The Columbus journal., 1900-05-02

- oAOo 49,
Scores of citi1sos showed their in
tsrsst in TIE matter BY attendance q
The mssting hald Wednesday evening q
the coaneil chAmbse.
Attorney Rich oe The Unioa PAcin<
Co. With maps spesad out On t. tabll
explaiDsd ths situation . sssa nom tn
Union Paciae standpoint Sapk Ban
ter and Ahstracter Sayer gave assistancl
occasionally - seemed advisable r
them. Hi talk 10 IL a0smblsd eitissl
tax-paysss ~ % ths peupositioa a -
moving ohstrnctions o. opening 10 trsysl
across TIE o. p. txack, p serssk the onl
in which IL freight dspot nov stand
and placing tie new proposed ftsieh,
depot On Il strsse, thus closins that
street . . crossing Over the track. BE
very adroitly repcsssntsd his company,
setting forth that The directors bad DE-
cided upon this location Tor several
reasons, mainly because they owned the
land; that it would b scoavenisatly near
their passenger depot; b claimed that
comparatively tsw people would Be dis
commodsd BY such location; that their
object in double tracking between this
and Schuyler i to have room for
transfsffing for thsir branch lines; that
the long freight trains would mostly be
handled out Of the city, the yard engine
doing the yard work; that Columbus
has moro open streets crossing railroad
tracks than any other place in Nsbraaka
according 70 its sise-exactly the same
- Omaha has; that II street has been
used By the road for shout forty years,
ETC.; to make The impFovsments deter
mined upon, 9l06O00 had been appro-
priatsd, and the grading between this
and Richland vas nearly done. He
spoke Of the mutual interests OF the
company and the city, and declared that
il they could not b allowed to place the
new depot in n street it would be an
enormous inconvsnisnce to the COM
pany.
He then asksd for questions or sug-
gestioos By those interested, when II. T.
Spoerry expressed his views in regard to
X street, representing interests on the
southwest corner Of Eleventh and x.
He made some structures on the 1877
deal, but evidently did not tell all he
knew concerning it; be didn't pretend
to represent any street crossing but 4,
in which he Was interested.
A. Boestcher spoke with special refer
ence to business interests on Eleventh
street, and remarked that lengthy freight
trains going west and stopping At the
depot would lap over L street, and those
going esst would lap ovsr and interfere
for the time OF stoppage With travel on
the Olive street crossing. He said that
railroad companies did not alwtys fulfill
their promises or keep the letter Of the
Law, going somewhat into particulars.
J. D. Stirss spoke for the opening of
n street. He thought . much better
place for the city's interests, a we'll a
the companys would be at least two
blocks east Of the proposed site, where
doubtless considerably moro land could
be had for less price that their surplus
this way would bring. Opposite the B.
L NJ would be, it seemed to him, the
most fitting place, not interfering With
the central business, at least, Of the city.
The future welfare Of the city and the
railroad il q consideration not to be over
looked, and this should be the main
thing for determining present action.
There should be no fanciful considera-
tious at al spoken Of a. decisive Of the
dispute. The convenisncs of the public
is the controlling thought-what does
necessity demand?
We have not aimed to give his exact
language.
We did not stay the meeting out, sat-
isfied there was intended no expression
by vote OF those present. the meeting
simply called for the purpose of con-
6rming opinions already formed; if pos
aible, allaying any feeling against the
out Of q fixed purpose by the
railroad, and beyond that developing, if
90 it may be, the line Of action by those
opposed.
In brief, the talk Of Mr.. Rich, reduced
to few words, was: The company has
given its best thought to the whole sub
ject, looking at it in all its bearings; has
drawn its plans; We wish to do what 10
fair, and see no other way than that We
have planned. We are not seeking
trouble or conflict. How is it with you?
Can We agree or must ve contest?