Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-07-16
[arket street, from Eleventh to Twen-

L
with this inconvenience and crowding
of the principal business thoroughfare
| if there were any compensating adj
vantages offered. As the ordinance
now stands the new company offers
nothing in exchange for franchise
which will be worth millions. After
! that of the present company expires
which will be in a few years, The new
company will have monopoly. If the
promoters of this enterprise, or Coun-
Gil, wish to popularize it, let a provis-
ion be Incorporated in the franchise
providing for a bonus to the
| municipality on every mile of
track in the city; or let it be in the
shape of a certain percentage of the
gross receipts Of the company; lei
Council also demand of the new con-
Germ a good round sum in cash for its
franchise, which, as we have said win
be worth millions of dollars to the new
company; and in addition to this it
should demand cheaper fares, more
cars, and longer hours of service.
The alleged guarantees prated about
so much, that there will be no combi-
nation between the new concern and
the present company, will hardly be
accepted as sufficient in the light of the
past experience. The people of this
city have been fooled by such
promises before. They amount to
practically nothing. We were given
the same guarantees in the case
of the new bridge to the Island.
We were told what a good thing the
competition would be for the people,
but the new bridge was scarcely COM
pleted before there was a combination
between the two bridges with the re-
suit that to-day the people of the ISL
and are paying more toll than they
did before
Thus it will be with two street car
companies paralleling each other in
this city. The new company viii, of
course, be the dominant one, since the
present company's franchise expires in
a few years. That the new concern
will absorb the sold is as certain as
anything can be in this world and all
the alleged guarantees to the contrary
that can be written on paper could not
prevent it-for there are a dozen more
and easier ways of combining than by
an open deal, as has been demonstrate
ed to the people of this community.
The gentlemen behind this new
street car company should not mistake
the Registers position. 1t is not OPP
posed to their project, except Insofar
as the double tracking of Market
street is concerned, providing it is
stipulated that they give the city
quid pro quo for its valuable franchise
in the particulars already mentioned.
Let Council demand, first, a good round
sum down for the franchise; second,
so much money annually for every
mile of track in the city or per cent
age of the gross receipts of the COM
pany; third, cheaper fares, for there
is no reason why the people should not
be granted three cent fares-what
has been done or is proposed to be done
in other cities can be done in Wheel
ing where street cars are operated as
cheaply as anywhere in the country;
fourth, more cars and longer hours OF
service; it is an anomalous condition
of things when a concern chartered to
carry the public may refuse to do so
after 1870 at night; few cars for the
convenience of the public should be run
all night; and, last, the city should re-
tain the right for itself to engage in
the street car business, whenever the
time shall be ripe for municipal owner
ship.
On these conditions we believe the
people of Wheeling will be willing to
grant franchise to the Peoples Rail-
way company, and even put up with
the double track inconvenience. They
are conditions which no legitimate en-
terprise can object to- But without
these conditions the public will siren
uously oppose the granting of the char
ter asked-as it certainly should.