The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-18
FOR SEPARATE CARS
MAYOR IN A QUANDARY ABOUT
 NEW ORDNANCE.
Asks City Attorney for Opinion as tO BeEinning it's Enf0rcement-Trac- tion Company Will Not
 Contest Law.

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 | Mayor Teague Is in a quandary. He does not know when to start enforcing the ordinance passed by the City Coun- Icil, over his veto. Monday night. re- Quiring separate street cars for whites | and negroes The ordinance does not state the time 1t shall be in effect. and. according to ordinary rules. it would. therefore, be effective Immediately after its publication.
 But 1t is a physical impossibility for the Montgomery Traction Company to double its equipment. as required by the Iordinance, without notice. If the conn pany Is now operating sixty cars. part of each being required for whites and | part for blacks, 1t will be necessary for an equal number of cars to be tn- stalled on its lines, if separate cars are | to be provided for the two races. unless the service Is to be impaired. There Is, of course. nothing in the ordinance as passed which would pre- vent the Traction Company from run ming its cars exactly as thsy are now,. labelling every alternate car for whites" or for blacks as the case might require. This would. in effect. result in cutting the number of cars for white passengers exactly in half. and a great deal of dissatisfaction would follow, which would not be pleasing either to the company or to the city officials charged with the enforcement of the ordinance.
 In order to relieve himself. If possi- bIe of the difficulty in enforcing the ordinance at the present time. Mayor Teague yesterday wrote letter to City Attorney c. P. Mcintyre asking for an opinion as to the time the ordinance goes into effect, and as to what time. If any. Nshould be given the Traction Company to make arrangements. in the matter of equipment, for carrying out the provisions of the ordinance.
 In this letter, the Mayor takes occa- sion to state that while he disapproved of some features of the ordinance. as Chief Executive of the city he will use every means in his power to enforce its provisions.
 This letter from the Mayor to the City Attorney is. in full, as follows:
 Montgomery, Ala, October IT. Hon. c. P. Mcintyre. City Attorney.
 Montgomery. Alabama.
 'Dear<Sir-The ordinance passed by the City Council last Monday night, providing separate accommodations i'll the street cars for the white and col ored races. Is now law, and while l did not approve of some of the features of this measure, as executive of this city. shall employ every means to enforce its observanc as strictly as If 1t had met with my approval "The situation presents some novcf conditions, and would like to receive an official opinion from you relativ' thereto. You will recall that the ordt- nance requires the operation or sepa- rate cars for the two races, and makes 1t obligatory upon tho Montgomery Traction Company to equip all cars In service with sign boards plainly indi- eating whether they are reserved TOT whites or negroes. It is. of course oh vious that these preparations cannot be made In a day. yet the ordinance fails to state when the law shall become effective, which results in it's becoming operative, I should judge, at once
 If the law recognizes any reasonable delay, wish you would advise me some time today what time should be allowed the Traction Company in which to prt pare to comply with the terms Of tho ordinance referred to.
 Yours very truly,
 w. M. Teague.
 Mayor"
 No repap had been received by tho