The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-31
Do Net Want Streets Filled With
Tracks.
PROPERTY OWNERS MEET
THINK RAILROADS SHOULD PAY
FOR PROPERTY.
Committee Appointed to Ask the
Council to Defer Action On the
petitions-Think the Tracks VIII
Damage Property Along the
Street-Favor Union Depot.

West side property owners gathered
in force at the Westminster Presby-
terjan chapel on Fourth West street
Iast night, to protest against the grant
ing Of tracking franchises along
Fourth West on The conditions stiDa-
lated IN the petition presented to the
city council by the Short Line and RIO
Grande Western.
Ex-City Councilman Hugh Watson
acted as spokesman of the property
owners with real estate abutting the
street which the railroad corporations
seek to occupy, and made vigorous
rculnnstrance against what he termed
the ruinagion of property without re-
Enumeration from the parties lnstru-
mental in causing il. He said: Ihose
who are fortunate enough to possess
real estate contiguous to the proposed
site of the new depot Will, no doubt,
profit by il, but what is ITO become Oh
the interests of the rest of the prop
erty-owners on Fourth West street
between Fifth North and Eighth
South? The abutting property on
Fourth West has already deprecated
N value, and as soon as the franehlse
&; granted and the tracks laid the run
ming Of locomotives, ringing Of bells
md footing Of whistles at an hours OF,
the night viii render il practically
worthless for any other than railroad
purposes. TIE railroad corporations
will then own the street and pracu-
caIly the property on both sides of II,
obtaining the first by consent of the
council, and the latter by force of cir
cumstances. They viii be the galkers'
and the property-owners and taxpayers
the losers by the granting of the petl-
ton as it now stands. Let us protest
against the practical destruction OF tne
western portion of the city by the greed
of the railroad corporations. If they
wish the property, let them pay for IL
and also reimburse property-owners
whose holdings are deprecated IN value
in consequence of being situated in the
neighborhood. Let the council, not the
railroad companies, select the site lor
the union depot; let them centralize the
tracks, and not spread them all over
The western part of the town; let lnem
condemn the property, if necessary,
and reimburse the owners thereof at
an equitable valuation. We do not
seek 10 antagonize the railroad COM
9anies in the project to erect the union
depot: we want to have 1t built, but
we do not want it placed in such a pc
sition that the streets leading to II
must be filed up with tracks TO tne
detriment of the property-owners on
both sides of the streets 50 occupleu.
Chairman S. H. Tolles then appointed
A. b. jenkins, Hugh Watson, sam VII
Hanson, 7. p. Lewis and JOSIAH Thom-
as a committee of five to draft a pro-
test against permitting the railroad
corporations using the streets for
trackage purposes without some re-
nuneration to the owners of the prop
arty that will be deprecated in value
by such q proceeding. The same COM
mittee viii wait upon the council at
the meeting this evening and request
them to defer taking action upon the
petition presented last week until the
west side property owners have been
heard from.
The meeting adjourned until Friday
evening, when the protest of the COM
mittee of five will be discussed and
final action taken.