The Saint Paul globe., 1899-09-21
OWNERS are OPPOSED
UNIVERSITY AVENUE PROPERTY
HOLDERS DO NOT WANT THE
EXPRESS INTERURBAN
WILL FILE FORMAL PROTEST
the Eighth Ward and Present q
Huge RemOnstrance Against the
Passage of the Proposed Ordi-
nance - Claimed 1t Would Ruin
the Street.

the Street.
Just forty-f1ve owners of property on
University avenue met last evening at
We1ler's hall, Dale street and University
avenue, to protest against the passage
of the fast interurban ordinance intro
duced at the meeting of the board Of al
dermen Tuesday night. There was some
surprise expressed at the small attend
ance, but this was Explained by John
Lichtschetdl, who acted as chairman,
saying that many Of the citizens of the
ward argued that there was no need or
attending the meeting as the council
gave the street railway company any,
thing it asked for and it was but waste
OF time to attend meetings and protest
A committee consisting of F. L. Nc
Ghee. III. Bielenberg, Mic Weller, Louis
Nash and F. J. Bauman, was appointed
to circulate petitions to be signed by the
property owners along the avenue and
residents of the ward protesting against
the passage of the ordinance These pc
t1tions will be presented to the council
when the ordinance is taken up for dis
cussion.
+. l.. McGhee said that the statement
had been made that the ordinance was
In the interests Of the business men. No
business men had asked for the fast
line. In fact the chamoer of commerce
mad fled with the council a protest
against the passage of the ordinance.
The Lincoln club was also opposed to
the ordinance. 1t would, he said, be but
few months after the ordinance was
passed before the cars would be run
from Minneapolis to Saltwater with but
two stops in ST. Paul. If it was a good
thing to have fast cars run on University
avenue why not have the same rate of
speed adopted on the Selby avenue line.
what was good enough for the people
OF the Eighth ward to be burdened with
should be placed on the shoulders and
property of the Seventh ward 1t was
all byplay about the business men de-
manding the fast line. The company
claimed there would be a saving of thir-
ty minutes in the time between the two
cities.
The state required steam railway COM
panies to fence in their tracks inside the
city limits and run at speed of not
more than ten miles an hour The ordI-
nance gave the street railway company
speed and yet there were members of the
city council who favored the granting OF
the franchise All over the country the
movement was for lower fares and vet
the city of st. Paul was going to allow
the fare to be increased so per cent and
proposed to grant the franchise without
one cent being paid by the company to
the city. If the council passed the ordl-
nance he would fight it in every court
Gil 10 0,,1 6o1
the state would allow the city council to
give away the rights of the citizens for
nothing.
James Quinn said the property owners
of st. Anthony Park and Merriam Park
had informed him that they would fight
the ordinance and carry the mat&s il 20
the courts if the ordinance passed. The
residents of the avenue and property
owners had few years ago given four
teen feet to widen the avenue and now
the council proposed to give Mr.. Lowry
the benefit.
Ernest l.. Mabon questioned If it was
the intention of the company to increase
the speed of the cars. Mr. McGhee said
there was nothing in the ordinance
which fixed the rate Of speed and the
cars could be operated as fast as the
company desired.
Chairman Lichtscheidl held that the
four tracks on the avenue. If the center
Of the street was given over to the COM
pany by the city council, then the city
should pay the property owners the dam
age to the property by reason of such ac-
ton. The company had fixed the avenue
west of Snefling so that it was impossible
to cross it's tracks except at street inter-
sections and this was done to keep people
off the tracks with teams. If a citizen
RI nd OF fac ct yojt
an arrest was made for fast driving, but
the street railway company ran its cars
a fast as it wanted to and nothing was
done about 1t. Even If the fast trains
did not damage the property on the av-
enue it was an outrage to give to the
company franchise worth a million dol
lars for nothing and it was hardly pos
sible that the city council, sworn to do
its duty by the citizens, could pass such
an ordinance. If they did, then they
should be prosecuted for perjury.
Nick Weller said the fast line would
be no benefit to the property owners on
University avenue and would be a detri-
ment to business
Rev. E. P. Lewis opposed the ordi-
nance because 1t would endanger life
The cars might not run any faster than
at present but they certainly would cross
street intersections at a faster rate of
speed than at present. The local serv-
ice was bound to be bad and four tracks
on the avenue would be asked for by The
company inside of two years if the pres
ent ordinance passed. The running Of a
fast line would practically destroy the
value of property on the street and the
entire ward would be damaged solely to
benefit the street railway company.
Louis Nash, as a property owner on the
avenue, protested against the ordinance
1t was not asked for by the business
men, but by the company to increase its
profits. The welfare of the citizens or
the city was not considered for moment
by the company at this or any other
time. Every man, woman and child who
had to cross the avenue was interested
in the ordinance being kiiled and partic-
ularly was this true of the business men.
The people of the city would have no
one but themselves to blame if the Or
dlnance passed. He favored petitions he
ing circulated and the entire population
of the ward making a protest against
the operation of a fast line.
A. j. Ries said there was not much use
in talking to the members of he board
of aldermen. The work should be done
with the members of the assembly who
had to run over the entire city. What
was needed was to say to the assembly
mon: .'Tf you pass the ordinance we
will defeat you at the pons next spring.
This threat would have the proper eff
feet unless the councilmen We're bought
up and this could not be guarded against.
What Lowry wanted was the extra nick
ell Any alderman or assemblyman who
would stick up for the street railway
company was not fit to be called a citi-
zen of St Paul.
Mr. McGhee questioned if Mayor Kie-
fer would not veto the ordinance if the
council rassed it.
Mr. Ries called attention TO the fact
that Mayor Gray of Minneapolis vetoed
the ordinance in that city, but the coun-
Gil passed 1t over his head by the same