Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-12-20
COUNTY ROAD GRAB
The PROMOTERS PROCEED TO
CUT The Melon.
Company Is Incorporated to Swing
the Free for Nothing Franchise.
interests of Public without Safe
guard. Legal Proceedings TO Be
Instituted to Void Franchise.

The hackers of the Eldridge Wheel
er electric road franchise have in
cOrporated under the laws of the
state, with a capital stock of $780,
900, and have elected the following
officers: President, E. o. McGlaufin,
Hoquiam; General Manager, A. l..
Paine, Hoquiam; Secretary, Phil. S.
Locke, Aberdeen; Attorney, w. II.
Abel, MOntesanO; Chief Engineer, J.
M. Clapp, Seattle. The Trustees
are R. F.. Lytle, E. o. McGlaufiin, A.
l.. Paine, P. S. Locke, Neil Cooney,
Eldridge Wheeler and w. H. Abel.
This action is taken by the few
advocates of the blanket county road
franchise to mean the actual and
immediate building of the roads, but
it really means cutting the water
melon The franchise--if it stands
the test of the courts-is q very vaH~
liable piece Of property, granted to
Mr.. Wheeler, and that gentleman is
simply dividing it up among the pro-
jectors of the enterprise. The amount
of capital stock would go a very
short distance in building and equip
ping electric railroads and power
plants, and would not pay the civil
engineering bills for lines running
over all the roads covered by the
franchise.
1t is barely possible that line
may be built between Aberdeen and
Montesano, as the route would pay
from the start. Doubtless, with the
county road to build upon, sufficient
bonds could be marketed to build this
piece of read, but there is not the
slightest danger of the incorporatOrs
putting up any money to build roads
they have been presented with a
valuable property by the county COM
missioners, and the incorporation is
simply Il division of the swag.
But, even supposing this company
really meant business, and had the
necessary financial backing to build
electric railways on every road COW
cred by their franchise, the commits
soners would not lie justified in
their act of granting the public
roads for private enterprise without
safeguarding the interests of the
people in the most rigid manner
This they utterly failed to do The
benefiiciaries of their muniticence-
with other peoples property-can
build or not build; sell, trade or
hold up a legitimate concern for a
bunch of money that might desire to
build roads. No penalty, no forfel-
ture is provided for in this remark
able franchise, although the Monte
sano Vidette innocently claims:
"While it is our belief that the
franchise, under strict interpreta-
ton, contains what is tantamount to
forfeiture clause. as was the in
tent, we know that it is the desire
of all connected herewith that there
should be no question about either
that feature or the fact that they in
tend to act in good faith towards the
public" ,,j
This childlike confidence would
hardly be duplicated by the V1dette
were that paper executing a fifty
year lease to valuable piece OF
property. "Tantamount' would
scarcely go in that event. our eS-
teemed contemporary would want
that lease so drawn that there would
be " no question about its terms;
il would recognize the fact that
fifty years is long time, and that
the lessees might change. In fact'
were any private individual to con-
duct his business on the lines OF
the granting of this franchise MS
family would have no difficulty in
having guardian placed over MIN.
The attention of the county COM
missioners is called to an open let
ter recently published in the Seattle
Times, by A. V. Boullon, superln-
tendent of public works, Seattle. Mr..
Boullon opposed the granting of a
franchise, and was explaining MS
position-a position that might pei
studied by the commissioners OF Che
halls county to the county's adVant-
age-in which he said, in part:
THE presentation of such appli-
cations with the expectation that
they will be granted is slur upon
our intelligence as community, ana
while we need the line of railway,
and under proper control the same
would be benefit, we cannot AFFORD
TO place ourselves and our descend
ants under obligations to the stock
holders of any railway company 1or
all eternity.
I'VE want agreements in when
Wa have a reasonable chance for the
recognition of our rights as a party
to the contract and not such as con-
stitute a whip for greedy operators.
We are able to govern ourselves
without more shacllles or yokes, and
tho avoidance of such errors from
now on will mean more substantial
and safer expansion of our business
activities in the end.
II have said that the arguments
advanced by certain private inter-
1,v. no