Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-07-16
AN EXPLICIT STATEMENT


FeOpfes railway Company
To the Editor Of the Register
Sir:-As an officer of the Peoples
Railway Company, | desire the use Of
your columns to make plain, so far as
possible, the purposes and plans OF our
company.
Flrst-We promise, if given the priv
ilege by Council, to build another street
railway line. We propose TO begin work
within three months and complete our
line within year.
Second-We propose to create and
maintain legitimate competition in the
street railway business. So far as We
are concerned Council is at liberty to
insert in our ordinance any clause
whatsoever tending 10 prevent the use
at any time of any part of our line by
the Wheeling or Citizens Railway Com
panies or any consolidation, arrange
ment or mutual understanding between
the twoe companies. We have invited
the city solicitor to examine our ordin
ance for the purpose Of making any
suggestion of this kind that he may de-
sire. The Peoples Railway Company
was formed in good faith and it pro-
poses TO give and will give TO the people
of Wheeling new and first-class street
railway.
So much for our purposes. In con-
sidering the objections that have been
urged against the Peoples Railway
ordinance only one, it seems to me, has
much force, and that is more apparent
than real. That is the objection to the
occupancy of Market street between
Tenth and Sixteenth. If our line is laid
on the west side of Market street, as
proposed, there will still be as much
room between our west rail and the
west curb of the street, as there is at
present between the east curb and the
east rail OF the Wheeling Railway Com
pany's line. / am the owner of some
real estate on the east side of Market
street and l have never felt that my
property was damaged by the Wheel
ing Railway Company's rail running
within thirteen or fourteen feet of the
curb on that side. Why, then, should
property on the west side of the street
suffer if we put down a railway line
within thirteen or fourteen feet of the
curb ON the west side? More firms that
use wagons for shipping purposes are
now located ON the east side of Market
street than on the west side. and If
there is anything at all in the talk
about mountaineering business men the
Wheeling Railway Company has been
for years inconveniencing more bust
ness men on the east side of Market
street than our line will on the west
side.
In much larger cities than Wheeling
streets that carry ten times the BUSH
ness of Market street have two or more
street railway lines. Fifth avenue, in
Pittsburg; Broadway, in New York;
Baltimore street, in Baltimore, and
Washington street. in Boston-all OF
them comparatively narrow streets and
the very busiest arteries of trade, have
a number of railway lines on them, and
business men find it an advantage in
stead of a detriment. Think a minute.
How much will the passage of single
car over a street once every five or ten
minutes tend to create a congestion?
The effect will not be noticeable.
The Peoples Railway Company pro-
poses to go into the street railway bust
ness purely as business enterprise.
It's members have carefully considered
the project and are satisfied to invest
their own money in it. They propose to
spend a very large amount of money
in Wheeling employing Wheeling labor.
They expect, of course, to get returns
from their investment, but only from
giving the people good and satisfactory
service Their line will reach all parts
of the city that are at present unim-
proved; real estate values will be in
creased, and the resident limits will be
extended.
Now will councilmen and citizens say
to this company:
1--WE don't want you to spend your
money in Wheeling? We don't want
competition in the street railway bust
ness? We want to continue the pres
ent monopoly"
l don't think they will.
Very respectfully,
HENRY SCHMULBACH,