New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-24
rpoLLEY OR NO TROLLEY
.,cuMoNr MANOR PEOPLE HAVE A
NEARING ON THE SUBJECT.
.scrMENr IN FAVOR OF THE FRANCHISE
.sxrp FOR is THAT 1T WILL SAVE THE
BOSTON POST RoAp-ouEsTioN OF

.sxrp FOR is THAT 1T WILL SAVE THE
rosroN POST RoAp-ouEsTIoN OF
PAYMENT BROUGHT UP.
49, neople OF Larchmont Manor have become
IN interested in the street" railway problem.
oevF.on,e In the other restricted residential parts
b.s. county they have looked upon the incursion
" ,,ol,ey road, grasping 1t would their fine
90. and opening the way to travel from the
So cities with extreme disfavor. The question
".s ,,,lIv discussed a few months ago when the
-,vtown White Plains and Mamaroneck Rail-
nsde application for a franchise on the Bos-
w. post Road the leading thoroughfare Of the
V" ,r which forms the westerly boundary of the
80, AT that time public meeting was held
"a ,,s application was almost unanimously re-
80 In fact the decision was so emphatic that
~ .,s expected that another application would be
- for years 10 come. There was therefore
s.h surprise when few weeks ago the local
,anv or Larchmont Horse Railway. which
e o,erates horsecar line from the railway sta
49, "a the Manor, made an application for an
,,,,c franchise The hearing was held last Sat
a.v night and was largely attended by property
,ers among whom were nearly dozen women
prssident Carsten wendt read the application
..,,aining the routes asked for by the railroad
.n.nv They comprise principally the back
80 IN the non-restricted part of the Manor
-, are given up largely TO business purposes
rss camoany has also applied In MamaronecK ana
ua rrtson and proposes TO form connecting INK
x.,,,ssn New-Rochelle and Harrison which Is now
49, oplv break between the Third Avenue and
,,n,on Railroad system and the Port Chester Rail
road. .. D. 49,
Iarchmont Horse Railroao' stated 'he pu'pose va
the company. He said:
rYhs last time had the honor to appear pefore
~. neope OF Larchmont II was to oppose a iran
III, Tor a trolley line The ground upon when IL
20. onposed was that 1t was not In the interest OF
~ rsnn,A Of Larchmont as a whole. When that
after was before the Board no one thought OF the
Isrcbmont Horse Railroad, and the owners OF the
1r.hroon, Horse Railroad had no thought of APP
,,,s far an additional franchise. The great thing
,h.r was to save the Boston Post Road Every one
aam,,ted that at future time street railrodu
y,o,ld nrobably have to be run along the Souhd 10
connect the different villages and manors. and 10
form a means Of local communication put what
~. neoDle wanted 10 guard against was the seizure
q, m. Boston Post Road and other fine driveways
OF the Manor ,..
"Aner that meeting" continued Colonel Sackett,
"ths owners OF the Larehmont Horse Railroad all
of whom except myself live In Larchmont' re-
solved upon one purpose namely, TO see that ROAD
was built which at the same time would preclude
Sereyer the use of the Boston Post Road. The APP
nlication is first made In Larchmont. so that the
people here who know the circumstances may nave
an opportunty to help TO save the road Tine epphca
lion LAYS out route which is expected 10 meet all
objections and when constructed will make 1t i'm
possble for another road TO run on the Boston
Post Road 1t is away from the Manor, which
fancy all of you desire 1t keeps close to the New
Haven Railroad and at the same time gives COM
uuncation between New-Rochelle Larchmont
Mamaroneck and Harrison"
Mr. sackett also said that ii was not proposed
10 use electricity motive power on the present
horsecar line from the railroad station to the
Manor
President Wendt quoted the law which forbids
change OF motive power, except by permission of
a majority of the property-owners along the route
and of the State Railroad Commissioners He said
that the law. he thought had thrown sufficient
safeguards about this feature of the question The
statement that electricity not to be used In the
Manor seemed to create a favorable impression for
ghe franchise.
PAYMENT FOR FRANCHISE DEMANDED.
Judge Warren Hgley said that he was glad to
hear this explanation. Judge Hgley said that
while he had opposed the application OF former
company. he had also expressed the opinion that he
would not oppose but be in favor OF, road from
NewRochene to Mamaroneek over back-country
roads or private property. This application, he
said was for franchise over that route. and both
he and the property-owners he represents were
heartily I'm favor of 1t. lie thought it would pre-
vent any foreign company from using the streets.
Judge Higley, however, was in favor of attaching
certain conditions 10 the franchise 10 protect the
public. These would appertain to the building and
operating Of the road.
Then he launched upon a subject Which Is DE-
coming prominent in almost every community
where applications for franchises are being made.
THE village" said Judge Higley. should receive
compensation for its franchises. There should at
least be provision that the value of the property
sppurtenances and equipments should pay tax
at the same rate that realty and personally are
AIS
the gross income. The time has passed in my
opinion, when the authorities have the right TO
give away the peoples franchises without an ade-
Quate compensation. 1t is the view of Governor
Roosevelt that these franchises in every town and
city should be taxed the same as other property
: taxed Applause)
A LETTER FROM JUSTICE SCOTT.
President wendt then asked permission to read
the following letter from Supreme Court Justice
Francis NJ. Scott:
My Dear Mr. Wendt: have examined the pro-
posed route and find that it does not touch the
Post Road. but runs as far as the village Of Larch;
by.streets and through private property.
c1use realize as r you must mat sooner or
through the village. and there undoubtedly
many reasons why such road would be a con-
yenlence. The only question is where II shall run.
II NE wait to act upon the application of great
corporation interested in Larchmont only to the
extent Of the favor it can extract from its resi-
dents, you win never have such application except
for the Boston Road route. because. obviously, so
far as the interests of the railroad corporation
concerned that is the most desirable route.
have no fear that the present Board of Trus-
tees will ever grant such a consent, but, unfortu-
netey. we cannot be sure that We shall always be
favored by the protecting vigilance Of the present
Board; and since he who asks long enough and
Ioud enough generally gets In the end what he
seeks the time Will come some day, unless such
action be forestalled, when the patience of the
Board will be exhausted and the vigilance of the
citizens relaxed, and the first thing we know the
Boston Road will be doomed destruction.
Clearly there is not room for two roads. and
with already located there will be little tempta-
ton to any one 10 undertake the we-ngh hope
less task Of locating another.
IL you approve the present application Won will
have accomplished two most important objects
First, you viii have paved the way for the con-
etructlon OF trolley line through the village and
second. you will have taken a long step toward
the permanent preservation OF the Boston Road
now all too narrow, although IL is the only thor.
oughfare east and west between the railroad and
the Sound. know enough of the gentlemen inter.
rad IN hie q