The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-07-10
REVIEW or THE SITUATION

Yesterday there was considerable con.
lecture afoot throughout the city as To
just why the county court had turned
down the petition of the Astoria. Seaside
Electric fnteriifban railway people for a
I0foot franchise along the side Of the
Eik Creek road. from Seaside to the
bank of that strdam. The court was not
censured In any way. but its reasons for
denying the grant were not known and
the matter was discussed liberally from
Chat standpoint alone
Some people seemd 10 think Il was
not good policy to discourage an enter.
prise Of that scope and character; that
anything within reason should be grant
ed, hhat might hasten and amplify such
an investment ~ this; that II was prac.
iicaliy on a par with the concession Of
il railway through the streets Of the
~ could he ascertained. predisposed to
city, etc, and the tendency was 20 far
the petltioning Of the company.
A reporter Of the Astorian sought
out W. L. Dudley. the local representa-.
tive of the company. and asked him the
nature Of his plea before the court In
the premise: Mr. Dudley replied. In a
general way, that his people had asked
for a right -of-way along the Elk Creek
road for q distance Of eight miles, the
grant TO be for sixteenfoot strip; that
they agreed TO supply the county with
i'm ample indemnify bond put out by the
best company In the country, in such
sum as the court might determine; that
the company would bind itself to keep,
not only III own territory, but the usage
part Of the county road for that dist
anre, In excellent condition during the
life ot the franchise, and observe all
other such reasonable demands a. the
court might impose; he spoke regretfully
Of the denial Of the petition and hoped
IL might be reconsidered at an early day.
II II but fair, and reasonable. to as.
sumo that the county court was acting
for the best interests of the county in
refusing the privilege, but the correla-
tive doubt. "was III" win intrude It.
self.
Such plea. nor the granting of it.
are innovations in Oregon; other coun.
ties have given such privileges under
proper restrictions. losing nothing there
by; such propositions as railways are
no detriment to county; indeed they
are Of positive value any, and every
where, ii they are but built and oper-
ated, and to accomplish this they must
have such concessions as was prayed for
in this instance.
Transportation cheap transportation,
Il what Astoria and Clatsop county
needs, more than anything else, and 1t
is certainly mexpedient to turn II down
when 1t is halfway to fruition.
The Interurban people have blown no
horns, made no grandstand plays, prom
ised nothing extraordinary. They came
in here quietly, worked constantly and
methodically upon the preliminary lines
necessary, and have now reached q point
where the people, through the proper
office, and officers, may aid them to the
final establishment Of very genuine
and valuable commercial business.
It Is said, and justly, that many timer
ant and questionable concerns are seek
ing public favors throughout the coun-
try, and that excessive caution is essen
tial in dealing with these quasi.puhlic
enterprises; but these people have yet
to show anything of the cheap and tran
STORY sort. The court may, and should,
them a. closely as possible,
and act accordingly, but unless 1t is
confirmed in an adverse opinion Of the
whole enterprise, it should grant such
favors, under guarded terms, as will
expedite the work and secure the prime
advantage inherent in it.
The Astorian, without fear or favor in
the premises, but wholly in the inter-
est Of the community at large, is pre-
disposed to giving wide open oppor-
tunity to every man, or set of men, TO
make good, in any project that has for
its object, the development Of the city
or country or both, and IL cannot, in
Difference to this principle, express any
other hope than that the court will re
consider the matter Of this petition, and
gran it, under carefully considered and
we'll understood premises,
-------------ll-----A-- Alh
Get Swings. = The park commission
has has been presented with three
aat s,1