Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-08-23
An interurban rapid transit road

would be a good thing Tor the peo-
pie OF the valley, and would probably
pay the. investors. But an interur-
ban line franchise with city street
car line franchise for each OF the
towns in the valley annexed to It
would be mainly n good thing Tor the
promoter who wanted to speculate IN
franchises.
Although Mr.. Alnutt has expressed
willingness on the part oil the peo-
pie he Is said to represent to be con-
tent with the right OF way for
straight run through one of the
streets of the city for his interurban
road, il looks n little as il somebody
might be intent on thrusting iavors
ON him by insisting that he be given
a franchise covering several streets
OF the city. The Gazette seems cspc-
cialiy solicitous that Main street
should be included in the privileges.
II is to be hoped that the exaggerated
possibilities of possible rapid tran
sit railway. connecting us with the
other towns OF the valley will not
send us of at tangent.
A modern rapid transit line of rail-
way along the Arkansas Valley. par
alclling the Santa Fe, would be
good thing. II would do a'tradc that
the Santa Fc is not particularly ca
tcring To and would get us a measure
of consideration that local small ship
pcrs and local passenger traffic has
not been getting. Then. too. traffic
grows. as has already been said in
these columns. by opportunity for
traffic. The farm products of n COM
munity increase whenever an in
creased facility for getting them to
market is provided. and people travel
oftcner when there are more fire.
luent opportunities for travel. But.
nevertheless. when Mr.. Alnuti paints
his audience glowing pictures OF
crowded street ears. throngcd with
aged and inhrm citizens and delicate
ladies and school children hanging
on to crowded platforms in their
eagcrncSs to get into the down town
districts Of Rocky Ford. and pictures
tho population OF the town throwing
mp their daily avocations for pleas
urc trips to La Jun'a. he either be-
trays simplicity OF judgment on
his own part or he is playing us for
suckers. And VIC do no, suspect Mr..
Alnu,t OF being the unsophisiica,cd
party.
A proposition that only guarantees
to run two cars n day each way over
the proposed road. would in itself
indicate shrewd provision for pos
siblc differences between the ante
and tho post franchise granting
stages OF the enterprise. II is quite
probable tina, inside the city two
trains day would be enough. There
are a considerable number OF towns
IN this country Of two and three and
four times the population of Rocky
Ford that have for years had their
main streets inconvcnienecd with rail
tracks over which just enough cars
are pulled TO hold the franchise in
hope OF better things. As an ad-
june' To an already equipped inter
urban system that did pay II would
he cheap proposition to run two
cars over tho city streets in order to
hold them for what ten, fifteen or
twenty years might bring forth.
Then turning the other side of the
picture and granting. for argumen,
at least. all that the cnthusia site
prognosiicatcrS OF tccming popula-
'ion forcScc. Il becomes equally per
iincn, To enquire IL we arc justified
in handing over the revenues of a
great public utility for a period OF
twenty years without any terms of
modification or qualification no mat
tor what the needs and interests of
the people may conc to be. In view
Of all the trouble OF today that larger
cities arc having to get back some
part OF the control OF their streets
which they have once surrendered by
franchises. We ought to learn the les
son that a city should never for n
moment give up it, street privileges
TO any private interest An annual
rental that would always leave to the
investor OF capital generous inter
est on his investment as a first claim
on the revenues of the project i as
far as any assignment OF street priv
ilcges should so. II should be kent
in mind that whatever increased value
comes TO a street railway privilege is
made by the people OF a community
and not by the railroad company. The
equipment of stree; car line Is ucv-
CT worth a dollar more than IL Is
worth the day il is put in service.
Whatever the people pay for more
than this is the buying Of what al
ready belongs to them. The paving
OF dividends on more than this Is the
paving OF interest on their own de-
post. y community that has no,
learned this lesson out of such corpo-
rate hold-ups as the present Denver
water company fight aud tic Dciroi,
aud Cleveland and Chicago street
railway fights. has not kept its eyes
open.
Hcw much we. the people Of Rocky
Ford want to- share with Mr.. Alnutt
the expense of the project he pro-
poses undertaking by putting the cap
i,al interest VIC have in our city
streets against his capital in equip
mcnt, as an induccmcnt to build his
in,crurhau road. is the question we
have to decide. As matter OF act
ually doing a transportation business
he does NOT need anythinr bu, n