The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-20


wire, without too much waste, and APP
piled directly to the moving of trains
taking into account the relative costs
of the plants and the waste in the
transmission through the wire, we shall
have settled the question whether APP
plication of steam or an application
through the intervention of the trolley
wire is the most economical and prac-
ticable, and then all steam roads will
be called electric roads. AS, therefore
it is true that the power which moves
street railway cars and standard rail
way trains is precisely the same, we
may in the future come to an exact
similarity between what is now denom-
inted the electric road and the steam
road. The question is therefore wheth-
er a steam railroad using the same
power, indirectly shall be permitted to
have the free use of the highways with
out restriction or limitation in competi-
ton with the companies using steam
directly, companies which have bought
their own right of way, which are sub
ject to the restrictions of the state as to
stations, as to crossings, as to flagmen
and gates, as to reasonable accommo-
dations furnished 1t is not question
between electricity and steam; it is a
question between direct steam and in
direct steam. Both are really steam
railroads The question is not between
electricity and steam, but whether your
honorable body may recommend and
the general assembly may justly au-
thorize the free use of highways in
competition with the locations of rail-
roads whose rights of way have been
secured at an enormous expenditure of
money.
1t is question: therefore, affecting
the vested rights of steam railroads
under their charters. Some sore-head-
ed scribbler in a New York daily re-
Gently wrote a scurrilous article criti-
cising the mana cement of the Console
dated road for having the audacity to
appear before this committee to pro-
test against this proposed project OF
paralleling every station on it's line by
electric railways, and the writer pur-
ported to represent and express the
views of Wall street upon this sub
ject. The answer to this wall from
Wall street is that the New York, New
Haven and Hartford railroad never
has been run in Wall street, or by Wall
| street, Vi lOI w all street, anu, uIlleSS
| Connecticut fails of its duty, it never
win be- No, the New York, New Ha-
ven and Hartford railroad is a Con-
necticut institution by birth, the ma
jority of it's directors are residents Of
| Connecticut, it's headquarters are here,
and it's stock is scattered in small
! blocks among hundreds and thousands
of Connecticut citizens, men, women
and children. 1t is safe to say that
one-half the citizens of Connecticut are
directly and indirectly interested in its
welfare and prosperity, but not only
is it furnishing steady employment to
thousands of your citizens, for its
stock is held by your great education
al, religious and charitable institutions,
your life and fire insurance companies,
your banks and trust companies and
| savings banks, where the wealth of the
people is invested or deposited A rail-
road company is nothing but limited
partnership. The people who have in
vested their money in this great prop
erty demand that the state shall pro-
tect their chartered rights and it's
pledged faith to them against a COM
petition which is unjust and unfair
and threatens to greatly impair the
value of their property unless the OBJ
vious purposes of these schemes shall
be checked What would be said if
the Consolidated road should ask to
run it's trains and cars over the cleo
trio roads already constructed? Or to
have the free use of the highways of
the state for railroad purposes? And
yet why should you deny the privilege
when you propose to grant the same
privilege to another class of steam
roads? The disadvantages to which
the steam roads are put by this new
competition comes from the immense
cost to which it is put, especially in
the cities and large towns where the
local travel is largest and the best SER
vice is demanded. Think for a moment
of the millions the New York, New Ha-
ven and Hartford railroad has spent
in the last seven years to build, for the
accommodation Of its business and the
people of this state, railroad that |
shall, when finished, have no superior
on this continent! To-day, in the little |
city of South Norwalk, it is spending |
nearly 100000 to eliminate grade |
crossings and straighten it's line. With
in a few months it must repeat the |
work at as high cost at Stamford, |
and then comes Bridgeport, where dou-
BILE that amount must be expended to |
SATISFY the public demands for con-
venience and safety. In doing this the
Consolidated road is fulfilling in good |
faith its duties to the public, and the
promises it made the state when 1t &C
cepted its charter. But can this first
class service and appointments be ex-
pected or fairly demanded by the public
if the state is to allow horde of for
eign spectators to parallel every sta
ton on it's line and destroy entirely it's
local travel?
But our electric friends said two
years ago this competition will not
harm you. These roads will act as
feeders to your road, they will increase
YOUR travel and really benefit you. We
have had something more or less than
a. wear of this experience as to the
effects Of electric competition where it
directly parallels our road at different
points between stations, We have
tested this wind pudding prepared by
electricity and found it more filing
than fattening. Let me give you a
few statistics as to the effects of
electric competition at some points
upon our main and leased lines in Con-
necticut.
rive Won tba for11res from tbe 40