The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-03
LOOK AFTER THE FRANCHISES.
Protest Against Drawing in the
Lines-Whital1er Street should Be
Doubled Tracked.

Protest Against Drawing in the
Lines-W hital1er Street Should Be
Doubled Tracked.
Editor Morning News: I was very glad
to see your editorial in this mornings
News advising council to go slow in street
railway matters, and to make no agree
ment binding the city not to to give any
privileges to anybody else hereafter. 1t
is very questionable whether the city has
or ought to have any such power anyhow.
"All contracts in violation of public pol
icy are void!' is the constitutional pro-
vision; and certainly contracts providing
for such monopoly powers as 1t is said that
these street railway officials seek are con-
trary to public policy.
The Morning News is certainly right in
complaining against the tearing up and
drawing in of lines which are necessary
for the development of the city; and those
citizens of Savannah who have invested
several millions of dollars in outlying prop
critics are as much entitled to consldera-
ton as these railroad genetlemen-espec
tally as the former pay many times more
of the street car lines would cause heavy
decline in the value of these realty Invest
ments and proportionately lessen the taxes
received therefrom. l am surprised, how
ever to find anybody wanting the car
track removed from Whitaker street 1t
is the one we'll selected route in the city,
and if 1 thought the railroad company
wanted to remove it, 1 should, IL had the
power, prevent their doing so. Consider
a cfr
with its heavy travel, the whole central
part OF the city in access
to the municipal offices Ito which an
enormous number of people have to travel
whether they want to or noO, the advertis-
ing public in getting to the newspaper Of
fees, the express office, the city market,
the retail business houses in the center Of
which 1t passes, the various clubs having
halls from Whitaker to Bull street, the
Lutheran church. Trinity church and the
Telfair art gallery, only a block away, the
court house, only a block away, the new
postoffice, the Odd Fellows halls, the Chat
ham academy theater, and De Soto no.
tel, but block off. the Independent Pres
byterian church, the Baptist church, the
Masonic Temple, and st. Johns church
along its line, the Guards hall, the Jewish
club, the First Presbyterian church, and
the temple Mickva Israel, but a block away,
the Barnard street school, Hodgson hall,
the Lawton Memorial church, the Luthe-
ran mission church, ell along its line; the
Seventh Street Methodist church. but
block off-and greatest of all, the park!
Who wants to walk block from the street
cars to get to and from the park? Look
at the thousands upon thousands going
there on fete occasions! Are we to have
to walk two or three blocks to get to a
street car line at one point, and two or
three more blocks to get from the car to
,ff
So what is the use of street car lines
anyhow? In my humble way l thought
they were for public convenience-not for
public inconvenience.
Oh no. we don't want the Whitaker
street line taken up. Rather it ought to
run north and south all the time; and if
the folly is committed of trying to run
only one way on it the lessened travel will
teach the company a practical lesson they
win not soon forget. When people are
put to so much inconvenience they will
not patronize the road any more than
they can help. The railway company
would be fools to take up the Whitaker
street line, and the people of Savannah
would be fools to let them do It, IL they
wanted to do so. 1t is the one line that
serves the public convenience more than
any other, If not more than all others
combined.
If Whitaker street was paved and dou-
ble-tracked it would serve the public con-
venience admirably, and the cars could
then run both ways on it. Yours respect
fully, L. A. Falligant,