The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-06
AID. sHEPARD.s ORDINANCE GETS
A sEMI-INDORsE IN MASS
MEETING.
THEN IF NOT SATISFACTORY
LEI THE COMPANY RETURN TO IT'S
PRESENE ROUTE ON
SEIRE.
ALDERMEN WHIx. BE PRESSED
At Tonight's Meeting to Give the
Shepard Scheme a Fair and
Thorough Trial.

dents Of the Tenth and Seventh wards
and the merchants of the city, held at
the Commercial club rooms last even
ing, to discuss better street car facili-
ties for the Midway district, it was
unanimously decided to recommend to
the common council the passage of the
Shepard ordinance for a term Of five
years. The recommendation was made
after considerable discussion and with
the understanding that if, at the ex-
piration of the specified time, the ex-
pertinent of operating electric cars up
the Third street grade and upon Sum
nit avenue. should prove impractical
or dangerous to life, the Selby avenue
hill should again be utilized. The
meeting was well attended, and the
interest animated, though almost wholly
centered in the advocacy Of those Ia
vorable to the route proposed by the
ordinance of Aid Shepard. All pres
ent were a unit in the belief that the
Midway district needed better facili-
ties and the merchants appeared con-
cerned only in the plan to be. recon-
mended which would fulfill their de-
mands
President Jesse A. Gregg, of the Com
mercial club, called the meeting to Or
der, when E. w. 7Peet, Of the Seventh
ward was elected chairman, and John
Field, also of the Seventh ward, chosen
as secretary. Upon being called upon
to state the position Of the Midway
residents Aid. Shepard explained the
situation as regarding transit to and
~ 1,1-st fc,r 1oct fxro
years, dwelling upon the inconvenience
to which those using the Selby avenue
line had been put and emphasizing the
fact that the time had come when bet
ter facilities were NECESSARY to obviate
the turning of thesMidway trade in the
direction of MINNEAPOLIS, whence ne
feared it had already set, as the result
of the requests Of the Midway peopIe
for the aid of the merchants of ST:
Paul being so persistently turned down
in the past.
1t had cost over $150,000, Aid. Shep-
ard said, to get the iSelby avenue cable
line within seven blocks of the Midway
district in 1889, and since that time,
notwithstanding this outlay of funds,
the residents of this portion Of the city
a satisfactory system Of transit. Even
at the present time they could reach
Minneapolis I'm eight minutes less time
than it took to get to st. Paul In
deed, esaid AID Shepard. the merchants
Of Minne&p6Ifs9ha fakeh tm0fe interest
in the welfare of I the Midway people
than those of ST Paul, though tine dis
trict was portion Of the Sanity city.
Arguing against the most serious op-
lection urged against the route as pro-
vided in the proposed ordinance, Aid.
Shepard declared that cars could De
operated upon the Third street hill
without the slightest danger to life,
and gave statistics showing electric
cars to be successfully operated IN
other cities ON much sleeper grades.
The grade Of Third street and that por-
tiOn of Summit to be utilized, he said,
was but eight per cent, while in Sioux
City, Ia, three different lines were run
on grades Of between ten and eleven
per cent. The objection that the pro-
posed line would spoil the entrance to
Summit avenue" and render driving on
this street dangerous, Aid. Shepard de-
clared was OF no force. The rails
would be run near the curb, leaving
a thoroughfare as wide as that at Fifth
passed each day 5without endangering
the travel of vehicles, and as for de-
tracing from the beauty of the avenue
this was out of the. question as but
about 800 feet Of" the street would be
used, and besides many of the princi-
pal residence streets of large cities
were traversed by double tracks which
in no way detfacted from their appear
ance. Js go
I'VE have changed cars in the open
prairie and used an old salt car for d
transfer. station for five years." said
Aid Shepard and we now ask your
aid in getting a service which we de-
serve. This talk that the people of the
Midway district do not trade with Min
but it is not they who have boycotted
St Paul. On the.contrary, it is St
Paul who has boycotted them. Here
tOfore we have been turned down IN
our efforts to better ourselves in this
matter, and by the Seventh ward not
withstanding what We desire will also
be of benefit to this portion of the
city" s.- sr'weE
At this point an auditor declared,
mot by the residents Of the ward, Mr..
Shepard"
Yes we have" replied the alderman.
not turning to ascertain the speaker
and concluding his remarks by an APP
Recommendation
ordinance for a term of five years if
the meeting could not make its en-
dorsement without compromise
3. L. Goodkind interrogated Aid.
Shepard regarding the willing
ness Of the street railway company
to lay it's tracks on the proposed line
and abandon the Selby avenue hill.
'I saw General Manager Goodrich
today" said Mr.. Shepard, land he in
formed me that the company was in
favor of the ordinance and would glad
ly accept its provisions.
Mr. Goodkind then suggested that
Aid. Shepard frame resolution
containing the requirements of the Mid
way people, to which Mr. Shepard re-
piled that this had already been done
and that all that was needed was one
vote in the city council. either from
the Seventh, Fourth or Fifth wards
Aid. Sanborn, Of the Seventh
ward, being called upon, said he was
in favor Of better service for the Mer-
RAM Park residents Rut that he had
come to the meeting 10 listen and did
not intend to be foteed into stating
how he intended voting on the proposed
ordinance. He feared the danger of the
Third street inclize and viewed the al
legged disfgurationTef Summit avenue as
of small moment, though he was not
in favor of its being done If any other
practical route could be decided upon.
Over every other proposed plan Aid.
Sanborn favored the placing of g.
device on the Selby hill. He firmly
believed this could be done. notwith-
standing the claims of Mr.. Shepard to
the contrary. The company, he said,
could not be compelled to equip Selby
hill with device nor could it be made
to change its present method Of opera
ton to the Third street line, but of the
two plans he favored the Selby hill