The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-22
WILLING TO COMPROMISE
Wharton Will Agree to Keep Off
the Business Streets.
FRANCHISE CANNOT PASS
An Alderman Says That 1t viii Be Ma
terially Modified Before II Gets
Through the Council-Some Puz-
zling Questions.

1t is unoficially stated that the
street railroad company is now willing
TO compromise with the people Of Butte
and will agree not To disturb the main
business streets Of the city provided
ii is given the free use of the other
streets. so hat ore may be taken from
the mines to the smelters. This state
ment does not come officially from
Manager Wharton or any of the direc-
tors Of the street railroad company, but
m from one of the aldermen. who
says that Mr.. Wharton assured him Of
the fact.
Mr.. Wharton told me-" said the al
derman i'm question. that he never had
any such idea as to NJ ore cars on
Main street and the other business
streets Of Butte-that he also has had
70 intention of hauling anything except
ore on the tracks.
The franchise will not pass in the
present form, in my judgment, bu, |
think IL will be amended in committee
and viii be passed. so as To permit the
hauling of ore on streets just outside
the business center. However. If the
people don't want the ore cars all they
have to do is to say so. The people
after all are the council, and the alder
men will surely act as they desire"
II would strike some people as
mighty curious that Manager Wharton
hould ask for a franchise for freight
cars on Main. Park and Broadway If
he didn't intend to use ii. What does
he ask il for If he doesn't al IT? If
he only desired to use the streets i'm the
outskirts, why did he ask for "A fran
chise to run freight cars on Main,
Park and Broadway? There is another
curious thing about the franchise. Mr..
Wharton says he never had any inten-
ton of running anything but ore cars.
If he had no intention of carrying any
thing but ore. why on earth did he ask
for a franchise to carry wood, timber
stone and other freight? Did he merely
put these things in as q sort of flyer
To see how much he could get from the
city for nothing, with the intention of
magnanimously returning on a silver
plate what he did not want?
These are questions which are pu2-
ling even those who have had longest
experience with the dark and devious
ways of the street railroad company.
II is undoubtedly true, as stated by
some of Mr.. Wharton's friends yester-
day, that he is getting more than his
just share Of abuse on account Of his
business. Mr.. Wharton is only the
servant of the company and acting UNI
der the orders of the directors of the
company and gets paid for taking the
GUESSING.
In case it is proposed to put i'm a COM
promise franchise, it will be difficult to
see where it is possible to take the ore
from the mines to the smelter without
travelling pretty close to the center Of
the city. From the Stewart and Co
lusa Parrot mines in Dublin gulch to
the Butte Reduction works the ore
cars would nave 10 run down Wyoming
street To begin with. Then they would
either have to u west on Park street
to Montana and thence run down Mon
tana To the smelter. or else they would
have to M on Park from Wyoming
to Arizona streets and down Arizona
to South Butte. finally reaching Mon.
tana street by running through South
Butte. II is scarcely to be supposed
that the company contemplates build
my any new tracks. for it hasn't asked
for any. and it isn't possible to got 10
the smelter from the northeastern part
Of town without passing through very
busy streets. There are no thorough
fares more crowded than Arizona n
Wyoming streets, and II is impossible
for ore cars TO raverse them with
safety.