The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-20
WORKING THE OLD TRICK
Trying to Force the Franchise
Through the Council.
CITIZENS ARE INDIGNANT
II wharton's Measure Passes the Coun-
cil the odium OF the Outrageous
Measure vii Make the AL
dermen Marked Men.

II the Butte Street Railroad company
e. really on the square in asking for a
franchise to carry ore. stone. dirt.
and other freight through
Butte's principal streets. it will find a
mighty strong opposition to its scheme
before it succeeds in getting it through
the council. At first the people looked
at the proposition as a sort of a josh,
but IL has developed the past day or
two that efforts are really being made
10 force this preposterous measure
through the council, that aldermen are
being approached on the quiet i'm the
same Did way. that the men who are
supposed to be closest to them are be-
ing sent them. and that there is every
symptom OF the same old effort being
made TO carry the council which has
been made over and over again with
former councils and always with gilt
tering success.
But IL the talk that has been around
the streets the past day-or two may
be regarded as a fair test of what
people think of this matter. IL may be
prophesied right here that il that fran
chise ever passes the council, the coun-
ell won't survive IL. and If the street
car company ever undertakes TO run
loaded freight cars regularly through
Butte streets, they will find IL neces-
sary to lay a new line. Several indig-
nant gentlemen called at the Standard
office last evening to protest against
the granting of this franchise.
'I supposed that his franchise would
he tabled the instant il was introduced.
] am surprised that a city council
should ever have permitted its consid-
Grafton, or ever deigned to allow IL to
be referred to a committee. | never
heard in the history of the world of
Ah-a &c. Afn-
asked for before. There is no limit to
the thing at all. The freight can he
hauled at all hours of the day or night.
There can be a constant procession of
cars down Main street and up Main
street all loaded TO the top. There Is
no limit to extent either. The fran
chise is asked for over every inch of
road the company has a franchise for.
Nothing is exempt. We stood enough
when permission was granted for the
Montana street line in order that indi-
viduals might save a little something
in hauling rates and in order that the
street railway company might make
the money teamsters have made here
tofore.
witt n gall that is a positive insult
20 any city council. the franchise had
not been introduced 10 minutes before
the freight cars were running On Main
and Broadway and Park streets in the
city of Butte. Every day since that
franchise was introduced the railroad
company has been exercising all the
privileges that the franchise was sup
posed to grant. Every day since the
franchise was introduced. and ON the
very night of it's Introduction. the
freight cars have been running through
Butte's principal streets. gathering
rubbish here and dumping dirt there.
Does Mr.. Wharton consider that he has
such an immortal Cinch on the CITY
council that the Introduction of a fran
chise is equivalent 10 its PASSAGE
"Wha do the aldermen think about
this insolent assumption that he car
ries their votes in his vest pocket and
only has to ask and they dare not re-
fuse2"
The police authorities have not in
ferfered with MIR. Wharton's freight
cars. They seem TO he i'm the mesmer-
fzed condition i'm which the council has
been many, many years, through sew
eral administrations.