The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-17

street railway company to construct
a cross town line without delay. Such
conferences as there are to be can just
as we'll follow as precede that action,
and much available time may be gain
ed
We are. inclined to think that If
compromise could be reached such as
was suggested by the committee,
whereby the people of ST. Paul could
obtain a cross town line next spring
as the price of postponing temporarily
certain other extensions that have been
asked for or ordered, the bargain might
be good one. But the way to make
that trade is to begin by placing the
company under an obligation to con-
struct them all, and by letting it see
that there is an honest intention back
of it to enforce the councils demand.
The trouble in the past has been,
and we fear that it is not yet alto
gefner over, that the council has per-
mitted the street railway company
TO ride over it roughshod. 1t has
sumbitted to demonstration of
its impotence that is far from
ing to the public. 1t has passed res
olutions and ordinances directed at
the company and has taken no action
when they were calmly ignored. The
company has made or declined to make
extensions just as it pleased, and the
council has obeyed whenever it was
told to go way back and sit down.
The latest action is somewhat in
harmony with this. The committee
has fixed no date for a conference,
while it has deferred action on various
resolutions calling for extensions. Now
conference can be demanded and OBJ
tanned within forty eight hours at any
time if the company once understands
that the council means business. 1t
does not trouble itself to make or keep
appointments at present, because it
has found the council heretofore sub
servient.
Pass a resolution ordering the con-
struction of a cross town line. If that
step is taken at once with a display
of determination behind it, a confer
ence will be obtained quickly enough,
because the street railway company
will be the first to desire it. The presi-
dent of the corporation is on record as
saying that he has no information to
the effect that the people of st. Paul
desire a cross town line. Why does not
the council formally instruct him
on that point? Why does it not
express what it knows to be the
unanimous wish of our people? Why
does it not ask for that addition to our
facilities which would be of more ben
eft than all others combined, to both
residence and business sections, and
to the working people as well as the
| we'll j
The people will not have full faith
in the intentions of the council until
| it goes thus definitely on record. They
| need many extensions of our street
railway service. They need a cross
town line most of all. They have
no objection to a conference be-
| tween city and street railway Off
Gals, or to tacit understanding be-
tween them that should result in the
immediate construction of the latter.
They do not want repeated and-sindefi-
mite postponement for any reason, and
| they know that these are not neces-
sary. Get to work. Let us have a
cross town line ordered and prepara-
ton made to enforce the demand Of
the council, and we shall find things
moving more rapidly than heretofore.