The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-22
AN INDEPENDENT TROLLEY.

The proposal to build a trolley line between the cities of Hartford and while not as old as the hills which encase the Connecticut river. Is old enough to carry convic- tion with 1t on account of It's age In the judgment of the people living in those cities trolley connection will bring increased prosperity to each and materially develop that sec ton of the state on that account the project has many friends
 The key to the situation for the present at least is in the hands of the Connecticut company, one of the corporate divisions of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company. It holds the franchise which is necessary to the building of the road provided 1t completes 1t be- fore next year It has already ex- pended d considerable sum of money In acquiring rights of way and will doubtless, upon the expiration of its franchise rights. ask the general as sembly for q continuance of them on that account. For some time the people of the two cities interested have been in correspondence with President Mellen and have in their possession a letter In which he prom ised to proceed with tho work of con struction as soon as the weather per mits. Since then, and of course on account of the hard times, the dl- rectors of the New Haven company have voted to postpone the work until more suspicious time. It is this action of the directors which has angered the moving spirits of the enterprise in the cities of Hartford and Middlctown, and provoked them to take steps to acquire at the hands of the general assembly the franchise now held by the Connecticut com pany. This involves q protest against behalf of the trolley monopoly and q serious offer on the part of the pro. | testants to begin at once the build. 1 ing of the road. The movement has i back of it such representative eiti ] zens as Mayor Hooker of Hartford and Representative Fem of Weth
 ersheld
 It will be interesting to watch nex l winter the attitude of the general as ] semhly in this connection Preylou 1 legislatures have consented to tn,
 desires of the New Haven railroad
 on the understanding that If woul,
 build the road between Hartford ant
 NiddletoNn This was made satis
 factory to tho people interested h
 tho definite promise of President Mel
 len. In the meantime a period Q
 depression has set in which In th
 judgment of the directors of the rail
 road, does not warrant them in an
 thnrizing the necessary expenditure
 obviously it Is provoking situation
 though the need for trolley connee
 ton between the two populous cen
 ters is keenly felt by their resident,
 Nothing can be done until the legla
 lature assemblies, and then the ques
 ton, 1t would appear, ought to hing
 on the willingness of tho Connection
 company to go ahead with the wor of construction at once and withor
 The theory of the natural monopoI
 principle, which Is in full force in tn
 State of Connecticut Is that Wher the Connecticut company is unwilln to build an additional trolley the rlgr to do so shall be given other Stretched to It's logical conclusion then, an indispositlon on the part
 the Connecticut company to build tn proposed road for any reason Wha ever would mean the concession
 the right to build to responsible pa, - ties willing to do so. The Connect cut company cannot expect to suit i 3 own convenience in q matter of tn l kind Great and necessary as it Is 9 the future welfare of the State. tt well being of the cities of Ilartfor , and Middletown is relatively of eau
 importance
 We certainly do not expect to s'
 the principle of natural monopo
 carried to d point where the monop, g ly itself is to decide when ar } how 1t will proceed with the task l giving localities such additional tran g portation facilities as they desire ar l are willing to pay for, The incomir t general assembly may find a zoe ; reason for extending the franchi! f rights of the Connecticut compan ] but it should only be upon the asce