Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-04

now. and though It might be confession
OF IGNORANCE. he was bound to say that
no dld not know where Federal Jurisdic-
ton began and where 1t ended.
''You don't know what Is coming. ne
said. "The city OF Richmond ought not
10 pass an ordinance that IL IL compelled
10 surround with bristles OF penalties and
bonds. especially when, by leaving them
where they are. no harm can come. That
argument might be called buncombe. but
IL Is not buncombe-this question of Fede-
raj Interference
"You have already asked your congress-
man to vote against the proposition allow
ing street-cars to carry mails, but you
do not know what Congress will do before
this franchise expires" he said, and In
conclusion he begged the committee TO
reject the ordinance. which betrayed upon
its face the fact that they had no conf
dence In 1t.
SPEAKS FOR THE Y. NJ. p. A.
Mr.. Hill Montague then took the floor
in the interest of the Young Mems Bust
ness Association, which has the welfare
Of the city at heart. They had consider
cd this question and come TO the conclu-
sion that IL would be best to wait awhile.
1t was true that the City Attorney and
the ex-City-Attorney had said that the or
dnance might safely be passed, and
though there were no better lawyers than
these two IN the city. II was still a fact
that even lawyers disagree, and he per-
sonaliy believed the ordinance to be q
hot bed of litigation. The possible cause
OF action would lie, he thought, in section
s, which deals with the bond required by
the city and he went on TO explain why
he thought so. He understood that the
Richmond Union Passenger Company's
franchise lad a postal service clause in
It, the City railway had no such clause,
and the inference that Mr.. Montague drew
from this fact was very palpable. He
urged the committee to wait for few
months. Both systems-the Richmond
Union Passenger and the Richmond ely
railway-were operated by the same COM
pany. When the company came and ask
ed to be allowed to move their tracks at
this late day, 1T was quite evident that
they were going 10 make a desperate eff
fort TO regain the franchise of the Main
street line. Mr.. Montague then criticised
Mr.. Guigon for his opening remarks,
wherein he stated that he did not believe
the committee would take the back
track" ..... f
Mr.. Pelouze said he was the owner of
the Imperial Hotel, and the present
lessees declined TO renew the lease IL the
tracks were removed from Franklin
street.
Mr.. Henry Lee Valentine presented
letter of protest against the removal from
DR.. Hunter Mcclure. He also read a let
ter as to the schedule. o
MIR. GUIGON REPLIES.
Captain Guigon made an allusion to
the statement he made In the first in
stance with regard to the committee
taking black track" and said he Joined
Mr. Montague most heartily in the hope
that If the committee saw any reason to
recede from their former action they
would do so without hesitation. Captain
Guigon dealt at some length with the
question Of schedules. The whole atti-
tude of the Young Mems Business Asso-
citation was that they believed the opin-
ions of the city attorneys were mis-
taken. The company he represented was
not passing as a public benefactor, but
it had been a vast benefit to this COM
munty. Mr.. Guigon then turned his at
tention to the argument advanced by
Mr.. Reddy. Dealing with the failure Of
the company to ask for q removal Of
tracks during the eleven years past, Mr..
Guigon said the real reason such appli-
cation had not been made was because
| the Main-street track had not been good
enough or strong enough to carry the
two sets Of cars until about year ago.
Regarding petitions, Mr.. Guigon con-
| tended that one submitted by the rail-
road company was entitled to more con-
sideration, for it contained three hun
bred and odd names Of representative
| businessmen. The plea urged by Mr..
Reddy on behalf Of the girls working in
the Randolph PaperBox Factory Mr..
| Guigon stigmatised as demagoguery.
| Nine out of ten persons in the crowds
| that left the Academy walked down to
the Main-street car, he contended.
THE FEDERAL QUESTION.
Counsel contended that it was an insult
to the intelligence Of the City Attorney
| and Mr.. Meredith 10 say that they had
not looked into the Federal question. 1t
| was a jack o. lantern, a humbug, this
same Federal question, argued Mr. Gull
| gon, and he asked the question whether
| the opinion of the Young Mems Business
Association, or any other association, was
| to be accepted before the sworn opinion
| Of the City Attorney. The speaker then
went on to deal with the question of re-
ducng the city's street-railway mileage.
| The reasons that the company wanted to
get off Bank and Franklin streets was
that the location was a bad one, be-
cause Of the grades and narrowness of
|
PEELED to keep on Bank street they would
| have to build a new track, and the COM
| pany was DESTROYS of spending the money
! on other parts of the system. He con-
cluded with an appeal 10 the committee
| to adC.t the ordinance.
OTHERS WISH TO BE HEARD.
Mr.. Andrew Pizzini. Jr., said that Mr..
Joseph Dickerson desired TO be heard on
this question, and Messrs. Samuel Reyes
J ter and y. y. Munford had been retained
| as counsel by some interested parties.
They had asked the speaker whether the
main issue would be brought up, and he
| had told them he did not think So de
made no request for a postponement, but
il was his evident intention that the mat
ter should be taken into consideration.
AMENDMENTS TAKEN UP.
The second section was adopted with
ont discussion. and the committee pro-
ceeded 10 consider the amendments. The
first amendment requiring the company
| To give schedule of not more than hVe
minutes. Mr.. Pizzini said the gentleman
who offered the motion in the Council
had said that he thought seven-mlnute
schedule would be all that could reason
| ably be expected, and this the company
was willing to accept.
Mr. Pollock moved the adoption OF the
amendment but at this point Mr.. Ebel
reintroduced his resolution presented at
the beginning of the meeting and printed
| above. 1t was plain business proposl-
ton. he said and met the situation eX-
actly. The proper mode OF procedure was
suggested by the Chair TO be a motion
IN reconsider the action or the comihlt
tee In determining TO take up the amend
Tl,1If p1l