The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-29
Mayor, Council Committee. Works
Board. Merchants Association
and Companies Represented.
ALL THE DETAILS DISCUSSED
SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS OFFERED BY
MAYOR BOOkWALTER.
The Interested Persons VIII Make a
Tour of Streets TO-Day-An Early
settlement Expected.

Place around a table for the discussion
of any question President McCullOch. Of
the Union Traction Company; President
Hugh MCGOWAN, of the indianapolis Street
railway Company; Messrs. Mcdonald and
Pinford, of the Greenfield road, and Irwin,
of the Greenwood line; Paul Krauss, f.
X Chapman. Fred Ayres. Ferdinand Mayer
and II. p. WATSON. of the Merchants As
ISOLATION; Councilmen Cooper Negley.
Vail, Meyers and Sourbier. of the con-
tracts and franchises committee Major
Megrew. Edwin Logsdon and Charles Ma
guire, of the Board of Works, and the
thoroughly discussed.
With Mayor Bookwalter, the gentlemen
named met in the mayors office last night
TO thresh out the interurban contract ques-
ton. and, although the main points of the
contract, relative TO the matters of COM
pensation and route, were argued in detail,
there was no definite conclusion reached.
This morning, upon the invitation of Mr..
MCGOWAN, the representatives of the Mer-
chants Associa ton, the Council committee
mentioned, the Board of Works and officers
of the interurban roads concerned will take
a drive over the different routes suggested
as feasible and try to settle the matter
one way or another.
A GENERAL DISCUSSION.
Last night, although there present
at the meeting fully fifty gentlemen inter-
ested in the solution of the problem, it
found impossible to go through the
contract section by section, disposing of
each feature as presented. Instead after
an examination and discussion Of a map
showing the principal streets and an in
formal exposition of ideas by many OF the
merchants, the meeting was called TO order
by the mayor and the discussion of two
main features OF the contract taken up.
Councilman Cooper of the committee,
raised the question of fares. What action
is to be taken to city tickets inter
urbans?" he asked. He suggested that
while it might not be wise TO insist on
their being accepted by the conductors of
outgoing cars, there seemed to be no in
justice in giving citizens the benefit of
using city tickets on incoming interurban
cars.
In answer to Mr. Cooper President Nc
CullOch, of the Union Traction Company,
talked It some length. 'As TO this matter
of tickets, he said, lit is all or none. The
Council must make us accept city tickets
on all our cars. both incoming and outgo-
ing, or else give the right TO refuse
them on all the cars. Should a halfway
measure be adopted it would be the cause
OF endless complications. and the papers
would be full of rows between our con-
ductors and passengers who could not get
IL through their heads why tickets would
not be as good on one car as another. AS
10 city business in general, let me say
right here that neither my company nor
any other interurban company wants it.
We don't want to be bothered with il. 1t
will be loss and an annoyance to us. Let
me give you an example Last Saturday
night a single Greenfield car leaving the
city late hauled 13l passengers to Irving
ton, and took out of that suburb only seven
for Greenfield. Dozens OF Greenfield people
unable to make their way through the rush
of city people TO board the car had to spend
the night in the city"
Mr.. McCullOch remarked that the diff
hculty of keeping off city passengers IS
one of the hardest propositions with which
the interurban roads have TO deal
ONLY ONE CHOICE.
Mr.. McCulloch took occasion TO empha-
size the necessity for the Council to give
the interurban roads square deal" IF
We had not gone ahead and built these
roads we might ask anything in reason
and get it from the city, he said but
now we have to take what we can get.
However, there is dependent upon the
treatment we get the building of inter
urban lines from Logansport. Martinsville.
ShelbyVille, kokomo, Charlottesville and
Elaintield and the city will surely not
brighten away by unfairness to us what
will equal an increase of more than ZOO
people TO the population of Indianapolis. :"
NOicing the unanimous desire of the Mer-
chants Association, Ferdinand Mayer said
that Washington street is the only way
for the interurban cars to get into the
city, whatever way NAV be given them to
get out. He took an incidental shot al the
railroad companies in speaking of the prac-
teal impossibility of obtaining continuous
low fares, which would aid in bringing peo-
pie into the city for trading purposes. He
was of opinion that passing the cars over
Washington street one way would not in
terfere with traffic.
Mr.. MCGOWAN, in few words, explained
that even now with city cars alone passing
over it, Washington street is sometimes
almost impossible for pedestrians. He said
that should the Council give TO the inter-
urban companies the right even to come in
on the street il would be absolutely blocked
and the Merchants Association would soon
repent of the permission. If such permits
sion were given, Mr.. MCGOWAN said. he
would find IT necessary 10 remove many of
his cars from Washington street. While it
is advisable to tap Washington street, he
thought, still nothing could be more I'M
wise than to use it as the main line of en-
trance or egress.
MAYOR TAKES A HAND.
Mayor Bookwalter took up the discussion
and asked if in the opinion of the gentle
men present it were not far more advisable
10 inconvenience interurban passengers by
having them walk a block or more to get
their cars. than it would be to cause an
noyance TO the 10000 or more people who
use city cars on Washington street daily,
and who would be given a lot of trouble
should the choking OF the street cause the
removal of city cars. 1t would be far bet
ter. he thought, to make the man who
comes TO town only once a week walk the
added square or two
The officials of the interurban roads are
not at all insistent i'm their demands and
ca "a cd raj all hoy dos fC fli m n
on a good street. Mr.. MCGOWAN. of the
Street-railway company. is apparently
throwing no obstacles in their path and
the discussion OF the question very
quiet. The party of gentlemen mentioned
will this morning look over Maryland.
Georgia. Ohio and other streets. The loop
suggested by Mr.. Logsdon seems 10 be in
favor The committee on contracts and
franchises expects TO be able 10 report to
the Council at the meeting next Monday
night.