The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-10

stand by it's amendment, and expected
to so report to council, whereupon a
petition was speedily circulated be-
fore council met, and was signed by
all the councilmen, asking us to sign
this D. & w. franchise at once, omit
ting the ticket clause.
Object Lesson in Consistency.
The strange and inconsistent thing
about this action was, that the boards
slowness in signing this contract
which took more cars into the Glen,
was given by some councilmen as
their reason for voting that the board
should do everything in it's power to
keep the cars out of the Glen. If it
were desirable that freight cars
should be kept out of there, how could
it be charged to us as a fault that we
had not signed another contract TAX
ing more cars, in there? The expla-
nation is doubtless found in the fact
that by this time work in the Glen
was progressing rapidly, and the pub
lie was beginning to "sit up and take
notice" of a thing that had been
dinned into their ears for IS months
the certainty that the freight line
was going through the park. AS the
work on the park progressed, the peo-
pie began a belated movement to stop
it, A petition came before council
asking relief. This was referred to
the Board with the councils unani-
nous approval. The present council
is nothing If not unanimous. The
members unanimously requested the
Board of Works to do everything in
their power to keep the freight cars
out Of the park; IF you don't, we'll
never hear the last of it," 1t was an
interesting if startling object lesson
on consistency. This action was TAX
en- in the face of the fact, above re-
ferred to, that on July 20. only two
weeks before, the members of council
had sent a written request to the
Board urging them to at once sign the
Dayton & Western contract covering
this same park route, regardless OF
the difference of the ticket clause. At
the same time a petition of shippers,
manufacturers, business men and 9TH
err citizens largely signed, was pre-
| scented to the Board by Secretary
Haas of the Commercial Club, also
| urging the closing of said D. & w.
contract, covering the park route, as
| stated.
Boards Course Was Approved.
Prior to this and between the time
the first interurban franchise was ap-
proved by council in Jan. 1907 and the
| time the amended one was approved
| In June last, the contract and the &C
| ton Of the board thereon was formal
| ly approved in writing by large num-
Der of the leading business men of the
icity-wholesalers, retailers and manu-
facturers. The boards course was
also approved by the Commercial club
in a resolution passed unanimously
in the July following. The matter OF
the route agreed on in both contracts
was known to all these citizens and to
their credit be it said that most of
them are standing by their position
| today.
This knowledge of the route was
common property in this city for
eighteen months. The first franchise
| carried no second choice-the park
route was the only one considered. If
that we're barred by injunction the
contract was void. Every councilman
knew this was the route. Everybody
in the city could have known it and a
majority did know it. The amended
contract provided also for the park
route. Only in case that route was
defeated by injunction could the
Twenty second street line be used
and the suit for Injunction must be a
bona fide suit, without any collision
by the traction company. The quo
warranto case was demurred out of
court. Doubtless the same fate awaits
an Injunction suit. Can any citizen