The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-09
MUM SAYS He WILL
TEST CITY CHARTER
Promises First Warders Forest
Street Line viii Be Start.
ed i'm Two Weeks.

Upon the strength of the guarantee
of Marcus d. Mum, attorney for the
street railway company, that the COM
pany will at once proceed with the
construction of the extension of the
Lafayette avenue line by way of Forest
street to Phalen- park, the First Ward
Improvement association last evening
decided to postpone further action for
at least two weeks.
AS announced by Abel Anderson,
president of the association, the con-
ference with Mr.. Mum had but this
one satisfactory feature, Mr.. Ander-
son stating that Mr.. Mum otherwise
occupied himself in peddling hot air"
and adding. ''for which he is paid"
The five members of the committee
that had the conference with Mr.. Mum
agreed that the situation at present is
that the street railway company, rath-
er than face the case that the First
ward association proposed to bring, has
agreed to begin the laying of the tracks
on Forest street, believing that Cor
pOratiOn Attorney Michael will at once
bring injunction proceedings to stop
the work.
This will put the question into the
courts, with the issue of the enforce
tax imposed by the new charter. The
Forest street line was ordered con-
Structed since the adoption of the new
charter, and the members Of the COM
mittee announced that Mr.. Mum stat
ed that he proposes to make the test
on it's construction, holding that the
company cannot come within the pro-
visions of the charter until an entirely
new line is built. This would allow
fbn AVf0n6in0r Of all existing lines
Mr.. Munn's Hot Air.
but we must remember" said H.
H. Blinn, member of the committee,
that Mr. Mum is noted for the hot
air he can give out, and we must ac-
cept his statements with a grain of
salt. But it seems that it would be
policy for the association to wait until
the time that he named has elapsed,
when, if he does not keep his word, the
association will be able to proceed
along the lines laid down heretofore
and bring suit on its own account"
ut deOS seem strange" said G. E.
Hillstrom, another member of the COM
mittee, that Mr.. Mum should have
unbosomed himself to us as he did if
he proposes to carry out the plan that
he announced. 1t would seem that it is
his purpose to make the issue on the
extension that is most demanded at the
time"
Other members Of the committee and
members Of the association spoke on
the question, it being the unanimous
opinion in the end that the association
could give Mr.. Mum the two weeks
asked in which to carry out his part
of the compact. ESPECIALLY as he has
given the corporation attorney this
much time in which to prepare his
case,' said J. H. Korngable, another
member Of the committee.
How Will Company Proceed?
p The question at issue was whether
the association should proceed to at
tempt the enforcement of the street
railway franchise passed in 1893, or
rely upon the ordinance of a year ago.
The latter provides that the cars shall
turn off Greenbrier avenue at Forest
and go to the park, while the 1898
measure makes Earl street the route.
If the understanding Of the First
ward men is correct q most important
case to the city will be the result. The
street railway company chooses the
Forest street route for an obvious rea-
son, and one that is we'll known to the
corporation attorney. The city. council
passed an ordinance requiring the ex-
tension of the line after the adoption
of the city charter imposing a per
cent gross earnings tax. The company,
according to the belief of Mr.. Michael,
the corporation attorney, will contend
that under the conditions of its Origi-
nal franchise it is compelled to build
the line, and that in a broad sense, the
franchise was granted long before the
enactment of the charter imposing the
gross earnings tax. This extension is
the most important ordered by the
council since the passage Of the char
ter