The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-01-12

J vice cOlLlulSSlOn, 10 De sent ID me
| legislature on Monday, are carried out.
! Private ownership OF new underground
/ tubes and the construction. of them
by private capital is regarded by viae
i commissioners as the only meaus by
which the rapid transit problem now
confronting the metropolis may be
| satisfactorily settled. Those phild.r
| thropic persons who are opposed 10
! municipal ownership will find great
! comfort in the decision of the COM
| mission, since it implies the failure
| of the municipal ownership idea.
When the last subway was built. The
I city sold construction bonds to the
Belmont interests and with the money
| obtained built the tube, which was
then leased to the Belmont interests
| for operation. BY this method the
operating company not only obtains
the profits from the operation OF the
subway, but also gets interest on the
money used in its construction. "his
method of municipal ownership is
very satisfactory to the vested inter-
| ests," but it is no longer available.
J Under the constitutional debt limit
! provision, the city cannot sell bonds
at the present time fer any large
amount
Under the Elsburg law an operating
company can obtain a lease for only
twenty years. By extending the term
TO thirty years, the public service com:
mission hopes that the d-fsculty in
the way of the construction OF new
subways may be overcome. The
cha &c in the law that the commits
sioners will recommend win render il
/ possible to give franchises similar 90
that granted to the McAdoo concern
3 fCrs v .n TrrIN
and up Sixth avenue. This franchise
was granted before the passage OF the
Elsburg law, and gives the company
an operating right for twenty-five
years, at the end of which time, if
the city desires, it can take over the
road at its valuation at that time, 70
be determined By aDpraisement
Members of the commission are
confident that the legislature VII act
favOrably upon their suggestions and
are already preparing plans for
new Manhattan subway up Lexington
avenue and for che Fourth avenue sub
way in Brooklyn The construction OF
such lines would considerably relieve
the transportation pressure, but,
whether private or municipal, capital
is used, the public viii probably con
tinue to pay the freight.
Severe on Lovers.
The dread line" we have with us
always, but the lovers line is some
thing new in Gotham. 1t is to be
seen at City Hall, where every day
scores of young couples gather in line.
awaiting their turn at the marriage
license window. Under the new
law which becomes effective on
the first of the year, all ap-
plicants for connubial bliss are re-
quired to appear before tie marriage
license clerk and bare their wnh!e
past lives before being given the
magic piece of paper which win en-
able Clergyman, magistrate or alder
mar to marry them.
Doubtless the law was intended as
an aid to morality, but in its appli-
cation it has been quite the reverse.
The present arrangements for the is
sueing of marriage licenses make it
appear that the city officials consider
matrimony huge joke Many couples
are required to stand in line for hours |
and to serve as the butt of coarse |
Jokes and vulgar filings from the city
hall hangers-On and loafers before be |
ing given chance at the license
window
To become the target of the cheap
witticisms of hoodlums is not a pleas |
ant experience at any time. That re- |
lined and sensitive women, at an hour |
of their lives which they consider the |
most important, should be subjected |
10 such treatment is disgrace to the |
city which boasts OF being the center !
of American culture. It is small won
der that many girls have been over
come by, mysteries and faintness and |
have been forced to leave before their
mission was accomplished.
A marriage license law NAV, be a
very desirable thing. do not deny
it. In it's application in New York
the city officials have shown them !
selves lacking in sense, or, what is
worse, lacking in sentiment
Baby Blue Sunday.
Thanfzs to the new Sunday law or
dinance and the grist of the inlurc-
ton mill, New York viii enjoy tonlor-
row only baby blue" Sunday. The
shows" presented by the theatre
managers of the metropolis are now
either sacred" or educational" so
far as the first day of the week is
concerned Personally, ! have visited
several of them. and have been unable
oimbibe sanctity or learning, bus 4
THIS was probably due to lack of spir-
Itual and intellectual comprehension
=
the rendition of Don't Get Married Il
Any More, Mama" or Mothers a II
Good Old Wash Lady" and one may Il
be able to obtai incentive to leading Il
the higher life from an inspection of
debrutaliZed cancans and clogs. To
do this, l take it, requires spiritual
and in this quality,
fear, many of us are lacking.
As matter of fact, the Sunday per-
formances at the metropolitan thea
res are about as innocuous as before n
he crusade, which is the worst that II
can be said of them The clergymen
who initiated the crusade are jubi-
ant because they have been able to
inject the sacred and educational"
clause into the law governing Sunday
shows" The theatre managers are
exceedingly glad, since they are en-
.hled to reopen their houses and take
he public's money.
Only one Insignificant class has been
rsg.uP rsff an 4 ~ -