The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-06-08
TO FORCE FRANCHISE
MILWAUKEE COMPANY TO PUSH THE.
KENOSHA SUIT.
REFUSE c1TY's ULTIMATUM
General Manager Beggs So Announces
and Declares the Line Will be
Built, Even Though They
Must Go Around Kenosha.

The Milwaukee Light, Heat & Trac-
ton company will prosecute its suit
against the city of Kenosha to secure
the publication of the ordinance grant,
ing franchise to the company Through
the city of Kenosha. John [. Beggss
manager of the systems comprised in
the Light, Heat & Traction company,
said yesterday that there had failed to
be an agreement with the city of Keno
sha whereby the company was to dis
continue its suit against the city, in
consideration of new franchise to be
granted.
"The city of Kenosha," said Mr..
Beggs yesterday, made an ultimatum
requiring US first to promise that our
suit would be discontinued, before they
would consider any other agreement.
This we most emphat.callY declined to
do. The ordinance that came to us
with the Kenosha line, when that
passed into our possession, is not an
ideal one. We believe it is legally
good one, however.
ave certainly would very much
prefer harmony in Kenosha, and when
we were there last time we said that if
the city would draft a satisfactory
franchise that had it's own best interests
in consideration, we would let the
present ordinance die out. The city
demanded, however, that we first
promise to abandon the present suit.
We could not entertain any such
proposition for minute. We were not
going to disarm ourselves while they
kept armed. positively refused, in
specific terms, to do anything of the
kind.
There is an electric railway line
both to the south and north of Ke
nosha, and connections ultimately to be
made with Chicago will make this one
of the greatest electric lines in this
country. Kenosha can't cut it in half
| if it wants to. The line will be built
even if it is found necessary to go
around Kenosha.
Kenosha itself couldn't support a
mile of street railway. The city has
already granted four or five franchises,
more than any town in this vicinity
that ever heard of, but it hasn't got
any railway yet. The city would be
benefited by street railway line, but
it has always made the franchises
granted so burdensome that no COM
pany would attempt to operate a line
under them"
Mr.. Beggs said he believed the suit
to compel the City Clerk of Kenosha to
publish the ordinance granting the
railway company right of way would
be begun next week at Kenosha.
The attorney for the city was shown
the statement of Mr.. Beggs this morn
ing but refused to say anything in re-
gard to the matter more than that if
the company decided to fight the mat
ter in the courts the city would be
ready for them. Other attorneys in
terested we're seen, but refused to talk
of the matter.
The recent decision of the company
to reopen the case will have some
effect on the appointment of the inves-
tigation committee, as it is thought all
work which would be done by the COM
mittee will be accomplished in bringing
out the evidence at the trial of the
suits. The attorneys in the case have
not yet been notified of the intention of
the company to refuse to accept the
ultimatum recently proposed to them
by the city.