The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-09
The Three-Cent Fare Proposition n
Feature That Was Entire
Iy Unexpected.
ATTITUDE OF THE BOARD
MEMBERS WILL AWAIT THE APPLI-
CATION FOR FRANCHISE.
President McGowan i'm New York and
Vice President Jones Doesn't
Care to TaIk.

Until within the last twenty hours the
interuTban question seemed TO be pretty
we'll threshed out. So many phases of the
matter had been brought forward and dis
cussed that it was the general opinion that
interurbans were a dead issue and of no
further interest to the public. The latest
move of the smaller interurban roads has
changed the whole color of the situation
and the interurban question, and by the
movement of the officials who met in the
Grand Hotel in batting their request for a
franchise with a 3-cent-fare proposition
public interest has been aroused, and the
matter is discussed and argued on the
streets with vigor and energy.
The i%nterurban people say they have the
public with them in their opposition to the
contract submitted by the Board of Works;
they feel that if they continue in their re-
sistance to the will of the city government.
as expressed in the contract, that public
opinion will force the board and the Coun-
ell to grant them better terms, and TO
strengthen them in their stand with the
citizens of Indianapolis they took the some
what unusual action for street-car mag
mates of promising a Scent fare, with the
understanding that the fare may be fur
ther available to the people by the intro
duction of city cars on their lines inside
the city limits.
SHREWDNESS SHOWN.
Both by the opponents of the i%nterurban
lines in their efforts to get a more favor
able franchise and by their supporters the
action taken the other night is recognized
as a particularly shrewd one. In the first
place if the city should agree to the propo-
sition of the interurban officials and award
them separate franchises for their lines
they would gain heavily by it financially.
At the present time the Indianapolis
Street-railway Company receives, it is said,
3 cents out of every ) cents collected in the
city by the interurban people. The interur-
ban lines believe that Mr.. MCGOWAN is pre-
pairing TO demand a payment of 4 cents out
OF every D for running cars on his tracks.
Should the city agree TO their proposition
they would receive the entire 3 cents them
selves and would not have to divide with
anybody. Under that arrangement it is
pointed out that they could afford TO build
expensive tracks and pay a heavy tax to
the city for special franchise privileges.
1t would also give them at the same time
an ind pendence which they could not have
were they to operate over the tracks of the
Indianapolis Street-railway Company sub
ject to it's restrictions.
In the second place it is believed that by
the incorporation of the 3-cent-fare pro-
AoACh IL lin ny
have chosen the most effective way possible
to gain a favorable hearing by the Board
of Works. The Scent fare is known TO be
popular with the people in general. and the
board in the opinion of many will hesitate
before il refuses TO grant TO interurban
companies Offering such favorable terms
franchises which will allow them to operate
on the streets of the city. The members OF
the board nave stated that they regard the
contract granted to Mr.. McCulloch as the
best terms the city can offer TO interurban
companies, and members of the Council
committee have made the statement that
no better terms can be expected than those
granted to the Union Traction Company,
but it is not believed that the board or the
Council considered the possibility of the in
PRODUCTION of the 3-cent-fare proposition
into the matter.
SITUATION COMPLICATED.
The action of the interurban men compli-
Gates the interurban question. 1t intro
duces the question of whether the city has
a right to grant franchises to street-car
lines operating in the city other than the
Indianapolis Street-railway Company. The
principal point discussed is whether the
local street-railway company has a right
to claim an exclusive franchise. So far
as o~btainable, the consensus of opinion
seems to be that no exclusive franchises
can be granted TO a street-car company.
In recent years a number of decisions have
been rendered on the point by the higher
courts of the country, and hey have been
TO the effect that a city cannot grant one
street-railway company the exclusive right
10 use it's streets. Mayor Bookwalter has
expressed the opinion informally that the
Indianapolis Street-railway Company does
not possess an exclusive franchise. City
Attorney Joss refused to express an opin-
ion TO the newspapers previous to his Of
fetal statement to the Board of Works.
Members of the Board of Works will not
at the present time discuss the attitude
of the board regarding the new phase II
the situation. They say that the board has
not had time to consider the matter i'm all
it's bearings and does not care to be quoted
until after ii has received the formal appli-
cation of the interurban companies. AS
to the future action of the board the state
ment was made that it would demand the
adoption of the present contract unless a
better contract can be made.
The attitude of the indianapolis Street
railway Company, now that the interurban
people have decided to fight them on their
own ground for a share of the city bust
ness, is arOusing much popular interest.
President MCGOWAN Is in New York city,
and in his absence Vice President Jones.
Of the company, says he does NOT care to
announce the policy of the company.
Interurban officials say they have nothing
TO say at the present time. but that they
will submit their application to the board
as soon as 1t can be prepared.