Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-02-05
STRIKERS HAPPY.
The Brooklyn Board of Alder
men Votes, 10 to 8,
To Revoke the Franchise and Licenses
of the Railroad Companies.
Strong Point in Favor OF the Strikers in The
Great Street Car Fight.

Brooklyn, Feb. 4.-Martin ]. Connolly
and Andrew Collins OF the strikers com
mittee arrived at City hall at $50 =. NJ.
Mr.. Connolly carried a petition under his
arm, wrapped in an old newspaper He
was detained in the hall five minutes and
then admitted to the council chamber.
The petition he presented was as follows
Whereas, the city of Brooklyn, through
the board of aldermen and the mayor has
granted the Brooklyn Heights, Atlantic
Avenue and Brooklyn, Queens County
and Suburban Railroads the license and
franchise to construct and operate street
railroads as common carriers in said city
for the convenience and accommodation
of its citizens, and permitted them &c
charge citizens Il rate of fare that enabled
said railway companies to become
enormously wealthy,
Whereas, said license or privilege
granted said railway corporations is
worth millions of dollars,
Whereas, said valuable privilege has
been grossly abused by said railway com
panies. who have violated the laws of the
state and used the privilege granted them
in such manner as to result in the loss
and injury 20 the interests of the people of
said city, now
Resolved, that we, the undersigned citi-
zens of the city of Brooklyn, do hereby
respectfully petition and request the
honorable board of aldermen and the
mayor of the city of Brooklyn to immedi-
ately revoke and repeal the license and
franchise to build and operate electric or
other street railways, granted by your
honorable body to the Brooklyn Heights,
Atlantic Avenue and Brooklyn, Queens
County and Suburban Railway Com
panics.
The following resolution was presented
to the board of aldermen for adoption
Resolved, that ordinance No., granting
privilege and license to the Brooklyn
Heights Railway Company, Atlantic
Avenue Railway Company and Brooklyn,
Queens County and Suburban Railroad
Company, Jan. II, 1892, to build and
operate electric trolley railroads in Brook
Ign be hereby revoked.
After the regular business of the board,
Alderman Walsh presented a long pream-
bic, reciting how the original grant to
the railroads to use horse power was made,
and later, Jan. IL, 1892, to change to
clVtITlCluyi anu tllutu WIN u itspiueioh w
revoke both grants.
Advocating the resolution, Alderman
Walsh said the companies had violated
their franchises and the state law. They
had heaped abuses upon the heads of their
employees and imposed upon them out
rageous hours of labor. 1t was time to give
the poor laborer chance. The board,
he said, and a right to say whether a
corporation could operate cars in the city
that were menace to the populace. For
two or three weeks the destiny of the city
had been in the hands of three men and
they had brought disgrace to the fair
name of Brooklyn.
Several aldermen expressed their
or inion that it was only buncombe to
adopt the resolution, as it was uncOnsti-
tutonal 1t would not help the strikers
but was more likely to do harm than good.
The board. they declared, had no right TO
deprive these companies of the right to
operate their cars. 1t was finally suggested
that there was no harm in passing the
resolution, and letting the courts decide
the rights of the aldermen in the premises.
On motion, the resolution was adopted,
10 to s, and now goes to the mayor, who,
over his head will need two-thirds vote.
The action of the board, even should it
escape the mayors veto, is not expected to
have a serious effect on the companies
The power of the board of aldermen to
summarily revoke the rights granted com
mon carriers, is questioned, and the
aldermen themselves are somewhat hay
as to how they can hope to enforce the
action.
Should the proceedings before the attor-
ney general in Albany result in a forfei.
ture of the companies charters, the ac-
ton of the common council, today, would
become operative, but otherwise will
have little effect.
Aside from the gathering at City hall
there was no change in the strike stun
ton, today. Two or three assaults upon
motormen and conductors were reported
and several collisions between trolley cars
and trucks occurred. One mororman
was sent to the hospital, with scalp
wound inflicted by strikers. The police
furnished surgeons with two cases for
scalp treatment