The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-06-16
The Street Car Line
Franchise Again.

FRANCHISE AGAIN.
The Journal is very glad to publish
the communication from its friend,
John E. Stillman, this morning on the
proposed street car line franchise
which the franchise committee has
invited the public to meet and discuss
at the city hall Tuesday night.
In the issue which Mr.. StilIman
makes with The Journal. we are not
ObliviOUs to the delicate humor and
yelled satire which he INDUCES in at
the expense of that nonprogressive
spirit which dominated Pensacola in
years gone by, and when he classes
the Deep Water City in the same
category with FIomatOn and Milton,
as regards railroad advantages and
prospects, he raises a point which we
must confess contains equally as
much of truth as it does of satire
and humor.
| The Journal is inclined 10 agree
with Il great deal of what Mr.. Still
man says We are glad this is pos
| sible, because we think so much of
| John Stillman that We hate to dis
agree with him on anything except
his politics and We have always had
hopes that sooner or later he would
| be able to agree with US on that
But our subject is the proposed street
car franchise.
In getting to the subject, let US re-
peat what The Journal has said more
than once. viz: that we regard the
acquisition of PensacoIa's street car
system by the Stone & Webster syn
dictate DIS the best thing for Pensacola
that has happened in years We wish
to repeat and emphasize that state
ment now
This fact, however, does not mean
that The Journal is in favor of grant
ing every request that the Stone <
Webster people make of the city. and
ii would be foolish to suppose that
Stone e Webster expect to get every
thing that they ask for Mr. Stillman
himself agrees with The Journal that
a time limit of 1920 p. M. for run
ming the street cars would be bad
thing for the city to grant. Therefore
if the city council should think the
same thing, that much at least will
have been gained by d discussion of /
this subject
In addition TO this, The Journal /
makes the following definite points |
regarding the proposed franchise.
The street car company should not |
be granted the middle OF Garden /
street. That portion of the street |
should be kept and maintained as a !
parkway. Or
If the company is granted a right /
of way through this park. then the
company should be compelled to keep
and maintain the park under the di-
rection of the city itself. The rea-
son for this ought to be plain. With
the car lines through the center Of
the parkway, the public cannot use
it--no one but the street car company
can use it, Therefore the company.
having exclusive use of that part of
the street, should, if it is allowed to
go there, be also compelled to main
tain this as neutral ground, Just as
the city would maintain it for park
purposes if the citizens had exclusive
use of it.
Under the proposed franchise the
agrees, in return for being
allowed to use this central parkway.
20 pay for so much paving, between
PalafOX and Spring streets-two
blccks-as it would be compelled to ;
pay for If its tracks were in the paved
portion of the street. But why stop
with two blocks? Obviously one of I
the reasons why the company would I
prefer the parkway to the roadway
itself Is to escape paying for its pro
portion of the paving when Garden ]
street Is paved to the limits as If {
will be before the street paving in the
city is finished.
The Journal yesterday referred 10 =,
the construction and maintenance by Z
The company OF a covered drain where
The present open ditch now is. as one
Of the possible considerations which ;
the city might secure in return for
granting this right of way. but we
ind upon later investigation hat this :
drain Is already provided for in the !
present sewerage contract so that
hat feature of the case is eliminated. q
We already have, in Palafox street, '
IN example of how beautiful park
way, or what could be made one. can
De spoiled and rendered absolutely IN -
1t for park uses of any kind, by run l
hing the street car lines through it
II the car lines were divided. one :
IN one side and one on the other side
IF the Palafox street park between
Garden and Wright streets, that park
could be made into one of the most
1eaurifnl IanhScana cardnnr u,hinh !