The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-15
TROLLEY FIGHT IS
Put UP TO PUBLIC.
Citizens Are Invited to Tell City
Council What to Do
Next


Upon the voice Of the people will de-
pend he settlement of the dispute be-;
tween the city and the street railway
company, the aldermen and the as:
sembly in whose hands the case has
been placed having decided to ask adj:
vice from the citizens before binding
the city to a decision.
Opinions secured yesterday by Th e
G 10 b e varied somewhat, but each Of
the aldermen and assemblymen inter
viewed expressed a desire that the
taxpayers take the question into con-
sideration and furnish them with the
popular desire.
Each of the city officials was willing
to have the public express itssview
and was willing to abide by the ma
jority opinion. The members of both
bodies Of the council realize that the
gross earnings tax in reality is the
bone Of contention, and while some
assert that it should be accepted by
the company, others favor compro-
mise.
Company Should Pay. Tax
1t is pointed out that the company,
IL SOii9ANCi dtlOIl Ol Lie pIlNll6SGS4
enjoys in the city, should make a re-
turn in the shape of gross earnings
tax, and also that the demands of the
council committee which were agreed
to by the street railway company in its
answer presented Friday night, were
no more than the company in the or
dinary course of its business would
have granted had not the controversy
arisen over the acceptance of the city
charter by the company. Assembly
man Lynch took that position and he
was backed by Assemblyman Keller
and Aid. Buschmann and Brennan.
Assemblymen Schiffmann, Powers
and Whitcomb and Aid Bantz and
Moriarty were in favor of plan of
compromise. Assemblyman Schiff-
mann suggested that some plan might
be formulated by which the company's s
increase in earnings might be made
subject to the gross earnings tax pro-
vision of the charter
Those in favor of the compromise
think that the city will lose by not
| making a settlement and securing the
Improvements which the company is at
present unable to make. They say
that the extensions are needed, and
that If plan could be devised by
which the city could agree to a settle
ment under favorable terms it should
be accepted. The views of the mem
bers of the city council follow:
What the City Fathers Favor
Assemblyman Rudolph Schiffmann-
While am in favor of the company
paying a gross earnings tax, there is
some question as to how the provision
of the charter is to be construed The
company has been here for many years
and has established a business which
yields about a million and a half in
earnings a year, and it is natural that
1t does not want to give up 5 per cent
of that. While I do not wish to COM
NIT myself in the matter, it has oc-
CURED to me that it might be possible
for us to effect some sort of compro-
misc. We; might reach an agreement
to have the charter provision apply on
the company's. increased earnings from
year to year. The amount which we
would receive the first year would
probably not be large, but the earnings
OF the company, especially If the ex-
tensions are made, are bound to grow,
and it is easy to see that in few years
the income from that source would be
material. We court the widest discus
sion on the matter, and want the opin-
ions of all the citizens of the city, those
who are interested in its welfare The
public hearing, which will be held on
Feb. 1, should be representative
gathering. Most of the people are too