The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-11-21
Council Takes Time to Scrute
nize the Ordinance.
Hord & Keaior Seek Franchise to
Build An Electric Line Through
the City of MankatO.

ana SOOu sHdi0 VI OAS S'oNo
devoted to talking the matter over.
Col. .Hord going into the subject at
some length, Col. ssHord is fluent
and pleasing speaker, and is thorough
Iy familiar with his subject and very
enthusiastic over electric line build
ing. He had the audience with him
last night, and everybody present at
the meeting felt that his proposition
as 10 ore of promise in it than any
previous one that has been made.
A. E. Clark said that he had pre-
pared a street railway ordinance for
Col. Hord and Mr. --Keator, substan-
tally the same as the ordinance grant
ed J. Il. Collins, with the lighting
features cut out. He presented several
copies of both, and the two are almost
identical, except as to the streets
covered in the franchise.
Col. Hord addressed the council,
saving that the city is not one attrac-
tive to a street car man for street
car system. The city lies in such a
position that it is not practicable for
running successful city street car
system. He doubted whether such a
system would pay here in twenty-five
years. He had had fifteen years ex-
perience in building lines and had
made failures as well as successes.
He described the building OF the
Aurora Chicago electric line, and said
that every town on the line had pros
pered and grown in spite of all pre-
yious fears. Front street is the only
Mankato street where there is any
hope of Car line paying interest on
the investment. The line must also
extend out to an adjoining town
Later, a line around the city can be
tried, and if it does not nay the rails
can be torn up This is often done
but is expensive There is not town of
10, 900 population that has ever had
a city system that was not failure.
The only way that road will be
built here will be through and not
sround the town. There will be
money in lire from Sibley park to
the stone quarries, Kasota and st.
Peter. Talk about loops around the
city is nonsense.
The speaker said that he bad never
undertaken to build railroad that he
did not build il. 1t might fail here.
but thought it possible to put in
road here He was not begging for
this job, but would build road here
if he had the right kind of an ordi-
nance end local good will. He wanted
no local capital, as roads partly built
with local capital are generally fail
ures. G. b. Deere of Moline, H., the
pillow manufacturer, had invested some
money with the speaker. In building
a road, time must be allowed for con-
tingencies. The weather and money
fluctuations cannot be combatted. In
all other enterprises that he had un-
dertaken, two years had been allowed
for completing the railroads, although
enc year had sometimes seen the line
built No exclusive franchise was
asked, and if anybody else wants to
put in line give him a franchise.
Front street is wide enough for two
rracks. People always follow street
car track, and line on Second street
would kill Front street for business.
The car line will benefit every man
on the street. 1t would bring more
people, which would help business,
and rents wonld go up.
The council took recess to look
over the ordinance. After converting
again, the ordinance was read. The
franchise covers Third avenue its en-.
tire length, Lafayette street from
Willow to Front, Front its entire
length, and West Fourth street tc
Sibley park.
Aid. Heinze moved that the ordi
nance be referred to the committee or
ordinances, to report next Friday
night
Colonel Hord said that the ordi
nance had been all threshed over, anG
he did not see why delay was neces
sary. He had to be in Chicago mex
Sunday. To delay is the way not t.
build a line He had been thinking
about this proposition only ten days
Some of the people who are intereste'
are going away and he had got to do
great deal of hard work to interes
the people who were willing to BAG
his Judgment. If this was new thin
10 the council he would not be 6
bra7en as to ask it to pass the ordi
nance at once The council had pass
ed il ONCE and everybody was satisfied
He couldn't see misstep in the ord
nance on the part of the council. If
came back again he could not ga
more than he had tonight.
The proposition is not rosy one
run after, but it had struck him as b
ing a favorable one.
Aid. Taylor thought that week
delay would be better.
City Attorney DALEY desired tin
to study the ordinance. Col. Hol
finally assented, after saying that
had supposed that the city attorn'
was familiar with the ordinance.
The motion was carried and e
council adjourned.
The ordinance is not exclusiv
and grants twenty years franchis
During the dicusssion, Aid. Helm