The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-11
MEYER, THE ONLY REPUBLICAN ALDERMAN WHO VOTED AGAINST
 DOUBLE GRAB, TELLS WHY

consider the attitude of the committee named by the civic societies. But ] could not see where these gentlemen amiable and respectable and honest as either the special knowledge or the ex- | perience to make them better judges of what is best for the harbor than the hundreds of yachtsmen. seamen oystermen and others engaged in one form or another of sea faring business T was not surprised when the mem berS of this committee failed to ap- pear to favor the discontinuance of fore the council. I took this to mean that they were no longer certain of the correctness of their former attitude. ''As to the car barn vote. many had proved to me that to permit the rail- road company to cross Stratford ave nue with spur tracks. would be to establish a thoroughly dangerous situa- t1on- They had also shown me that it would greatly inconvenience the other traffic of the city if the com pany was permitted to enter Congress street with spur tracks. The council
 voted g to o. as I remember. to refuse the petition of the company to build these tracks.
 "As far as could see not single factor in the problem had changed when we took our final vote. There fore voted in the second instance as I voted in the first.
 'In the matter of the alleged con sessions Alderman Meyer said: 'I do not quite agree with those who think that Aldermen Bullard and Gould did not obtain concessions. To my way of thinking they did. I differ from them only in believing that the concessions are inadequate for what the city gave.
 "Grooved rails on Main street were conceded. No doubt these will be bet ter than girder rails. but it seems an insignificant advantage for what the city gave in return.
 'sI would not unduly set up my judgment against that of others. but I believe that this question should have been decided by the railroad commits sioners.
 '1f it is true that the railroad com missioners of this state will not let most suitable for thefr own streets it would be we'll to know why Bridge port is not as favorably treated as Hartford and other cities.
 'But is the girder rail as it exists on Fairfield avenue. State street. Strat- ford avenue and every other street in Bridgeport upon whit -"-re are troll tley tracks. so intolerable that it is thought that half dozen blocks of an other kind of rail on Main street are a fair offset to some ten or eleven acres of our harbor and permission to establish death traps at the ends of two congested bridges.
 Whatever others may have believed this I did not believe, and so voted against the spur tracks and against the discontinuance of the City harbor lines"
 Perhaps" concluded Alderman Mey- CT. 'T ought to say something about the claim that the city would have to pay damages. if we kept to the city line.
 "Even if this were so. I think that the gain would be very much greater than the cost. But I do not believe that the city would be obliged to pay damages. It is the opinion of Former City Attorney James A. Marr that the city could lay harbor lines without paying damages. I believe that he is right. Also Attorney Wm. H. Board man. who is counsel for the railroad company. afterward introduced bill at Hartford which has for it's object to place the city where it will have to pay something. I do not believe that such legislation would be introduced and fought through at the-expense of a public scandal without it was thought to be necessary. by its fram- ers to gain the object they intended