Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-05
UNION DEPOT MASS MEETING
Results in the Formation Of a Railway
Depot League.
TO EXERT PRESSURE ON THE RAILROADS
Needs of the city nnd History OF some
Past Efforts Discussed by Prom
incnt citizens Rcsoiu-
tionS Adopted.
TO EXERT PRESSURE ON THE RAILROADS

! An audience that fairly filled the lower
! floor gathered at Boyds opera house last
! evening to assist In manufacturing union
! depot sentiment. There was an extended
/ discussion on the question, which resulted In
the adoption of series of vigorous rcsolu-
! tions and the formation OF Railway
! Depot league" for the purpose Of follow
! ing up the sentiment OF the resolutions.
a number of heavy property owners par
! tlcipated in the discussion, which developed
tendency to run to the disappointmonts
of the past rather than to anticpa,ions
| of the future.
Among those who occupied seats on the
stage were. Mayor w. j. Broatch, c, f.
Weller G. NJ. Hitchcock, Rev. John Will
liams, w. A. Saunders Martin f. Langlon
| Fred B. Lowe. u. Silloway. G. w. Wattles,
ex-Mayor Cleaver and NJ L. Rohrer OF
Council Bluffs A. Hospc jr, DR.. o. s.
Wood, James Walsh, o. n. Davenport, John
Steel, Judge Gregory, w. j. Connell, Major
r. S. Wilcox. Rev. 5. Wright Butler James
Bula and II. b. Montgomery of South
| Omaha, DR.. S. u. Mercer, Frank Hibbard,
| w. G.. Whitmore, Charles Il. Dufie, Judge
| George W. Doane DR. j. II. Peabody, II.
l.. Burket, Miss Mary Fairbrcther and Miss
| Jean Ringer.
G. NJ. Hitchcock called the meeting to
| order and recommended a series Of rules
| which he recommended Cor the government
| OF the proceedings. They provided that 1t
| should be ont of order for any speaker to
! indulge in personalities or to refer to any
| particular location. Speeches should be
| limited to ten minutes and the object to
be the organization of Railway Depot
league. to combine all interests in the effort
to compel the railroads to provide Omaha
with proper depot facilities He then intro
duCsi Mayor Broatch as chairman OF the
meeting
In taking the chair Mayor Broatch said
that every one knew that we wanted
depot. Those who travelled noticed the hand
some depCta at Denver St Paul and other
western cities, but nowhere could be found
another such miserable apology for depot
as we have in Omaha. 1t was not the pnr-
pose of this meeting to go back into an
clent history but to secure united action
for tho future. He alluded to the action
OF the Burlington road in prcmi9ing depot
and giving a liberal subscription to the expo
sition and said that the road was entitled
to full credit for its liberality
The organization was then completed by
the selection Of w. a. Saunders az secre-
tary. Mr.. Hitchcock then offered the follow
ing resolutions:
MAP OUT A CAMPAIGN.
Resolved. That it Is the sense of this
meeting that the members of the Railway
Depot league selected this evening, be, and
the same are, hereby instructed to proceed
Immediately to bring such pressure to pear
possible to procure forthwith the construc
tion of adequate and proper depot facilities
for this community Tmat t0r this .n PnrP0Se pS
port of the people of omaha and their in
tluence in the state of Nebraska to any
extent to which they may find it necessary
to go in procuring action along the follow
ing lines, to wit:
/. That the police powers of the city of
Omaha be invoked, If necessary, to rigldly
regulate and severely control the speed of
ali railway trains through this city to the
lowest possible minimum consistent with
2. That, If necessary. the full municipal
powers of this city be invoked to compel
the construction of viaducts across all rail- |
roads wherever the public needs require.
g. That railroads be required, If deemed
proper, to place flagmen at all points where
streets or highways are crossed.
L. That all such intersccting railroads be
required to maintain electric lights at street |
crossings all night long for each night in
s. That the authority of the Board OF
Health be used for the Investigation and |
condemnation of the present unsanitary
and dangerous Tenth street depot, and
that the nuisance be abatcd, as other nui-
sances are abated upon private property |
when endangering the public health.
LEGISLATIVE REMEDIES.
G. That proper steps be taken to procure |
such legislation at the coming session of |
the legislature as may be necessary to en- /
L That a bill be prepared for introduce
tion in the next legislature giving omaha |
and adequate union railway station in the |
city of Omaha and empowering her to !
require all railroads entering the city to
use the same, In case such a step becomes |
necessary in the opinion of the league.
s. That the league apply to the incoming |
State Board of Transportation for an order |
requiring all railroads entering the city of |
Omaha to proceed Immediately with the |
construction of adequate depot facilities |
within the city of Omaha, and to complete |
the same within a reasonable time to be |
fixed by the league or determined by the |
state board
Q. That the league procure such legisla- |
ton as may be necessary. if any is n.cos- |
sary to enable the city of Omaha to levy |
adequate taxes upon the railroads enter |
ing this city to pay for the construction of |
such a union passenger station, in the
event that no adequate railroad facilities
are provided by the railroad companies |
themselves.
10 That the league investigate and bring
before the proper authorities, either munich |
pal, state or Legislative, the proper meas
ures to subject the railroad companies en-
tering Omaha to the payment of municipal
taxes on their city property.
II. That the league be empowered and re-
quested to dcvisa any other ways ana means
necessary to bring official pressure to bear
upon the railroads entering this city to
perform their duties to the public.
12 That the league be requested and en-
uniting the business interests of this city
in the proper organization whose object
shall be the concentration of all their bust
ness upon such of the roads shall
promptly recognize the demands of this
city for depot facilities.
PEOPLE HAD THE POWER.
In support of his resolutions Mr.. Hitch
cock said that heretofore, while there had
been an almost unanimous desire en- the
part of the people to compel the railroads
to provide proper depot facilities sentiment
had never been organized. He declared
that the city had just as much power to
compel the railroads to build a depot az
it had to make John Smith build a sidewalk
in of lie |