The sun., 1901-08-04
IHB MAYOR OP'NBV RoHRLIR


ThhN ""C ~. "~>o"'
u,,,t su thS Same LAnss - ths Lens H.
and Pslitician. md = Net AvesSe -
lsfng the Axe-rghts RailPeads,
K,ses Babies and Gees n fer spsrt.
yxv ROCHELLE, N. Y, Aug S.-Ths hack :
,,.n OF this city have como 10 the unAni-
,Dos,s opinion that Mayor Dillon h ~ big
. man intellectually a. he ID physically.
al. intention to support them In their
e,bt With the New York. New Haven and
Hartford Railroad has been widely pub
u.bed. But not until to-day has the big
MAYOR told how far he means to 90 In as
..rtins the rights Of the hackmen against
the corporation.
Il want It understood. you understand,'
.sid the Mayor to Sun man this afternoon,
shat am not opposing any corporations
or taking any hostile grounds against
them. There has got To b corporations
until we find somsthing TO take their places.
But without malice do want to say that
n n up to the New Haven road TO show
some good will for the citizens Of New
Rochelle. Come up from New York any
dsy you see nothing but fne new stations
that the road has been building for cities
and towns half the size Of this one. You
see bridges they have erected and sur
roundings they have made nice and neat
10 look at. Come TO New Rochelle and
you find q barn In . hole down beside the
track that some New Rochelle citizens
wouldn't keep their COWS In! You find
~ .,l t,,~U>st >i<t~>cs .ncr> ~ thavr
abort Of breath. climbing them steep stair
ways up to the street until they move away
from the city because they can't stand 1t
any longer and we losing some Of our
most profitable taxpayers thereby. 1t amt
friendly to US and I don't feel bound to
show any more friendiness for them tanh
wa get from them
The hackman question about year ago
became apparent In the diplomatic rela-
lions which have long existed betwe on the
railroad and the city. The present station
was built on ground owned by the railroad
which was not accessible from any Of the
city streets The railroad asked and OBJ
tanned the aid of the village board-New
Rochelle was not a city then-in purchas-
Ing rights Of way by which passenger could
reach the station afoot and In carriages.
It was generally understood that though
the railroads title TO the land over which
these streets ran was not questioned. the
streets were to be free and open to tho
whole public. City sewers we're run through
one Of them.
About a year ago the hackmen who line
up along the curb outside Of the station were
notified that the hack privilege for the
streets near the station had been sold
to Morgan Bros. and that other ha ck-
men must keep away. The hackmen
stayed away for about four hours. Then
they saw that Morgan Bros. were not
able to carry all OF the passengers who
wanted to be taken to their homes. The
Morgans asked some Of their rivals to come
In and help them out. The rest came with
out any invitation.
It was generally believed that the action
OF the railroad in making the contract with
the Morgans was in retaliation for the
action Of the city In a land difficulty with
the road Before the village became q
city. an agreement was made BY the village
authorities that II the railroad made GER
tain improvements In the neighborhood Of
the station the village would cede GER
tain public lands to the railroad. The
railroad kept faith. Meantime the new
city government which had been elected
refused to ratify the agreement about
ceding the public land. The railroad
sued the city for $4,000 and lost the suit
The assertion Of the rights Of private owner
ship over the two streets contiguous to
the station followed.
Mayor Dillon lifted his $50 pounds Of
official dignity and went down to see Presi-
dent Hall. who had just been elected.
-Mr President he said, according to
the best memory Of those who were present,
we are going to bring condemnation pro-
ceedings to get possession Of those two
streets They are in use as public high
ways and they ought TO be owned by the
city. Several Of our citizens drive public
hacks. We have established hackstands
on them streets and II you say we have no
right to do that on a private street. then
we are going to make them public streets
The committee Of which the Mayor was
chairman went home with the notion that
the Mayor had made a great impression
on Mr. Hall and that there was no further
fear for the privileges of the hackmen.
But a week or two ago the notice to get
out was served on them again. They went
TO the Mayor.
Hold your ground said he. "Ill break
any police officer that attempts to put you
on of it
Then each and every hackman was served
with a notice to appear in the Supreme
Court in Brooklyn to show cause why an
injunction should not be issued forbidding
him to use the railroads street. Mayor
Dillon began TO move with the marvellous,
II ponderous, activity which is usual in him.
And the hackmen believe that the reason
the hearing for their injunction has been
postponed until Aug. IL is because the rail-
road has heard from the Mayor and wants
to adjust things peaceably.
There is a number Of courses open TO me
that know Of" said the Mayor, discussing
the matter yesterday. "and there's doubt
less more which would occur to a lawyer.
First, the railroad has got its damned old
freight house on city property that was never
ceded to II we can tear that down; then
them streets being used as public streets
has never been taxed as private property,
but II they are to be used for sources Of
private revenue, they'll pay taxes--see?
Third. there's more than the permission
OF the railroad needed to run public hack
m this town. hack drivers has got to be
licensed. and not damn license will there
be for any hackman that the railroad tried
to give an unjust monopoly to. They can