The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-08
DOWN ON THE CAR LINE DEAL.
Hon. j. j. McDOnOugh's Opinion of
the COunciFs Grant.

Knowing that the views of Mr.. McDon-
ough upon the street railway deal would be
of interest to all his constituents the mat
ter was brought to his attention.
Mr.. McDonough promptly condemned
the deal in the most emphatic manner.
THE action of council in this matter
amazes me-" said Mr.. McDonough. How
council could have been led into such a
trap is beyond my comprehension. The
deal appears to me to be thoroughly indie
fensible Council has no right to deed
away the public domain. The haste with
which the matter was acted upon puts
council in a bad light. 1t was bad
judgment to say the least. You can rest
assured that the street railway
company will never be allowed to recon-
struct its tracks upon the plan adopted
by council. Litigation will be begun which
will prevent 1t from doing so and may re-
suit in a new arrangement"
OF the Price street matter, Mr. Melon
ough said: Il am heartily glad for per-
sOnal reasons to get the railway track off
of Price street. 1t should never have
been there in the first place, and 1 hope
another track will never be allowed there
stood that the Parsons railways were es-
pecially anxious to get rid of the Price
street track and the language of the con-
cession sounds queerly.
THE greatest oversight, to my mind on
the part of council" said Mr.. McDonough,
is with regard to the southern section.
Instead or allowing the railway company
to draw in its lines, il should have been
required to extend them. In giving the
railway company control of the situation
special requirements should have been
made with regard to the southern section.
The value of the property there depends
largely upon the street railway facilities.
Some of the railway lines were built to
develop property there. 1t is said that
they were built for speculative purposes.
That may be true. 1t was per-
fectly legitimate speculation. Now
that these lands on the
outskirts have been sold by the original
spectators, are the purchasers to have
the value of their property destroyed by
the withdrawal of the street railroads
There is large and growing population
in the southeastern section of the city.
Council should have required the rail-
way company to extend the Gwinnett
street line southwark to Estill avenue and
along that avenue to junction with the
main belt. Instead of requiring the peo-
pie In the southwestern section to depend
be made of the Battery park
and Montgomery street lines. The
fact that the operation of some of these
lines might not prove profitable to the
railway company should not have been a
question with council. In making conces-
sions to the street railway company it
should have required concessions from il
in the way of improved service. which the
railway company could well afford to give,
for the outlying sections. The further de-
velopment of the city seems to have been
overlooked altogether by council in making
the deal"
It will be remembered that when Mr..
McDonough was mayor every concession
asked for by the street railway companies
was jealousy eyed and there was a dis
position not to be too free in making these
grants. Some of Mr. McDonough's hardest
battles while mayor were with the Electric
and Coast Line and City and Suburban
| railways,