The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-10
WHO OWNS THE TOWN?

Six months ago the assembly of this
city approved a resolution asking the
city engineer to enforce that clause
of the street railway company's fran
chise which requires it to keep clear
the space within it's tracks and for a
distance of two feet outside Of them.
This was nothing but what the COM
pany itself had engaged to do when it
was an applicant for municipal favors.
The section of it's franchise creating
the obligation is perfectly clear and
was printed in T h Glob yesterday.
1t says:
The st. Paul City Railway company
shall at all times keep so much of the
streets occupied by said lines of rail-
way as may lie between the rails of
each track and between the lines of
double track and for a space of two
feet outside the tracks cleaned and in
good repair.
The one word Cleaned" leaves no
room for controversy. If the street
railway company were to call upon
the people of st. Paul to make, at their
own cost, any repairs in its tracks
when they wore out or got out of or
der, presumably the demand would be
thought impudent and preposterous.
In reality it would be no more SO than
the demand that the people, at their
own expense. keep this space cleaned.
But that is what they are doing; and
any attempt to shift this burden to the
shoulders where it belongs sees a
scurrying of various officials and Off
cial bodies to get away from respon-
sibility.
What is the reason for this readi-
ness to choose the good will Of the
company rather than the, interest of
the people? We think that they will
require an answer to a question that
has it's serious aspect. In nearly
every local body. public or private, a
man who makes a proposition to re-
quire the street railway company to
live up to it's promises and to the
regulations prescribed by the city and
accepted by 1t for it's conduct finds
some one to interpose with endless OBJ
lection, delay and muddling.
Six months is a long time for a res
olution as important as this to sleep
undisturbed? Why, when it was brought
forth with the cobwebs upon it, was
it referred to the city engineer? What
did the aldermen mean by refusing the
plain duty of directing that the terms
of a franchise be enforced? Why
should every attempt to oblige this
company to keep its promises be shut
fed back and forth between one house
of the council and the other. between
the city engineer, the board Of public
works, and every other body where
responsibility may possibly be dissi-
pated and lost?
Members of the assembly who sup
ported this resolution originally de-
clare that the street railway company's
share of the street cleaning expense in
ST. Paul would be about $4,000 a year.
This money the taxpayers pay in
stead. Meantime the street sprinkling
fund, so necessary to the comfort
health and beauty of the city, has been
exhausted; and our people can choose
between raising more money and hav-
ing dust-covered streets and choking
atmosphere until snow flies. If the
company paid merely it's honest debts,
| there would be plenty of money to keep
the streets in order.
The same policy of evasion and de-
lay appears in the construction of ex-
tensions. Contractors for street i'm
provements that must be made before
these extensions can be built show a
strange dilatoriness. There is no at
! tempt on the part of the proper au-
| thorities to bring them to time. Phalen
park cannot be opened to the people
until the extension Of the Lafayette
| line has been made. The street grading
| has not been completed. and the board
| Of public works does not interfere
| There seems to be excellent warrant
for the statement of the president Of
the park board: 81 don't think the
street car company is overanxious to
extend its tracks to Phalen park"
| This is plain business proposition.
There is no animosity about it, no de-
| sire foT anything but plain justice to
the mass of our people. The. street
railway company has obtained rights
on the streets of st. Paul that are of
uncalculated value. They suffice to
bring in revenue enough to pay profits
| on watcred stock. Capital would jump