The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-20
LISTEN TO HAMlLNE'S PLEA
ASSEMBLY GRANTS THE DE-
SIRED RAILWAY FRANCHISE

Although the Individual Opinions of.
a Number of the AssembIymen
Were Against It----Albrecht Tries
to Show There Was Neither
Right Nor REASON In 1t, but With
out Avail-other Business.
They'll be cussing us yet for this,
but they seem to know what they want
not. so I'll vote aye" said Mr.. Rear
don. by way of explaining his vote on
the interurban railway franchise. He
voted aye, and the gallery. composed
or some 200 st. Anthony Park people,
applauded most cheerfully and vigor-
ousiy- The ordinance was passed.
According to the expressed senti-
ments of majority of the assembly,
there was no reason, that was practi
cal. for voting for the measure 1t
was passed as a tribute to the Hamline
demand for better transportation fa-
c1l1ties. Mr.. Albrecht adduced all sorts
OF authorities to prove that there was
neither right nor reason in the grant
ing of forty-year franchise, and the
other members of the assembly tossed
verbal bouquets at the Third ward
| man until he was smothered-but they
| voted against him.
| The meeting was given over, in It's
early stages, to experimenting, but
| there was tremendous lot of routine
| business gotten through before the fin
| ish
The Mississippi Valley Telephone
| company franchise was settled upon
| the company by the acceptance Of the
| bond of the company, with surety
company as guarantee, in the sum of
| 1000. The city attorney explained
| that the company had asked his office
to draw the bond; that it was all right
as to form. The company wanted to
begin work. and needed the $4,000 cash
| bond that had been deposited, and it
was advisable to accept the other bond.
| The transfer of number Of saloon
! licenses was referred to the committee
on licenses. Mr.. Thompson wanted the
| corporation attorney to state whether
| the assembly had any right to grant
the application for transfer Mr..
| Markham said that he had not had
time to look the matter up, and the
consequence of the admission was the
| emission of certain sarcastic remarks
| as to the counsel that had been pro-
vided for the assembly by Mr.. Thomp-
son. He did not want to oppose the
transfers if the council had any right
! to permit them, but he wanted to know
where he stood. The matter was
finally referred, and the following sa-
| loonkeepers will be specializing on
whether or not they are to be arrested
| for running without license for some
days:
Joseph Tuor. Aug. Groehler R.
Berthiaume, Gust Carlson, Caroline
| Lehman, Wolf & Mickey, Fred Neu-
deck.
Bids were received from a number of
banks for appointment as custodian
of the city's money. The banks max
ing the bids were the Bank of Merriam
Park, the Northern Exchange Bank,
Dn-y
| National, the Germania National, the
State Bank of ST. Paul, the German
American National and the Scandi-
navian American Bank.
| By strange coincidence the bids Of
the various financial institutions We're
! similar The rate Of interest in the
city is so absolute that the bankers all
felt that one and a half per cent per
annum on monthly balances would be
about the right thing. By the time the
clerk had read the first five bids there
| was little interest left In the proceed
ings, and Mr.. Reardon murmured:
s'You might think they were in a
l combination"
The bids were referred, with the ac-
| companying bonds to the committee
on ways and means.
The franchise Of the American Tele-
graph and Telephone company was
passed as amended by the council
committee and already published. The
company did not want the measure
as passed, but it's representative was
Informed that it might be taken or
/ left, that no further concessions would
be made.
The market house matter and the
application of the Manufacturers as
ISOLATION for the use of the building
was brought up again and was passed
in spite OF the action of the aldermanic
| beard The president headed off a
number of speeches by telling the
! members that there was a great deal
Of business to do
S. c. Olmstead spoke on behalf of the
| market people and Mr.. johnson had
something to say for the manufac-
turers, and resolution granting the
use of the interior of the building to
the association was passed unanimous
ly
When the street car ordinance was
| brought I'D there was a visible deep
entng of interest in the gallery. There
was a very large crowd Of that es-
sentially respectable element whose
appearance is evidence Of a residence
in Hamlne present, and some of them
We're ladies'. The studied Indifference
Of the Bamlinite and the blase air ci
the habitual commuter disappeared
under the warming influence CT the
eloquerce that was drawn ucor IN
support Of the ordinance There y,Nrc
! none of the street railway lobby in the
crowd The Hamline people were mucf
more effective than any lobby could
have been.
Mr.. Allorecht spoke in opposition to
the Passage OF the ordinance. He took
the broad ground that the city could
not afford to pass any franchise for "a
long a term as was involved in this
measure. He cited the charter of the
city of Greater New York to prove that
twenty five years would be long enough
for the life OF any franchise. He read
from the recort of a committee lp-
pointed by the state of Massachusetts,
a committee that had Charles Francis
lsAdams at it's head, to prove that the
best Franchise was that which was hel
on sufferance, as concessions are he Id
in Mass ehusetts. He pointed to The
fact that the ordinance under consider
alton was not the mere granting of tn
right to build an additional mile or sc
of track, but was really a franchise
for another interurban line and he
strongly protested against giving away
the property interests of the tsxps yers
in the streets.
Prof. Baker, of Hamine, was called
for but gave up the floor to Secretary
Randall, of the State Fair assOcia tion
and he made a very effective sp eech, in
(which he pointed to the great advan-
tage that the new line would be TO the
state fair people. He said that lack of
transportation facilities would result
in loss of patronage in attendance
and exhibitors at the fair. The agri-
cultural school and it's rights should be
considered and these two institutions
ard their wei are should weigh much in
the passage of the ordinance. without
regard to the duration of the franchise.
Mere speeches were again headed of
Id