The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-04-12
old Council Winds Up Its
Career Saturday.
- Z tfffH 'NT ! Ttt'.rsE -
HAD A STORMY SESSION, TOO
Electric Railway Deal Was Given
Airing; Nothing Was Accomplished
By Aldermen.

| As"u"Us DSoi as UlNSH
| Airing; Nothing Was Accomplished !
By Aldermen.
From Mondays Daily
At the request of City Attorney
Daley, Mayor Taylor called a special
meeting of the council for two O'Clock
Saturday afternoon, and every alderman
was present. Il @@s T
Mr.. Daley stated that he had started
that morning with Court Reporter
Davies, but after proceeding part ways
he had found that lie would Have to
draft an entirely new ordinance, and it
was not at all likely that the street
railway promoters would accept it. He
Thought that the provision for the use
of the alleys should be revised as it is
too broad, and also the one allowing
fpoles to be put i'll the sidewalks. The
Duluth franchise has no provision for
the use of alleys, The board Of public
works should have some control over the
excavations for the heating pipes. The
company Should be required to comply
with the changes in street grades. He
| did not at all ike section II, which
makes the bond contingent upon the
| making of $4,000 collectabe subscrip-
tions. There should be something to
provide for police regulation. The last
Section looks like an exclusive fran.
chise. = ga.
Cannot BE Exclusive. .s@
Mr.. Hixon asked whether the state
law did not forbid exclusive franchises,
and Mr.. Daley said that this was SO,
but that the franchise would leave an
opening for a law suit.
Mr.. Daley said that there should be
,, "a provision for the district court to de-
ttei1nine What would be IA fair eompen-
sation for The use of tile city conipany's
tracks by interurban companies. There
should also be something that would re-
Equirc the company to operate it's cars
regularly.
Mr. Hixon said that something could
be put in to this effect.
Mr. Bailey said that sections IL and
lbs are too loosely drawn to be accept
ublc. y s
Wa. Funk Picks Flaws. @t Il
f. W. "A. Funk appeared and said that
there were several feat lures of the fran.
tchise that he did not like. The prin-
cipal repairing Of the pavement would
have TO be made just next to the rails
IsWhy the city Should pay for this he did
mot know A bond based on the getting
of collettable subscriptions would Be mo
Ebond at all. WHY There should he sany
Edifferance made between fhe Maiikato
subscriptions and the Chicago subscrip-
ftions he could not see. 'Thcy practically
say, ':1'liis bond will be no good unless
Eve get the money" They say that The
getting OF the eastern money is depend
ent upon the getting of $50,00O Of Man
fkato money Mr.. Funk said that lie was
not kicker, but when street railway
Fine comes into the city he did not want
to see the rights Of the city go out.
Another weak point is that relating to
| connecting up with interurban Hines!
| The rights of the city Should be pre-
served. The city should not delegate to
one company the right to dictate the
terms upon which interurban lines could
fenter the city, Cities often reserve the
right to fix the rates And conditions
upon which interurban lines can come
into them. Otherwise there may be lit-
iyation required, which interurban lines
would not care to get into i'll order to-
get into the city.
A council is very unwise to grant a
franchise without having something to
say where the lines should run. The
system should be put in to accohlmo1
date the people. Otherwise, the com !
pany can 60 to certain suburbs where
there are few people but Zig donations
made, While leaving other thickly set
tied suburbs out. We are talking NOW
not for today, or next week, but for
wears to come. Let the company desig-
nate with all reason the streets that
| it will use, leaving the public rights on
other streets, so that the city can have
streets reserved where iliterurban lines
T can be let in and through tile city. The
council should be careful. The city at
toriey has been SO tied up the last few
weeks, that he could not give the ma :
ter the time that it should have had'
Irie council and mayor have made an
excellent record, and he would think It.
| n misfortune as its last act TO grant a
franchise without having sdigested it
well enough and failing TO protect the
rights of the people. Five miles OF
track could be put down that would not
accommodate 1one-teilth of tile people,
and still.,it could be used to the profit
of the promoters. ~ Y. 70 - il
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