The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-16
ARE up IN ARMS.
College Hill People Aroused
Over Street Railway Route.
Use of Narrow Piercy Street
Pavement Causes Trouble.

If the Topeka railway company per-
sists in its intention of building its
new tracks to Washburn college over
the route announced to have been de-
cided upon last Saturday, injunction
proceedings are likely to be brought to
stop it. The dispute is over the use of
the brick pavement on Pierey street,
two blocks of which the street car
company proposes to traverse between
Garfield avenue and College avenue.
Should injunction proceedings be re-
sorted to the object viii be to call into
question the right of the city council
to grant a franchise ordinance with
such sweeping provisions as that under
which the Topeka railway company
operates. The College Hill people as
sert that the building of car track
on the narrow Piercy street pave
ment would materially damage prop
erty values in the entire locality.
Washburn college itself will be one of
the bitter opponents to the street car
comDany's invasion.
Some of the College Hill people are
of the oninicn that when Vice Presi-
dent Myers of the railway company
announced his plans for the new car
tracks it was with the intention of
finding out their sentiments upon the
use of the pavement. Arrangements
| have already commenced for the cir
culatiOn of a petition or protest against
the use of the paving which all the
property owners in that corner of
town viii be asked to sign. In case
the protest proves of no avail the in
tention of taking the matter into court
has already been announced. Among
the bitterest of the opponents to the
car track plan is J. c. Holland. who
/ lives at the corner of West and Percy
streets, a block east of the point where
| the railway company proposes to en-
! ter the pavement. Mr. Holland was
active in opposing the effort of the old
VineWood railway company to get
! franchise TO h11iId c a
result of his endeavors the company
was given a right of way on West
I street and was kept off the pavement
entirely. In regard to the latest an
nounced plan of the street car people
Mr.. Holland said today:
/ Il am getting thoroughly tired of the
recurring squabble over the use of the
| Piercy street pavement and if a car
! track is finally built there I think L shall
sell out and leave the neighborhood. A
| track on that pavement would depre-
c1ate the value of property on the whole
| of College Mill whether it abuts upon
/ the pavement or not. We built the
! pavement with the exception OF having
! 1t exclusively for a driving street
which brings the people from the city
out and accommodates the farmers from
the country coming in. The street Is
only thirty feet wide and can't be used
by street car without being spoiled
Tor all other purposes. There appears
to me to be no advantage to the sureer
car company in the proposed move be-
cause they get all the travel in that
part of town over the College avenue
line anyway. To build a track there
means the virtual cOnfiscation of prom
erty and the depreciation of values on
real estate. 1t will work a great injus-
tlce to the people who built the pave
ment with the understanding that II
would not be so used and shall figf1
the scheme to the finish. Even if no one
else joins me / shall get out an injunc-
ton against the building of the TRACK
as soon as permit is issued for the
excavation of the street"
L. H. Greenwood. who is a trustee OF
/ Washburn college. said today:
| i think there is no question about the
united opposition of the trustees of the
college to the proposition the building
of the street car track on the pavement
would end its usefulness as a drive. That
is the thing that Washburn does not want
The pavement is the only convenient ap-
proach to the college. People may come
from town a considerable part of the way
on other paved streets, but beginning with
Thirteenth street there is no other gooe
street for driving purposes; If the street
had been paved wide, with the expecLa-
ton of accommodating a street car track
the situation would be different. The abil-
tween town and College Hill means q
great deal to the property values there, &
ilt1ltSl III MIllCh NdsHpuIn y idiSeiy II
terested. There appears to be no really
important reason why the tracks should
be put in the pavement. There are Other
streets that might be used by the stree
car company and it ought to be compelled
to use them. In case the protest of The
property owners fails to change the
plans 1 think injunction proceeding.
should be resorted to and think that the
college will join in the fight
Before going to the expense of hiring
an attorney to sue the street car com
pany under injunction proceedings the Col
the agreement of the Topeka Railwa!
company to abandon its project The,
! are put, just so they are kept off tn
narrow brick pavement.