Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-01-15
ELECTRIC FRANCHISE PASSED
1t Is Now Up To Ths Railroads To
Accept The Terms.
ABuSY SESSION OF THE CITY FATHERS.
II Is Decided That The Companies Must
Have Cars Running On Streets
By July |, 1908.

The first meeting in the New Year
of the City Fathers, which was held
last night in the Council Chamber, was
principally taken up with the consid-
Grafton and the final passage of the
Electric Railway franchise ordinance,
which has been under consideration
for several months.
The Council chamber was crowded
with interested spectators, among them
were representatives of both the local
railroads and their attorneys, who
were the mGst interested spectators.
After the transaction of portion of
the routine business of the Board, the
Mayor announced that the hour for
taking up the Electric Railway Fran
chise ordinance having arrived, other
business of the Board would now be
dispensed with.
The ordinance embraced twenty
sections and covered fifteen pages of
tvpewriting. Upon the taking up
OF the ordinance James w. Owens,
ESQ, asked the privilege to make an
explanation on the measure. The
Mayor objected to anyone INTERPRETING
any suggestions at this iuncture of the
proceedings, inasmuch, he said, as the
ordinance was long one and would
have to be taken up seriatim, section
by section, and would take a long
time to dispose of, besides, the Mayor
said, the whole matter had been well
siftsd in the daily paper and by citi-
zens and officials, and he could see
nothing to be gained by discussing
it at this time, and therefore he must
rule the gentleman out of order.
A1le ~...ov, fT1,ns,,s,con n III xvoc
in favor of postponing the passage of
the ordinance until the next regular
meeting of the Board, and in the
meantime have it published in the
Evening Capital, the official paper Of
the city. This was finally ruled
down. and the Board proceeded to
the consideration of the ordinance,
section by section, during the reading
of which several changes were made.
Alderman Munroe said he was OPP
posed to the present route, and in fact,
he said he was opposed TO any elec-
trie road crowding our narrow streets,
and would vote against the ordinance,
whether ii sealed his political doom
or not. He said he not only expressed
his own sentiments, and had the man
hood to stand up for his convictions,
but he knew il was the wish of the
majority of the business men on Main
street and the property owners and
residents along the proposed route.
on the final passage of the ordi.
nance. Mr.. Munroe was the only
member of the Board that voted
may" 1t was pastel o'clock wher
the final vote was taken. The fol
lowing are some of the features OF
the ordinance:
While the ordinance passed embod
les a route satisfactory to both the
Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis
Electric Railroad Company and the
MARYLAND Electric Railroad Company
and Annapolis Short Line, both OF
which have applied for franchises, i
is not believed that any road vii
accept a franchise owing to other pro
visions contained in the ordinance.
The route laid down by the Council
makes loop through the city, com
| ing down West street, down Colleg'
avenue, to Market Space, TO Maii
street, and thence to West street
other provisions of the ordinance ar
that any company accepting fran
chise shall be required to pay tax 0
35 cents per foot of track; that car
shall be limited to 40 feet in length
| that they shall be run at intervals o
| fifteen minutes, and the speed i
limited to ten miles an hour.
/ In addition, there are other sections
! in which the city throws safeguard