The age-herald., 1901-11-07
Council Has Stormy Discus sion But Takes No Action
NEW ORDINANCE PRESENTED
This Referred to Committee and spe' clal Meeting Will Be Held Wednesday Night to Con
 sider the Report.

Power Company has offered to accept
 a 99-year franchise for laying tracks
 on 75 blocks of residence streets as 3 compromise between the 3o-yesr prop
 osition and the perpetual franchise. Mayor Drennen holds that the with
 drswal of the former request for 3
 perpetual franchise carried the ordi-
 nance with 1t and new ordinance was introduced last night and referred to
 a joint committee composed of the
 Judiciary and street railway commit
 tees with the petition for Rinety-nlne years franchise. This will probably
 delay the matter for several weeks. A special meeting of the hoard will
 be held next "Wednesday night for the
 purpose of hearing expressions from the public on the street railway fran
 chise question.
 | After four hours Of stormy discussion the City Council adjourned last night without having advanced one step in the
 matter Of the franchise requested by the bH ihlnsHdui lNdhWdS L"Shi A0"Sh Company.
 Speakers were heard, petitions were fil- ed. resolutions were introduced and ex- citing eelloquies ensued but the franchise petition was amended so as to read
 ninety-nine years instead of thirty still
 rests with the Judiciary and street rail.
 way committees.
 Word that something was going to hap pen had evidently been sent out and when the hour of converting the council arriv-
 ed the lobbies of the temporary hall were
 filled with citizens from every walk of life.
 Members of the Board of Trade, repre-
 sentatives of labor, corporation presi-
 dents, bankers and professional men in- termingled on the limited floor space and all seemed eager to catch every word about the street car franchise. Touched Of Fireworks. After disposing of some miner routine matters Mayor Drennen touched off the real fire works by announcing that the board was ready to hear any pne who
 cared to speak on special subject At torney E. H. Cabaniss inquired as to the
 status of the franchise question and AL
 derman Thach read the petition from the
 Birmingham Railway Light & Power
 Company asking for a ninety-nine instead of thirty year franchise on streets in
 certain residence sections of the city. MT. Cabaniss said he appeared in be- | half of 800 citizens who were very anxious l that the franchise be granted either for I ninety-nine years or perpetually. He said there was a large portion of the | city without street car facilities and he thought 1t matter of fairness and a
 matter of right that the people in these l sections should be allowed the same ac- l cancellations as those fi other sections. He argued that the granting of the l franchises would mean a great increase l in values in sections of the city where l the lines are proposed to be run. MT. l Cabaniss said the territory should be | improved by the laying of street car | lines and that he saw no chance for any l other company building them. If 1t is I right for other sections of the city to have these lines under a perpetual fran chise why shouldn't these people have 1t, 1 too."
 l He said the argument that the Bir- mingham Railway, Light and Power
 Company had made money was no argu- ment, As to their accepting a thirty year franchise MT. Cabaniss said he was not so sure of about that. He argued 1 that the people could not afford to sit down and walt for some foreign concern to come here and build line. Told of Old Losses. Mir. Cabaniss then told about the finan- l cial losses once suffered by members of the street car company. He said they
 had made great sacrifices for the future
 of Birmingham and now that they were
 prosperous he was glad to see them en- | joy it.
 1 He urged that the seventy-five blocks | be given the street car company and said | the people in the section in question were anxious that the franchise be granted. He said 1t would be much bet 1 ter to give 1t to the present company than l to another one especially on account of
 the transfer proposition recently made. Mir. Ward then moved that the petition
 be referred to the committee on street
 railways.
 Some discussion followed as to the l status of the railway petition and to