The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-11
Street Committee ReluS:S TO Allow the Old
Company 10 Use The New Tracks.
ORDINANCE REJECTED BY VOTE OF4TO5
Representatives from Both the Old Conn
pany and the Traction Company Heard
by the street Communicable
Argument on Both sides.

/ IT'S ears on the tracks OF the Traction
| Company ON Broad street The vote by
| winch this action was taken was close
| one 90 Z.
The committee met at . o'clock. with
| me following members present: Mcssrs.
| Alien tcnairmdm, Blanks, Bloomhery'
| Burton. DiacOnt, Ferriter Mcdowell,
| Page, and Bahen. There were also pres
| ent Captains Pizzini and a. b. Gugon.
Shield and II. N. smith. Jr for the
! Traction Company. Colonel Cutshaw the
/ city Engineer and "A number of inter-
ested spectators. The sentiment of the
/ spectators seemed very much in favor OF
] the Traction Company, and they heartily
/ applaudcd IT'S victory.
! the meeting was 10 consider an ordinance
/ drawn up by the city Attorney on the
| lines OF the one adopted az their last
! meeting. And al his request. MI Mere
| attn read 90 the committee the. ordinance
| which De had prepared. II provides Tor
| the use on Broad street OF the same
! tracks hy both companies. and throws
] the necessary safeguards around the city
! IN mat event. The ordinance also pro-
I vides that the Richmond Railway and
] Electric Company shall extend It's Laurel
! street line and electrify the same, tho
| work 10 Dee completed in sixty days from
| the passage of the ordinance.
| Captain IiZzini stated that they would
! De- Wiling 10 accept these conditions, ana
would guarantee tO complete the work
! IN The specified sixty days. provided they
| were allowed TO 30 ON Broad street.
! Mr. Ferrtcr then moved To- reconsider
| tne vote by which the ordinance was
| adopted az the last meeting. Pending tho
! vote on this motion the 'prestntatites OF
the two companies We're allowed fifteen
! minutei each to speak upon ll captain
I Pizzni. ot the Richmond Railway ana
| Electric Company, was the FIRST speaker.
CAPTAIN PIZZINTS VIEWS.
lio said that The whole matter w's
| brought about first, boy the press, and.
second h} the action OF me
Broad-strect merchants. and under
this pressure the request had
| been made for fhc cuaction of law al
| lowing his company 10 use the Trac-
| ton Company tracks.
There had been "a good deal of prciu-
| dice he said, against hia company, pat-
! ly engendered by disanocted employees
and partly hy other reasons To remove
| this prejudice they now wished 10 run
! electric cars on Broad street. either on
] The tracks OF the Traction Company, and
| IN return they would grant concessions
90 the Traction Company that wOuld. .am-
ply repay them for the said concession.
They offered to let the Traction COmnany
run IFS ears on all Of their tracks. both
| In Richmond and MANCHESTER, and the
| sale or Workingmen's tickets. lie thought
| that they We're Offering the company
good thing, but that company did not
seem 10 see b.. He hopad however that
| the Street Committee would see the mat
ter Ia a different light and grant their
request 10 allow them 20 run their cars
on Broad sreet
THE TRACTION COMPANY'S SIDE.
Mr.. "a. VI. Smith. Jr.. representing
the Traction Company was The neNt
agreed wiki Captain Pizzlni ln saying
that the people were prejuliced against
the Richmond Railway and Electric Com
pauy, and the cause, he thought, must
bee "A good one, for he knew the people oi
Richmond too well TO suppose that they
, would take nap prejudice Wllhout reason.
Captain Pizzini had said. Mr. Smith
went ON. that tho city had not been ready
az any time for his company 90 electr.fy
Broad street. The city had been ready
eight or nine years ago for Marshall
street and the streets on Church lill TO
be electrified. and 10 was a matter OF
mystery 10 him that DO had not been
ready FOR beautiful sire like Broad
20 Dee electrified.
Mr. smith said il would bee a violation
of the franchise given The Traction Com
pany tO allow The old company TO make
a convenience and stepping stone of
them. Ie would rather ne said see
TWO tracks on Broad street, nut II would
not be long before that would he the
case for the franchise Of the Richmond
Railway and Electric Company would
expire in five years. and would bee better
10 wait until that time.
lie urged the committee to reject the
proposed ordinance. and 10 keep the two
companies separate and distinct, so that
they would be- two competing lines, ana
the citizens would get the very best
service possible FOR their money.
lie scored the old company because
they had never. until the Traction COM
pany came into existence, provided tenu-
crs for their cars, nor allowed school
children half fare.
CAPTAIN GUlGON.
Captain a. h. Guigon, for the old COM
pauy. followed Mr.. Smith in an earnest
speech in behalf Of his company The
.fs. I.
city would have men riding ON Broad
street and not able TO get "a transfer ln
any direction. for the old company Would
not give them stick 10 bieah Us htdl-
So far from an Arrangement for both
c0mDanifs TO run on the same tracks on
Broad street being hurtful 20 the lracVon
Company. he thought ~ would nc a great
Iouent 10 them pecuniarily. lie urged
tine committee 10 look at the great ptne-
DO which would accrue 10 the cltizens
from am arrangement OF TINS klnd n'-
tween the TWO companies when they
could go anywhere in the city ana nave
nrst-class service TO every point.
Mr. Guigon closed with an earnest ap-
neal 10 the committee TO adopt the ordi-
nance. both for tho GOOD or me cry
and i'm Justice % the Richmond Railway
and Electric Company
AGAINST THE ORDINANCE.
AT the close OF Mr.. Gugon's speech
Mr. Allen spoke al some len6th on tne
ordinance. lie hoped, ne said, mat the
committee would reject the ordinance.
BROAD street was only shop street any
how. and he did not think that ioli
tracks would be found 20 be dangerous.
Richmond had long wanted some COM
petition i'm street railways, ana she was
now on the eve OF getting II, ana tnat
coupetition would be virtually killed ny
allowing the old company 90 run It's cars
an the Traction Companys lines. lie
adp,itted that he had been skeptcal al
nrsf as TO whether the Traction Company
was going 10 build its line, but they mad
zone 10 work in such way as 10 inspire
confidence -, ,,,
went on II would be goodbye 90 compeu-
,fcr fn Richmond No company would
come and ask for a franchise lf the IN
trsfico were done the Traction Company
of allowing their lines 10 be used by the
ola comDany lie warned the commit
Tee TO weigh the matter gravely before
tbev decided 10 recommend any such Ordl-
nance as the one under discussion
Nr Blanks spoke next. He said that
the question before the committee, ac-
cording 10 his understanding OF n, was
,,~h.rher four tracks two tracks should
ha allowed on Broad street. ana then
v,enr on TO speak in favor OF the ordt-
nance, on the ground that II was neces-
sarv Tor the comfort and safety Of the
n.ople OF Richmond that only two tracks
sborid bc allowed on Broad street. In
'nswer 10 questions by Mr.. Diacont, Mr..
pianks said that he would not vote 10
extend the Richmond Railway and Elec-
tric Company's franchise. but he would
,-cta Cor this ordinance in the interests
OF the city
IT'S BACH BROKEN.
Mr. Diacont said that now that the
bac,, OF the old company had been broken,