The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-01

door of our municipal authorities for the
obtainment of concessions. privileges and
guarantees? Is 1t not now an
open secret that one Of the
schemes of the directors of the
consolidated system In this city is TO fast
en- an exclusive grip upon the franchises
Of the streets which they propose to strip
and abandon, and that they will endeayor
to obtain from the city authorities, an
express guarantee Incorporated in the per-
init to take up the tracks, that the aban-
doned street shall never more be available
for street railway uses, and failing in
that, to endeavor to effect their design, In
directly, by hoodwinlxing the aldermen In
to the stupidity of granting their system
the privilege to strip and abandon the
streets without first imposing, as a con-
dition precedent to the removal or the
tracks from the streets, the REIMBURSEMENT
of the franchises covering them? In
other words, a Scheme to sustain their
monopoly to the franchises Of such streets
in perpetuum, and the citizens OF SaVan-
nah owning property along or doing busl-
ness or living on them TO be forever de-
prived of street railway accommodation
at the behest and I'm the interest of the
pockets of monopolists, who have already
too great a hold upon franchises to the
streets OF Savannah? Not another fran
chise, not another privilege, and, above
ali not a single guarantee should be CIV
en- to this dangerously overgrown corpora
ton. Instead of giving guarantees to It,
the city should turn about and exact
guarantees of IT. especially when It APP
plies for privileges to enable 1t to de-
crease Its operating lines, and thereby
minimize the distance Travelled on a g.
cent fare. Would 1t be just to the people
of Savannah, whose money built nearly
every one OF these roads and who have
practically been manipulated out of ev-
cry dollars interest In them, to have
their convenience and right to street rail-
way accommodation subordlnated to the
pocket interests Of the monopolists who
have, by conquest succeeded to the own
ership of the property, and when not a
nickel drawn from the pockets OF the peo-
pie of Savannah for the short ride win
be left in Savannah, but viii go to swell
still more the plethoric pockets of the
New York stock and bondholders?
Is 1t not absolutely necessary, for the
protection Of our people, that the city au-
thorities should have plenary power to reg
ulate the entire physical construction and
appointments OF every street railway In
Savannah? The paving Of the street
along and between the tracks; regulation
Of fares according TO distance run; regu-
lation of transfers; provide for uniformity
in the time of schedules or require such
reasonable regulation of them as will be
adapted to the streets traversed; to pro-
vide regulations which will prevent street
railway corporations from retaining a
franchise to a street and at the same time
affiict the service with paresls by keeping
tracks on II only TO run cars at irregular
or long intervals on them? And hereafter.
when a petition shall come from this
consolidated system, asking for authority
to take up Its tracks, would It not be ex-
pedient in addition to requiring a sur
render Of the franchises to such street, to
avail of the opportunity to shave down 10
a reasonable level the franchises to other
streets which have been improvidently
granted by previous councils before ex-
perience had taught them the inexpedi-
ency of such prodigaHty? 1t should be
borne In mind that not a single
street, nor even a part thereof
can be stripped and abandoned except
with the authority of council, and that
consequently the aldermen are masters OF
the stua ticn, when corporation, holdlns
franchises to the streets of the city, comes
supplient to them for notifications in the
terms of franchise, or relief from any re-
quirement or condition imposed in IL; ane
opportunity to recover any and every nun
icipal right or power which may have
been impaired, or which the city may hav,
divested itself Of, in the terms Of any pre-
viously obtained franchise held by the pc
titioning corporation The city authoritie
should go slowly. extremely slowly, ia ell
| its actions touching concessions TO q mon
| opoly which has already such an appal
| lingly dangerous foot hold In our city a
I this consolidated system. They have moth