The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-09-09
The Cut.

trouble over this VeXlng matter Out Ah is not many years since we were boast ing to the world as one of the advan- tages of our city that we had cut and by this we avoided the nuisance 1, of grade crossings of the railroad, so objectionable in other cities, and had | the advantages of a central location for | passenger and freight service. The | trouble now is we wish to have all the | advantages of city growth, and an im- | portant railroad center, without some | small disadvantages, which inevitably i come from these changed conditions. 1 The difficulties here are small compared l with what most cities have encountered in getting rid of grade crossings, and if the plan first proposed by the railroad had been carried out we would, on the whole, have bean much better off than in other places, where the only way was to have elevated tracks and depots, which usually are not thing of beau- ty and joy forever Still, if there is some better way than the one first pro- posed let us have it. Apparently there is no other way to have easy grades from State street, except to close Un- ion street, as now planned, and is it just on the part of the city, under the conditions existing, to refuse this, un- less the railroad company opens an- other street In room of this, which can- not be done, except at great expense. and be of little benefit to any one? The proposed extension of Crown street would be of no advantage without Un- ion street, unless it extended to Olive, and then this part of 1t would not be used enough to warrant the large out lay. When the whole of the property on Union street is appropriated for rail- road purposes so there is no call lo- cally for a street there, the business of the city will suffer but little without this street Nearly all of the heavy trucking, both ways, originates some distance east or west from the railroad, especially coal and freights from the water fronts, and the factories mostly all that way, and when the changes are made the most advantageous routes will be selected, and every one wonder that they were so much scared, when they were to be so little hurt. Let us be thankful that, so far as passenger service is concerned, we have such de- l siraible location for depot, without all the evils of an elevated structure, like Bridgeport, Hartford, Springfield and | other places, with elevated structures, which are very inconvenient, and pro- yoke much unfavorable comment.
 The writer fully appreciates all the ! Iff1 1rybIa | conflicting interests of city and rail- read, even if each party wishes to not | only be just but generous, but if 1t is | to be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned it will need different spirit, | and much wiser business judgment than has been shown in most cases (un- l til recently both on the part of the city and the railroad company for the last thirty years. At first, if the com pany was not the original agressor. it's conduct was not of a conciliatory na- ture. When complaints were made, which, in, many cases, should have bsen 1 needed, there was too much of what are you going to do about it?" Then came the fight for a parallel road to New York, and the many years of strife over the matter If it had been built it would have been one of the worst
 things for New Haven that could have occurred; two roads where only one was needed, both competing for the i5usi- ness, and neither making any money, and neither, for want of sufficient patronage, able to render good service
 This might for awhile have produced lower rates for freight and passengers, but would have been costly in the end. Some cities like to have plenty of bank rupt railroads on their hands, but they usually turn out to be an expensive nui- sance. It is here as in all cities of much size, with their growth and develop ment, the relations between the city and railroads become very intimate and mutual, each asking and receiving benefits from the other. Whatever sins should be imputed to our road in the past, there has been too much of dis position on the part of the city govern
 ment to assume that no good could
 come from such a source (although il
 might be of great advantage to the
 city) and should be opposed or ham.
 pered with onerous and unjust condi.
 tions. Many years ago the company Of
 fered to give the city considerable
 tract of land opposite the depot anG
 between Meadow and Columbus streets Tiff relieved from the sewer assessments
 but no, our wise city fathers were moi
 to be taken in in that way. If thu
 offer had been accepted, quite likely
 by this time it could have brough
 $1O0,00O. Again, when the Derby roat
 was in the market, the city preferred
 to sell to the bankrupt Housatonie com
 pany, rather than to take $100,000 mor'
 from responsible parties. Much more
 could be said of smaller matters, fo
 the whole history of the last thirt! years, of the dealings of the city au | thoritfes has in most instances been {
 succession of b1unders, in which tn
 city has come out second best.
 The writer has great confidence il
 the committee who are striving to finl a just solution to this difficult matter
 and that they will consider it withou
 prejudice from a business standpoint
 and be ready to be even generous, S
 far as the city can consistently. Tn
 disposition so far shown by the pres \ dent of the road to cultivate on a.
 lines pleasant relations with the cit
 augurs well for the future, and shout