The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-28

kinds OF medicine, tined different doctors, but
all the relief they could give me was to make my
pocket-book tighter. then began taking DR..
Piercc's Golden Medical Discovery. Took four
bottles without relief Kept taking it. I took
in all ten bottles and got entirely Cured"
DR.. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets cure con-
stipat;on.
ilege of cecting themselves president,
treasurer secretary, purchasing agent,
etc, and SO on. and fixing their salaries
at such figures that, whether the. bond
holders or stockholders ever earn or re
ceive one cent of profit. a numerous
progeny of officers. created by the stock
holders, will be amply and handsomely
paid from year to year.
The next statement is that the owners
of stock in such a company. surely ought
to have given them n chance to receive
some return for the money they have in
vested in the enterprise. Why? How
much monsY? How much money per
share of stock was paid for the stock
which wasasold? How much stock was
given away for which not one dollar was
received into the treasury of the COM
panv? Is it claimed, is it meant to be
claimed, that the people OF all classes
and conditions who served this company
!lumbly and effectively in the direction
of influence, if not in other directions
more reprehensible, who have received
large blocks of stock gratuitously. must
have their dividends on this stock before
the company would feel justified in re-
munerating the people of Richmond Tor
giving them a franchise which they value
at $500 000 and which they use every day
without dollar Of tax, and with the
privilege of taxing the community in
nickel fares to a sufficient amount to
nav five per cent interest on the entire
bonded debt and two per cent. on the
widely distributed reserved and sold
stock?
The petition next goes on to urge tilat
it is extremely important that street rali-
ways should be encouraged, IN order that
the city may undergo Improvement and
nrogress and the people be made happy
Those of us who represent the people
CT Richmond and the government OF the
city know that the handspring OF actloii
with those who build street railways -
profit and nobod. has ever been aDle "
demonstrate that patriotism, desire loi
the growth of tie city. convenience Oh
the suburban residents, or the happlliess
and prosperity of other people, move pro-
moters to the building of street railways.
The petitioners nsxt urge the Council
II 500 how attractive is the reverse SIDE
of tne picture, and call attention to the
extensive blessings and benefits which the
city is TO derive from this enterprise.
They assert that the operation OF ei.is
Company has done much to cause tiie
building mp of certain Sectiohs " liio
city. neslectinS to mention, however, .tilsil
it is a common thing for the same people
who build the roads to buy up the lands
abo,1t ia be improved and sell them at a
nrcfit. They then call attention 70 soii'e
of The benefits which they are pleased
to delominate more direct Dement'S, anu
thev head this statement with capltal
letters. which read as follows: Enc
FITS TO THE CITY OF RICHMOND
FROM THE RICHMOND TRACTION
COMPANY, June 10th, 1886. TO Septehipei
3oth. 1893 Allow me to place III pSrell-
thesis the rea sonable statement that THESE
people who have received from TIE , ei.s
rrat,1itously, the only asset they nave
which saves, them from Bankruptcy, ana
which they themselves value at s6oo,ooV,
sl,,r over what they have received WIFI
out mention, and proceed TO ten OF ti'e
enor,nolls benefits Which they have con-
ferred upon the people.
WHAT IT HAS DONE.
Now let us quietly ascertain What it -
that they have done for the city as sucii-
In 1896 they paid. this l,oeeoo corpo 5 y
ton. 81. sos % in taxes; in 1867, so,oa4 ~
in taxes; in 1875, $59al.5' III taxes IL
1859. SS,220.01 in taxes.
II they should be required to pay here
in the city of Richmond what the street
RAILWAYS of Chicago have been compei!ee
bv manclanus of the Supreme Court OF
the State Of Illinois TO pay. they Wolilp
nav a tax Of SLID PEI. hundred per a an. II
nun, on a franchise valued at s6VV' wv
which amount would be SS,4H per ahflu1Ii .
The, next payment Which they Wouid
have to make would DC a tlA OF si-9V oli
the 500 on the value of their visible per-
sonal property, and the same tax or all
of their real estate held. in the city OF
Richmond. Up to this time, OF course,
they held their franchise absolutely Tree
from taxes.
It might be worth while at this point
10 stop to mention a fact that is inter-
esting, though not strictly rlevant to the
subject in hand. Quite considerable
amount of the money which these parties
have received for their stocks ard bonds
| has been expended N thu purchase of
real estate on West Bread Street, which
il was necessary they should acquire to
| secure the removal, from the line of their
proposed route, of the tracks OF the ilch-
nond. Fredericksburg and sPctonlac Kali
road and the Encouragement OF their oWr
lines and those OF the Richmond Pas-
senger ana Power Company; and this
item mentioned here (out OF place, prob
aby.) is important, because it goes to
show that the people of Richmond are
not only supporting the actual expense
and interest accounts of this road. but
are also enabling them to pay the IN
| terest on the cost of a large block of un-
improved. unoccupied real estate, repre-
sntad by bonds supposed to have been
used in the construction Of the Ira ct ton
Company's lines.
CoNsTRUCTIoN#CO COMPANY,
think it may be well to mention in
this connection another intersstins TACT g
The same parties VII organlzed ~, ..il !.
richmond Traction Company {practicaI-
~ the same parties> organized con-
struction company which built the Trac-
ton Company.s fFe, and by this sim