The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-21
WHIPPED INTO LINE.

AS we have expected from the gen.
eral tenor of its previous remarks, the
Pioneer Press is brought practically
into line with the demands of the street
railway company. 1t does, indeed, still
hold out against certain portions of
the ordinance, but it ranges itself
alongside the Dispatch by declaring
that 'ft contains a number of good
features and, with some eliminations,
additions and corrections, might be
made the basis of an adjustment Of
existing conditions with the street rail-
way company which would satisfy the
reasonable demands of the public"
This position We deny utterly, and it
IS denied unanimously and passionate
ly by the entire people of this city.
On the central point of the contro-
versy, one of the two objects that the
street railway company has primarily
In view-namely, the right to run ex-
press trains out University avenue and
charge higher rates of fare-our con-
temporary says: "The Pioneer Press
does not take the position that, under
no circumstances, should fast
through electric train be permitted to
run between the cities" We are ready
to join the issue right there An ex-
press service is not such a use of
public thOroughfare as is contemplated
in the dedication of a street to public
travel; and it will not, we believe, be
permitted when the matter is carried
into the courts. However desirable
quick transit may be between the
cities, it has been perfectly we'll estab-
lished in all civilized countries that the
facilities for this ought to be and must
be provided in another manner than
by occupying the surface of the public
highway. If the street railway COM
pany wishes to purchase a right of
way through private property between
these two cities and run express trains.
there will be no objection. If it is
willing to build an elevated track and
run express trains, we do not doubt
that the council would grant a fran
chlse for that purpose. But trains run
ming at high rate of speed on a street
that is both laterally and transversely
occupied by the public for its ordinary
business cannot be so used without its
virtual abandonment for public DUR
poses.
An illustration makes the enorn1ity
or the suggestion perfectly clear. There
Is far less travel on st. ANTHONY ave-
nue. than on University. There are
fewer buildings, and rapid transit
there would be less Objectionable. Let
US suppose that the Northern Pacific
company, or the Great Northern or tba
Milwaukee applied to the council for
permission to run steam nrona1Iad
trains at express rates of speed no.
tween these cities over st. Anthony
avenue, and see what would be the re-
ply. Why the city railway companv
should stand on any other basis. he
cause it has already received extra
ordinary concessions, is a question i'm
possible to answer. The assertion that
the express cars would run but Iit+Ie
faster than the interurban cars now
do is wholly without warrant. There
is nothing in the ordinance to substan-
tate it, and the facts deny it. The
privilege that the street railway COM
pany asks would be valueless if q high
rate Of speed were not intended. The
advocates of this ordinance insist that
two bodies can occupy the same space
at the same time. They assert that
they are not going to make a four
track road, and yet they are going to
run though cars and way cars at the
same time, over the same line and at
practically the same rates of speed
The absurdity of this needs no ex-
posture. The most singular argument
advanced by our contemporary il that
University avenue is not completely
built up between these two cities We
are to assume, therefore. that this streat
%ill remain as it is fer twenty. yoars
to come; that these two cities viii
Know neither growth nor extension i,
that time, and that they may properly
surrender today. as of &c value for