Evening journal., 1897-09-29
A CONDITIONAL GRANT.
Traffic Agreement Must Be
Arranged First.
ANSWER TO FRANCHISE REQUEST

lON AMI BRANDY WINE SPhlNGS
ROAD AND THE WILMINGTON
CITY RAILWAY COMPANY.
OTHER BUSINESS.
That old worn-out franchise" which
has been before the public and the
Street and Sewer Department. and
which has been the bone of contention
between the directors of the W lining
ton and Brandywine Springs Railway
Company, and the Wilmington City
Railway Company so long, is practi
cally dead
After the Street and Sewer Directors
had concluded the usual business Of
street matters, Mr.. Pratt offered a let
ter signed by the members, Messrs.
Pratt and Simmons, and even Mr. Web
ster, who was considered the champion
of the Wilmington and Brandywine
Springs Company, which fixed the busi-
ness Of the Springs road. After the
reading OF the letter Mr.. Pratt sized up
the appeal of the Wilmington and
Brandywine Springs Company as re-
quest from gang of spectators. He
said that the Wilmington and Brandy
wine Springs Company had been grant
ed a charter, but had not made any dis
position toward starting the road. That
traffic agreement" between the Will
mington and Brandywine Springs road
and the Wilmington City Railway
Company was agreed to on the part of
the latter company, but the proposition
was not agreeable TO the former com
pany The full text of the letter which
buried the franchise" is here given:
To the President and Board OF Direc-
tors of the Brandywine Springs
Railway Company, Wilmington
Delaware.
Gentlemen: The Board of Directors OF
this department feel that when any
private corporation asks for franchises
covering the use Of the public property
, that the matter should be carefully con-
sidered with a view only as to how Il
. will affect the city's interest; and be.
fore such franchises are granted W,
should be well satisfied that the benefit
to the public justifes giving the privi
leges asked. We have tried to be gov
erned by these principles in consider
ing your request to use a certain stree
Of this city for railway purposes. W.
feel that on general principles 1t is t'
: the interest Of the city to encourag'
any legitimate enterprise for furnish
!, ing direct and easy means of communi
j cation between the city and surround
#, ing country and towns and give an
u necessary facilities for this purpos
. where the privileges asked were not on
; of proportion to the benefit to be gain
ed.
On the other hand, we would not con
slider it proper for the city to gran
e franchises to irresponsible parties, VIII
" a1aft
q purposes or not at all; or to give privi
& leges where they were not necessary, c
e were far beyond the benefits to be de
Z rived.
: Returning to the special franchis
/. asked by your company, viz: The us
n of Sixth street from the city line I
< French or Walnut street, we felt yer
e reluctant to give up the use of thi
street, as we do not believe. that so IA
p, as the city is concerned, any preseI
necessity exists for a street railway o
! it, and besides, the city has, at consiC
e erable expense, paved part Of It wit
D improved pavement, and a railwa
track would much impair its use for yC
hicular travel; as, however, you are r'
- stricted by your charter to this street,
satisfied that it was a legitimate er
" terprise and the use of this street wa
y necessary, we feel this might be yelt
" ed under proper restrictions. We hal
therefore. the two propositions TO cor
slider: First, whether the enterprii
= was a legitimate one, being conducte
- =. in good faith; second, If this franchii
~ was necessary and should
given at this time.
a came to your company for II
formation on these subjects. In regal
to the first, you claim that your con
pany fill these conditions, intends
prosecute the enterprise, and have q
means to carry it cut, and although "
did not inform us as definitely as Y
could have wished, on this subject, Y
n will not urge this further at present
"A regard to the second, the statement WI
made by you on several different occ
= sions. to this board, and repeated Sc
eral times last Tuesday night that ''y'
did not desire to construct your line {
ng Sixth street, that you much preferred
he make q connection with the Wilmin
,,;ai ton City Railway Company at the ci
DE line. provided a fair and eQI
table agreement could be made wi
them for carrying your passengers
the city limits, as this would give "
-, the advantage Of reaching all parts
ar the city, instead OF only Sixth street
I'm In reply to the question as to what yo
Tor negotiations had been with the w
- mington City Railway Company, y
- stated that mo negotiations whatev
had been entered into with them" tn
in you did not consider that you wou
OF have any standing with the Wilmin
..aa- ton City Railway without having {
right from the city, and that you
sired to have the franchise that 1t mig
give you the proper standing before c
. tering into negotiations with them, a
IS that if you could make a fair arranl
-. ment you would net use the franchise
,g- On being questioned. this statement.
10 nearly the same terms, was made st
eaal eral Times, so that we could make
to mistake in our understanding.
The proposition then seems to resol
'wo itself TO this. that you we're asking
ner board for a franchise that you did I
! a desire to use, for the purpose of obtai
ex- ing better terms from another co
ast pany; and in regard to such a propo
ms ton the board desires to say that VIII
NO- 4hatr would NOT have felt iuefffipd