Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-27
GENERAL INTEREST
Manifested Yesterday in the Action Of
Council


ON TUESDAY EVENING, RELATIVE
TO THE ORDINANCE OF THE
PEOPLES RAILWAY COMPANY.
THE FUTURE COURSE OF THE
COMPANY NOT YET APPARENT.
The action of Council, Tuesday even
ing, in indefinitely postponing the or
dinance of the Peoples Railway Com
pany, after it had been favorably re-
ported from the Committee on Rail-
roads, was naturally chief subject
of conversation yesterday throughout
the business portion of the city, and
politicians also had much to say upon
the subject, while gentlemen interested
in other franchises were cognizant of
a feeling of Encouragement, as it was
naturally adjudge1 that ether fran
chises pending in one form or another
might share the same fate when their
turn come This latter belief is pretty
we'll justified, for, from all appear
ances, no more public rights will be
granted by the Council of the City of
Wheeling unless the ordinance CARRIES
with it adequate compensation to the
city over and above any money which
may come from taxation. The preced
ent set forth with the Wheeling and
Elm Grove Railway Company. and
violated in the case of the Consumers
Electric Light Company, except in the
regard of free light to the City HAN,
is very likely to obtain in the future.
In other words, the days Of something
for nothing have gone by, political and
personal influence to the contrary not
withstanding.
Just what the Peoples Railway
Company will do, in the present stu
alton is uncertain. Nothing definite
in the way of a future policy could be
ascertained yesterday, and it is prob
able that the incorporators themselves
have not mapped out a line for future
action. Generally it was thought that
the plans of the Company would be
abandoned, but there is no official or
authoritative warrant for this sur
mise. The indefinite postponement of
the ordinance brought before Council
from the Railroad Committee of course
kills it; but there is nothing in the
situation to prevent it's reintroduction
as new bushes, perhaps in slightly
ordinance on the table or indefinitely
postpone it, does not necessarily mean
it will never be heard from again, any
more than the voting down of a resolu-
ton at one session would kill it. A
member of Council could reintroduce
an Identical resolution at every session
II he were so disposed, and anybody
can present an ordinance and ask for
its reference to a Committee. In that
sense the Peoples Company is not shut
out. Whether or not the incorporators
of the Company think it worth while
to continue the fight is another and en-
tirely different question, and it is for
them to say.
At Tuesday evenings session there
were petitions signed by about one,
half the property owners on Market
street, between Eleventh and Four
teenth, but they were not presented
because the fate of the ordinance was
decided in advance Of the opportunity
to lay them on the Presidents desk.
Had the franchise come up on it's
merits, these petitions would have
been presented and their reading ask
ed for, and the resulting debate might
have consumed hours of time. Var
ious attorneys were also present,
ready to ask the indulgence of Coun-
Gil, and the session would doubtless
have been prolonged until midnight,
had the ball been properly opened
AS it was, fifteen minutes sufficed to
decide the point and to secure the ut
ter discontinue of the Peoples Com
pany, for the time being, at least.
At Friday evening special session,
which is called for general business.
some developments may possibly re-
suit, but it is yet too early TO indicate
what they may be, or whether they
will refer to the Peoples Company, or
some of the others now knocking at
the doors of Council.