The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-08
COUNCIL MEET



ceeding twenty-five years, aud IL corpo
xations accept such franchises they might
be taxed not exceeding three per cent.
And then TO show the injustice OF the
matter toward the city OF Providence,
the cities and towns were forbidden TO
streets, except in accordance with the pro-
visions Of that ac.. The reply was so
astounding that II was amazing that IL
should be accepted that the City Council
would accept such proposition. IL cer-
tainly showed its wisdom by refusing to
take action which the Legislature had
marked out for II, although It jeopardized
the small amount which the city was
then receiving from one Of these corpora
tions, and no such action was taken by
the City Council.
"What was the next stepf Next year,
ut the Legislature, proceedings were COM
menced to force upon the city what they
had refused TO give. The City Council
appointed a committee 70 go up and rem
onstrate against II. And this committee,
which the Hon. Rathbone Gardner has
accused of asserting of making this bar
gain and selling out the city, OF giving
up for per ce nj. OF the income what
was worth a quarter OF a million year
the very mention of some of the names
which the chairman OF this committee
has mentioned-the Hon. Mayor Potter,
Mr.. Alderman McGuinness and my asso-
ciate there in the Sixth Wards a suffi-
cient answer that that committee did
not go up there and make that arrange
ment. What was the report they gave to
us2 When they went up 10 demonstrate
they were told You take this or you need
not, Just as you please. We are going TO
pass something of this nature. II you
want two or three notifications which
have been suggested. make them. III
you don't make them, we will give IL
either with notifications or without,
but we are going to pass IL. They did.
What was that act? That &C I was taking
up the power which the State had over
our streets and giving this monopoly TO
this Union Railroad Company for 20
years, whether we wished il or not,
whether we consented to IL or not,
giving II away and marking out that we
should receive per cent. of the gross
income from the road, and at the same
time making out method Of dividing
the gross income between the city OF
Providence and the adjoining portiops of
the system. The Union Railroad Com
pany, which was bound TO do as ii has
done, to see into the account which the
city OF Providence was TO receive, was
given the privilege OF excluding out of
that computation its mileage outside the
city of Providence, so that mile of road
ino one of our ighboring towns over
which a car did not go, perhaps oftener
than once an hour, or perhaps not as
often as that, counted the same as a mile
of railroad between the bridge and the
Hoyle Tavern, over which
Cars Run Several q MinsMe
during most Of the day, making 1t pos
sible, Mr.. President, 40 has been the case, |
to extend the road OF the Union Railroad |
Company out into the towns so that il |
come which it got from the city OF Provi- |
dence; so that, although the mileage has |
been more than doubled, in fact, the |
city OF Providence receipts have been de- |
creased. That was the act of the Legisla- |
ture; not an act OF the City Coun- |
ell. The city of Providence received |
wsll wei 40 less. 1t had no % power ITO to repeat gg
this act. 1t 10 said that the Legislature |
could repeat 1t, but what was the pros
pect that II would do SO, and what is the |
prospect that any legislation against the |
rity of Providence could be repealed; any |
legislation against the requests of others
Itis was not sufficient. The city OF
Providence was receiving only the in
'ome from one of it's railroads. The next
rear II sen DIS again to the Legislature TO |
Isk to have the other road, the cable
,oad, which had been purchased by the
traction company. made subject to the
ayment of at least three per cent. And
rbat was done? The reply OF the Legisla-
ure was like the other. The three per
ent. was granted, but the conditions of
he twenty years franchise added to IL, |
. addition TO the twenty years franchise
,ranted to the Union Railroad Company.
he Legislature said, in effect: "A twenty
ears franchise Is granted to the cable
cad. and you shall receive none OF its
rcney which we provide by this act, un-
sss the city OF Providence accepts tho
rovisions OF this act in writing, and !
communicates II TO the two roads, and
Then 1t had so communicated its assent |
o the provisions OF this act TO the roads,
nd the roads assented 10 il and commu-
licsted with the city OF Providence. then
hese payments shall go into effect. And
o the hands OF the city Of Providence
we're tied, closer, even than before. And
hen at last, the city, driven to the wall.
ssented to the provisions which had
osen thrust upon II by the legislature
fhe franchise has been given.
You Could Take the Money or Not.
1--WE could not take ii unless we asent-
ID to this act, and assented TO what the
legislature had done. OF course, we had
he privilege OF not asserting first, and
night hope that sometime in the distant
uture, when the Constitution should be
or the kind OF people which
'ur towns sepd TO the Legislature should
,e changed, that we could get that act
epealcd. OF course, there Is one chance
a million that that might be done.
'erhaps one chance in a million, certainly
ot more, and the City Council could
ot very well do anything else but accept
he few crumbs that were allowed to fall
rom the table of the Legislature.
"Thst. Mr. President, Is a comparison
I the way the City Council has dealt
18th this question and the way the Legis-
.ture has dealt with the question, and I
J bmit that the taxpayers cannot find any
lult with this Council, but that the fault
es with the Legislature OF this state i'm
ne condition of affairs which we find
xisting between the railroad and the
ity Of Providence at the time this COM
littee was appointed.
Nov, Mr.. President, much of the crit
ism which has been made upon this
,mfnittee has been made on the theory (
1st they were appointed to obtain a
vstem of general transfer tckets. Lsub- !
lit, Mr.. President, that was not the idea {
lat the committee was appointed for: {
ist the resolution plainly marked out
Eeir duty and confined il TO a much a
mailer scope. They were directed TO
nd out whether the Union Railroad
ompany was willing TO carry out the I