The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-01
TRYING TO. HEAD 1T OFF
INFLUENCE WORKING AGAINST
THE NEW TELEPHONE
The Assembly Refers the Ordinance
Rack. Although the Committee
Recommends Its Passage-Mr.
Dix Says He Was Approached and
Asked to Remain Away.

The ordinance should be passed to-
night, for there is no telling what
id deviltry will be done before Thurs
day night"
This was the remark made by Assem-
blyman Dix at the assembly meeting
last evening when the motion to refer
back to the committee the ordinance
granting the Minnesota Central Tele-
phone company franchise was declar-
ed carried.
If everything is straight a few days
delay will not hurt the company" Sug-
gested Assemblyman Reardon.
Yes, but there's nothing straight
about it, said Assemblyman Thomp-
son.
Assemblyman Albrecht moved an ad
tournment and President Craig declare ]
the body adjourned thus shutting off
what promised to be a rather warm dis
cussiOn among the members.
The ord nance granting the new long
distance telephone company a twenty
five years franchise, under restrictions
which have been published in The
q o b e, was reported from the COM
mittee with the recommendation that
It pass.
The clerk had Just started to read
the provisions of the measure when
nance be recommitted to the committee.
He wanted this action taken in order
that the financial standing of the new
company could he enquired into. He
had been informed the company was a
stock-jobbing concern. and before he
was ready to vote he desired to satisfy
himself as to the financial standing of
the company.
Assemblyman Johnson seconded the
motion of Mr.. DAILY. He had been out
of the city and had had no opportunity
TO look into the provisions of the ordi-
nance. While he was willing to trust
his colleagues and had every confidence
in the members of the committee on
streets. he wanted to look over the
ordinance before voting. He had been
informed on good authority, that false
representations had been made by the
proposed new company and the persons
who had given him this information
stood ready to lay the facts before the
council committee.
In view of these facts he should not
vote for the ordinance until the mat
ter had been looked into.
AsSemblyman Dix favored the pas
sage of the ordinance without further
delay. If the opposition to the ordinance
We're in possession of figures and facts
such as had been alluded to they could
be presented when the ordinance came
before the board of aldermen. Person.
ally he felt satisfied that the objec-
tons made were not well founded He
knew that efforts had been made to
prevent the passage Of the ordinance
at the present meeting, and when such
a state of affairs existed it was time
to take action. The opposition had
every chance to present objections
against the ordinance, as the commit
tee on streets of the assembly had held
brought up. The council in Minnea polls
had passed an ordinance minus several
restrictions placed in the one now be-
fore the body, and if the council of st.
Paul refused to grant the right it
would be bad thing for the city.
AsSemblyman Albrecht said it was
inoppOrtune TO bring any opposition to
the passage of the ordinance now. If
any criticism was to be made against
the company it should have been made
public long ago. At public meetings of
the committee. al which the ordinance
had been considered. no objections had
been made. He could say as had Mr.
Dix that he knew personally there was
a strong opposition against the passage
of the ordinance by certain persons. All
rights of the city had been carefully
guarded. and he could say that so far
ed the ordinance was an ideal one. An
ordinance similar to the one now under
consideration had met with the same
opposition in Minneapolis, but the citi-
zens and the council of that city had