inform himself as to the con-
dition of affairs in that city and In the
neighboring city Of Brooklyn, where the
trolley cars have been used so extensively
and where they are now taking steps TO
wipe them out Of existence entirely. I
would beg leave to refer more particularly
| to the New York Herald's article OF jan
] Qf xpht
as follows-to wit:
"Waging War on the Trolley. State
! Board of Railroad Commissioners VIII
! Begin Work on Investigation of the Sys-
ten This Morning to Check the Slaugh-
ter. Investigation to Bs Thorough. May
Be the beginning OF q General Attack
on the Trolley Throughout the Country.
Roll OF Dead and Injured In Places
Suburban to New York. The Victims
Almost as Numerous a. in Brooklyn
want all OF the counci.men and al
| dermen of our city, and all OF the people
| who value their own lives and the lives
OF their fellow-men. to Took well before
they leap and read more calmly and
carefully the many lists of dead and
wounded made by this huren-slaughter
concern called the overhead trolley, and
| they will never allow any more OF II to
1 be erected on one OF our most beautiful
l
| fair city; but on the contrary. they
would flee from II as from an army with
| banners"
In conclusion, / would say: Keep
sbreast with the other cities Of the civil
lixed nations; give us cheap fares to
| workingmsn and school children, under
! that law which does the most good to
the most people: consider well. and get
the best thing out. which may seem lit
tie more expensive In the beginning. but
not in the end; relieve the poor mules.
as the work can be done by O better
power. and give the laboriny-man at the
very earliest convenience a good. big job"
It may be well TO add just at this June
ture that the writer OF this article has
mo axe to grind"-no connection what
ever. In any shape or form. with any
street railway company or electric-motor
system-but is writing only In the inter-
ests Of humanity; Of good, safe. and easy
transit and the beauty OF our fair and
beloved city, whose beauty and fame are
worldwide. CIVlS.