The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-28
NOT READY TO YIELD.
Commercial Club Issues a Formal
Statement on Omaha Vacations.
THE ROAD REVIEWS IT'S ACTIVITY
Club Officers Can See No Reason for
Waving the One Com
ditiOn.

The public affairs committee OF the
Commercial Club has made an official
statement of the attitude OF that organi-
cation toward the request of the Omaha
road for the vacation of certain stub
streets in North Minneapolis, The COM
mittee Insists that the road should at
least grant the request of Minneapolis
business men to run the Omaha's south
western trains through Minneapolis first
instead or around two sides Of the TRAN
gle by way of Fort Smelling and st. Paul
and then back to Minneapolis. 1t develops
that recent conferences have been held
between the club officials and those of the
road without any definite agreement being
reached, the road still refusing to meet
the clubs proposition for making the
running Of the trains through Minneapolis
hrst the basis of the settlement.
The Clubs Position.
The railway committee at a recent
meeting adopted a resolution opposing the
roads request until the road should agree
10 the condition named. The commit
tees statement is as follows:
In view OF probable renewal of the efforts
made nearly year ago by the Omaha Rail-
way company to secure the passage by the
city council of an ordinance vacating GER
tain streets along the river in North Min
any public discussion Of the request has
occurred, the public affairs committee Of
the Commercial Club deems statement of
the position which the club has assumed and
now assumes toward the project, advisable
at this time. .-.'.-.
Nearly year ago, while the request of the
road was under consideration by the railroad
committee OF the city council, the Commercial
Club, through its public affairs committee,
believing that the city should obtain some
concession at least to Its business inter-
ests IN return for the concession asked by
the road, filed e communication with the
council committee, asking that the railroad
company be required, a condition to tho
Vacating of these streets, to move its shops
and general Offices to Minneapolis; to change
the running Of its southwestern trains so as
to bring them direct to Minneapolis from
Merriam Junction over the st. Louis tracks,
and to agree to cooperate with other roads
in securing better freight rates in and out
of Minneapolis. Considerable controversy
arose over these propositions, the railway
company refusing to grant any of them.
At one of the hearings before the council
committee, representatives of the club stated
that they would be satisfied and would with
draw their objections, If the road would
grant any one of the requests made in tho
communication referred to, ara especially
pointed out that the request that the road
resume it's plan of operation of some years
ago, by bringing it's trains to this city direct
from Merriam Junction, was amost rea-
sonable one, and should be granted. The
council committee upon refusal of the road
to accede to any of the conditions named,
declined to take any action, and the request
of the road and the objections Of the club
are still pending before it.
In November. following the election of Mr..
Paul as president of the club and the or
ganlzation Of the public affairs committee
and it's railway committee for the year, the
matter was again taken UP, and an earnest
effort made to find some basis upon which
the club, through it's railway committee,
might withdraw it's objections to the passage
of the ordinance.
1t is we'll known by business men that the
views Of Mr.. Paul and his associates IN ref
erence to increasing the railroad facilities
of the city are very broad and liberal, and
an earnest effort has been made by him
and his associates of the public affairs COM
mitttee to secure adjustment of the diff
ferences between the club and the railroad
company ~.
Conferences were held between representa-
tyes of the club and the officials Of the
Omaha, with a view to an adjustment of these
differences but without final result. Early
in these negotiations the representatives Of
the club offered to recede from all of the
company, except the one that the COM
pany change it's southwestern train service
and bring it's local trains from Merriam
! Junction directly to Minneapolis, insts~d of
| taking them around by way Of Fort Smelling
/ and St. Paul and then back to Minneapolis.
The committee became satisfied from their
canvass of the situation that the jobbers and
business men of the city were very decidedly
! in favor of insisting upon this change in train
| service.
| At a. meeting Of the railway committee OF
! the club held on March Is, the following
motion was unanimously adopted:
| Moved That it be the sense Of this commit
: tee that the Commercial Club should oppose
by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis &
Omaha Railway company until said railway
company agrees to run at least its local pas
senger trains from it's Minnesota and Iowa d.
vision direct to Minneapolis fJom Merriam
| Junction via the Minneapolis & st. Louis
Railway company's tracks.
! The following representative business men
compose the railway committee Of the club:
John Leslie, chairman. W. M. Wright.
Ernest F. Smith, vice T. F. Lindsay,
| chairman P. d. Boutei,
| J. c. Andrews, w. P. Devereux,
George A. Clark, j. L. Gable,
| E. J. Fisher, wv. w. HeffelfnSer,
! f. j. Copper, George r. Newell,
| c. e. Healey j. D. McArdle,
l.. 3. Morrison, George Fl. Partridge,
| J. e. Northrup, F. E. Powers,
R. H. Patterson, S. G. Palmer,
W. e. Satterlee, F. F. Towle,
! w. o. Zimmerman, IN c. Williams,
| c. C. Weber, wv. T. Frazer.
| Nearly all Of these gentlemen were pres
| ent at the meeting when this resolution was
adopted. The resolution was then referred
| to the general committee, and at it's meeting
| on March Il was unanimously adopted by