The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-05-17
ALL WANT UNION STATION
PUBLIC MEETING SHOWS ENTHU.
SlASM ON THIS.
PHILIP AVENUE NOT GIVEN

After u Was Found q Minority Would
object to Closing Philip Avenue for
Creditable Union Station, Madison
Avenue Was offered.
From Tuesdays Dany.l
Philip avenue rose up to block the
progress of the union depot at last
evenings citizens conference on the
depot situation That part OF the
Joint offer of the railroads that car.
ried with II the closing of Philip av.
enue encountered old time opposition
on the part of citizens living near the
street which 1t was proposed to close
A hundred representative citizens
of Norfolk meeting In the city hail
last evening at the call of Mayor Dur
land and President Durham of the
Commercial club, were virtually as
a unit in declaring the benefits that
Norfolk would derive from union Of
the uptown stations. The final action
of the gathering was not, however, to
go on record as Offering to the rail.
roads the closing of Philip avenue as
the desired induccmcnt for the cree
ton of the union depot.
A very large majority of the citi-
zens present stood for the closing of
Philip avenue in exchange for the
union depot. The directors of the
Commercial club stated that Il nearly
unanimous expression In favor of clos
ing the avenue would be necessary to
warrant them in vOicing Noriolk's ia.
; vorablc reply to the railroad com
pany's proposition touching the clos
ing of Philip avenue When ii seemed
to appear that a minority was OPP
/ posed to closing Philip avenue and
, that the original demonstrators were
still of a mind to resist the closing of
: the avenue, the gathering voted to
drop the Philip avenue proposition
r In place a motion prevailed that the
: railroad companies should be offered
l Madison avenue to the north instead
of Philip avenue. A favorable recep
ton to the amended proposition by
2 the railroads was generally doubted
: The meeting in the city hall was
e called to order by President Burnham
. of the Commercial club shortly after
S s o'clock. About a hundred represen
l. tative citizens were present, the ma
jority remaining until the midnight
hour. Mr.. Burnham said that the pur
1 pose of the meeting was to obtain AZ
! expression from Norfolk citizens tina
l might permit the Commercial club tC
meet the railroads on the union depo
question with a definite proposition.
D A. j. Durland, Commercial club com
mitteeman on the union depot, out
lined to the meeting the history o
. the recent union depot conference ant
detailed the results of Saturdays con
ference at Omaha as given i'm his re
D. port in The News. When he concIud
e ed the question went to the meetin!
II in practically this form: Are the cit
liens of Norfolk willing TO give III
Seventh street from Madison to Parl
avenues and Philip avenue from
IS Eighth street to the east line of thu
l. Northwestern right of way for thu
g. grounds and use of a union station Il
4 be located on the Bullock triangle
a 1t was the old question of the CLOSING
l. of Philip avenue, fought during tn
y past year in the courts of Nebraska
e this time with a splendid union depo
lie for Norfolk offered for the closing.
" Mr.. Durland in reply to question
n stated that the cost of the propose
If depot had not been discussed save 70
IS assurances that it would be a cree
n. liable station One official had suG
gested that something like $500
e would likely represent the Northwest
ID ern's contribution towards a unio
s. station. Whatever must be done, Nj
'e Durland said, would have to be don
+. at once. The Northwestern was ana
S ious to go ahead with a new station
Of The Union Pacific was itself probab
d considering new station.
re Union Depot Good Thing.
In what travelling he had done, Nj
Durland said that he had found tina
y the railroad station was apt to be a
s. index to the town. The better tn
N railroad station the better the ide
m that is given of the town. He was nc
h in favor of an inferior station and wa
re convinced that a union station woul
lie be saving both in time and none!
n A union station, Mir. Durland said t
be considered by Norfolk should cos
$4,000 or $4,000.
lie In the discussion that followed M
lie Durland was called on to answer de-
h, tailed questions touching the depC
ID situation. He presented the subjeC
TO with unusual clearness, force and fai
I'd ness. The union depot sentimeI
at among the business men present las
re evening was pronounced, but Phil
avenue closing became a question tha
held up the meeting throughout tn
SIS evening.
lie j. W. Bovee spoke against closin
in Philip avenue. Park, Philip, Madiso
&c and Norfolk avenues were, he sal,
an virtually the only streets leading int
ey Norfolk from the west The Norfol
in and Madison avenue crossings h