The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-21
MAKE AN OPEN HIGHWAY.

One well-knOwn citizen Of st. Louis referred to
the Terminal Railway Association as a Stranger
in addressing the joint committee meeting at the City
Hall Thursday last. The term is strong. but it sug-
gests the Importance of oosenng what wresters call
the strange hold if that is the grip the Terminal
Association has St Louis. The Levee Loop Bill
now pending in the House of Delegates will do more
to break this strange hold than any legislation the
Municipal Assembly has attempted.
AS amended in the Council. the Loop Bill oblgates
the Terminal Association to handle the passenger and
freight traffic of every railway that may the
door of st. Louis in the future for exactly the same
charges and on exactly the same conditions as it
handles the business of the proprietary lines.
This guarantee of an open entrance to st. Louis is
of nestimable value and will put st. Louis in a
position without parallel among all of the great cities
of the country. The policy embodied in the pending
bill reflects the policy the Terminal Association has so
far pursued, but it has the great advantage that it
assures the people of St Louis against any change
in the future. 1t makes the open door absolutely
tain for the whole lifetime of the Terminal Associa-
tons franchises and gives guarantee that rail
way company need turn away from St Louis because
it is unable to obtain terminal privileges. This
rity for the future is worth much that st. Louis
could well afford to pay big price for it, and ii
comes very cheap in connection with the pending
legislation.
What this sort of n covenant the part of the
Terminal Association means easily be measured
by consideration Of the rumor that the Milwaukee and
st. Paul Railway Company is about to build line
into ST. Louis. No one can question the Importance
of making this great system which has inter-
est in this city ST. Louis line. There is to
believe the rumor is well founded and if it is it will
materalize because of the opportunity the Terminal
Association offers every railway system seeking
st. Louis terminal 1t will be because the Milwaukee
and St Paul needs only to build its connecting line to
St Louis, and when it gets to this city will find
complete and comprehensive terminal system ready
for its immediate use.
No such situation exists in other great cities. Rail-
ways seeking entrance into big cities of the country
have struggle and battle to get their way in They
must force their way through the Doodle ntrench-
ments of municipal legislatures, must buy up over
valued property at millions above fair market price
fighting every inch of their way against the opposition
of the railways already in and trying to keep the
out. The Titanic struggle that has been going
between the Wabash and the Pennsylvania system at
Pttsburg is pertinent present example.
The Levee Loop Bill would protect st. Louis for the
whole life of the Terminal Associations franchises.
1t would make the tracks and the facilities of that
Association open highway by law, just they
matter of business policy. Possibly the
business policy heretofore pursued may be
changed nevertheless 1t is emineny wise for the city
to fasten that policy by making it matter Of legal
obligation. This be done through the Levee
Loop Bill. but what is possible to-day may not be
possible hereafter if the city its back the
present opportunity.