Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-12
TURNS DOWN The
VOTERS LEAGUE
COUNCIL WILL ADVERTISE
FRANCHISE
Scheme Of Organization to ThwsrI
Purpose Of street Railway Build
srs Is Quickly Foiled by
City Fathers

After respectfully requesting the vo-
ters' league to butt out" the city coun-
ell yesterday afternoon ordered the
city attorney to draw up an ordinance
advertising for sale the franchise for a
street railway. which it is proposed to
construct on Seventh street from the
corner Of Broadway and extending east
through Boyle Heights to the city
limits.
For three or four years Councilman
Kern has made n strong fight to Sc
cure street railway along this street.
Yesterday afternoon when il seemed
that his ambition was in a fair way to
be realized the president and secretary
of the Voters league introduced a reso-
luton asking that the council embody
in this and all future franchises the
following conditions:
Introduce Resolution
First That at any time after elev-
en- years from the granting of the fran
chise the city shall have the right to
purchase the rails, poles and other
equipment in streets and public places
in the same way and on the some terms
as ii could at the expiration of the
franchise, the price to be determined by
arbtrators, nothing to be paid by the
city for good will or the franchise it.
self.
Second. That after eleven years
from the date of the franchise the
owners thereof shall not charge more
than three cents for the fares of adults
between the hours of and O'Clock
a. m, and between and Z O'Clock p.
M, legal holidays excel ted and that
for use between those hours, at least
eighteen tickets shall be sold for so
cents. That transfers shall be granted,
given and honored on said tickets or
reduced fares the same as on full
fares"
is Blow to Scheme
This was a blow to his pet scheme
that Kern had not been looking for and
for minute il took his breath away.
Councilman Smith, however, was quick
to the relief of his colleague.
This proposition is nothing more
than an eleven-year franchise" said
Mr.. Smith. I'VE all know that since
the legislature passed the twenty-one
year franchise law there has not been
a new street railway franchise asked
of this council. How then can we ex-
pect to sell a franchise for eleven
years? Personally 1 believe the twen-
ty-one year law has worked a great
hardship on the poorer classes, for
with a longer. time limit street rail-
way companies might be induced to
build lines further out where the
poorer people could buy cheaper lands
and still be within reasonable riding
distance of their work.
II will consider this city lucky if we
have this line built under a twenty
one year franchise, without any condi-
tions whatever. This road is needed
as badly as any we now have, and l
believe it is one of the best things that
can be done for the city"
Councilman Harmon was the only
member of the body who wanted the
conditions imposed on the franchise,
but by the time he had made his mo-
tion Kern had recovered from the
shock and was ready to explain.
Criticises Voters League
"These same persons who want us to
load this franchise with all sorts of
conditions sat idly by while we were
granting the Eleventh street franchise
and said nothing about conditions,
said Kern, with his eyes flashing fire.
1--WE advertised this same road a few
months ago without conditions and
luSiC NCl z liO 4NON NllSh 6OOu
business men come to us and ask us to
put the franchise up for sale the
Voters league asks us to tack on con-
ditions that will make the selling of the
franchise utterly impossible.
This street railway is going to cost
the people who ask for it at least $75,-
00O but they are willing to go down
into their own pockets and pay this
amount in order to have the line in
operation. This resolution is simply a
knock" Kern was indigant. There
was no doubt about it..
1T would be nothing to the credit
of this council to impose such con-
ditions," said Councilman Smith. I'VE
advertised this franchise for sale for
twenty-one years and there were no
bidders. Should we advertise it for
only eleven years it would be holding
this body up to ridicule."
The Voters league was most effectu.
ally squelched and the franchise will be
advertised without conditions