The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-27
PLEA FOR THE FIFTH
FRANCHISE
Tidewater Company Sets Forth
Its Reasons
OFFERS FREE CAR FARES
Claims Fifth Avenue Is Only Route
Left Open for Them TO Gain
an Entrance to the
City.
Board of Mayor and Aldermen, 'Blrming-

DOdIh VI NAoo VI tsAA4 NAAN0AAAAs%>'
ham, Ala:
Dear Sirs-We beg your attention to the
hollowing facts concerning our appliea-
Mon before your board for FRANCHISE to
| perate the passenger cars of the Tide
water Electric railway on Fifth avenue;
WHY We Ask for Fifth Avenue.
Realizing the opposition TO a ear line
heretofore shown by the property own
ers IN Fifth avenue, we tried to gain ac-
cess y the business section by some other
route, but to no avail. There is absolute
ly no other feasible route through the
city, ard we note with pleasure that the
property owners now wish a ear line.
Every avenue from Eleventh avenue,
north, to'Avenue d, south. is occupied by
tracks protected by monopoly franchises.
We are therefore forced to apply FOR
Fifth avenue give up our project to
build an interurban electric ear line from
Gadsden and from Tuscaloosa TO Biz
mingham.
We never realized before that our city
was so completely bottled up" though
| must confess that financial men in New
York told me twelve months ago that.
according 10 their information. there was
no use in trying to enter Birmingham
with an electric proposition Such rep
utation is hurtful to Il city aspiring to
financial, commercial and Industrial pres
tige.
Another reason, not fundamental but
very desirable, why we apply for Fifth
avenue is that it gives our patrons dt-
rect access to the new union passenger
station without change Of cars or eX-
posture to weather.
Why Grant Us Fifth Avenue?-
1. 1t is the only feasible avenue over
which the city can exercise authority.
?. Fully 30 per cent of the property own
ers on Fifth avenue wish a car line, and
a large majorlty are actively petitoning
for the Tidewater.
3. Fifth avenue will soon be a business
street and Is entitled to transportation fa-
cilities.
If not granted to us now 1t will
naturally be asked for later by the local
street car company. Someone will event
ually get 1t, and why not now under
proper terms and restrictions? The people
interested want a car line. and all the
towns east and west have respectfully
petitioned your honorable body that they
be granted access to the union passenger
station and to the business district Of
Birmingham over our line. The Boards
of Mayor and Aldermen and over 500
prominent citizenes of Bessemer, Ensley,
Pratt City, Avondale, Woodlawn and
East Lake have Joined in the petition
The line passes through those towns and
InelT interests are III COnllllbH Will iiiel
Of Birmingham. The entire district is
vitality and actively interested in our APP
plicatlon before your board
What We Offer.
l. We offer an up-to-date interurban
electric passenger service from Gads-
den and from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham
wharelas. -i.etl, not only gl'v tire SUI
burban towns adequate service but VIII
add nearly one hundred thousand people
,Ia,Ff If ptt4
q We have promised FIVE cent fare
from Ensley and Pratt City to Bir-
mingham.
g. We offer to carry passengers free
in both directions on Fifth avenue from
Thirteenth street to the union passenger
station. This obviates the necessity of
transfers and makes our line on Fifth
avenue the radiating center of the local
street car system without contracts or
agreements.
L. We offer to set the curb stones back
to where they originally were and to
pave the spaces at our expense
5. We propose that in granting the
franchise the city shall reserve the right
to authorize the cars of any and all
other companies over our tracks, using
our wires and power. Such reserva-
ton on this avenue reaching. as 1t does.
the Union passenger station and the
business district forever opens Birmng-
ham and is an invitation to other inter-
urban projects to come They have
only to ask the board of mayor and al
dermen without consulting any existing
company or companies. If Birmingham
is to become the great center of a great
district, she must not submit to a mo-
nopoly.
g. We offer the services of a great
and thoroughly modern electric power
plant ample for cars, motors and COM
mercial lighting.
Local Company Opposes.
Although local directors of the Bir-
mingham, Railway, Light and Power
company say that our line will bring a
development that will benefit their COM
pany, and although the president of
that company claims to favor through
line, yet Mr.. Jernison appeared before
the committee of your honorable board at
its last meeting and claimed that his
company is entitled" to Fifth avenue
IL any one is to have 1t. We have plan
ned a line that does not interfere with
Mr.. tensions lines and We are not ask
ing for anything or any franchise that
his company owns or to which they are
"entitled." There is no reasonable
ground for their opposition and 1t can
only be understood In the light of a sell
fish monopoly This city and the dis
trict is entitled to competition and 1t is
as reasonable for one merchant to OPP
pose the granting of a license to an
other merchant as for the Birmingham
Railway. Light and Power company to
oppose the granting 'of the Fifth ave-
nue. franchise to the Tidewater Devel-
opment company.
Delay Hurts.
Our surveys are finished the line To-