Omaha daily bee., 1897-08-04
AROUSES SOME OPPOSITION
Citizens Object to Councils Action Oh
Motor 0Ompanys Franchise.
MAYOR WILL WITHHOLD HIS SIGNATURE
Final Approval OF the Ordinance to
lie Delayed Unul Public Pro-
tests Have Bccn Heard
and Considered.

Mayor Carson will be in no hurry to sign
the ordinance granting a ffty-year extension
OF it's charter to the Omaha & Council Bluffs
Railway and Bridge company The delay is
for the purpose OF giving all of those who
believe the extension is not warranted by
the situation of the company to express their
views and show the reasons.
Some surprise was expressed yesterday
that the ordinance was passed at one meet
ing, and some of the citizens felt called
upon to go before Mayor Carson and urge
him to delay signing the instrument. j..
T. Evans, John A. Churchill, NJ J. Kelly,
DR., o. w. Gordon, Hugh Cole and others
called upon Mayor Carson at II o'clock and
held long conference with him. Mr.. Evans
was the chief speaker. He thought that the
council should have exacted something more
in return for the favor that had been shown
the company, but did not object to the cx-
tension of the charter under the circum-
stances. The mayor assured the gentlemen
that he would grant them a reasonable time
in which to make their objections known. No
specific objections were made, but the ques-
tions of increased train service, the running
of the double cars up Broadway and scent
fare to Omaha were talked of. The latter
suggestion was however, not urged by more
than one of the members of the party. The
general expression was that such low rate
of fare would not be conducive at the pres
ent time to the welfare of the city or the
company The question of running the
Omaha cars up Broadway appears to be one
of the chief considerations of the people
asking the delay, and the officials of the
motor company will probably be asked to
| attend a public conference and give some
assurance on this point.
At the close of the conference Mayor Car
son asked the gentlemen to name a date
when they wished to be heard and it was
decided to have public meeting on Wednes-
! day evening for the purpose of getting an eX-
| preston of feeling and hearing the objec-
| tions of the directors The following call,
signed by +. ]. Day, j. T. Evans, ]. c.
DeHaven and Hugh Cole, was written by
Mr.. Cole and given to the papers for pub
! lication:
house at o'clock. Mayor and city council
| especially invited Spencer Smith, James
Fss@0 Smith and dSeGSF eher viii Nj fsas
and arguments why the motor franchise
should not be extended for fifty years. This
giving the motor company $3.50 600 without
| the motor company making one concession
Come out and. protest against the mayor
| ana city council giving away the rights OF
our children for fifty years. Leonard Cor
/ Vett will preside.
In discussing the ordinance Alderman
| Metcalf declared that he had Joined the
1
| careful and thoroughly impartial investiga-
| tion into the condition of the motor com.
! pany, and the matter had resolved itself into
the plain business proposition of whether
the council should grant the company the
| required extension to enable it to issue Its
funding bonds or whether 1t should refuse
and permit the company to be wrecked
| There have been too many things wrecked
! in Council Bluffs already" he said land
| am not in favor of continuing the process
| any further. The present charter of the
| company is a very liberal one, so far as
| the city is concerned, and this extension does
not in any way modify it. 1t does not give
the company single advantage in any way
| over the city, but under the provisions OF
the charter the city has extraordinary con.
| troll over the motor company. 1t is hedged
| in with restrictions in every section, and
| with the single exception of paying some.
thing for the franchise there could be moth.
ing more asked from 1t by the city. The
company has shown clearly that it Is unable
| to pay its debts, and this being the case II
is certainly not in position to pay ar
annual rental to the city in addition TO its
| heavy taxes"
Aldermen Brough Pace, Shubert, Sayles
| and Graham expressed substantially the
| for the ordinance under the clearly defined
impression that they were doing the city
kindness by doing just what other cities
arc now doing to prevent important public
! interests going into hopeless bankruptcy
This expression of confidence indicates tina
II the mayor should refuse to sign the or
dinance they will pass 1t over his head.
All lady patrons at our store will get
glass of our delicious frozen Alaska phos
phate, any flavor, free today. Deetken
| Whaley.