The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-03
FEED WIRES ON MAIN STREET.

FEED WIRES ON MAIN STREET.
It would seem that the Terre Haute
4 Eastern Interurban company is play
tna with the council. It Is the policy
OF every public service corporation to
20 ahead and do it's own sweet will
and then, either by legal escape on a
technicality, or by beguiling those in
authority do exactly as it always in
tended.
In the present case of the feed wires
on Main street the company as repre-
scented by Mr.. John J. Appel has be-
come strangely humble and plead
ing. It AYERS that the wires now on
Main street are perfectly harmless and
that the company will be put to great
Inconvenience to remove the same.
According to Mr. Appel the feed wires
are not high tension because they do
not carry more than go volts. The
company says that this voltage will
AAAAA>
a shock The company further states
that the wires if removed from Main
street will have to be tapped in every
three hundred feet. This they say
will increase the number of poles.
1t is too bad that there has always
been friction between the council and
the interurban company. But at the
same time the interurban company
has not always been perfectly lamb
like, docile thing that it is now. The
feed wires in question we're put up sur
reptitiously in the middle of the night
and some officials prominent in the
government were told that the ar
rangement was merely temporary.
But behold. Not many hours had gone
by when the company through its en-
ployes announced that the feed wires
were up to stay. That is the same COM
pany which is now SO sweetly asking
q small favor from the town.
When it comes to the fine art OF di.
plomacy as she is played there is moth
ing like the T. H. & E. I. Co.
The Palladium believes that if the
wires Of the town are to be kept of
Main street it is unfair to allow the
company's feed wires to stay there
AS to the talk about village, what in
telligent citizen can tell by walking
along the street whether there are
325 or $4,000 volts in the wires? Who
knows when the company may take i
into it's head to put more than 52s
volts into their wires. Who can prov.
that they. do or do not?
No, the wires ought ALI TO be under
uround-especiaiIy in the business
district. This should be done to hell
the reduction of insurance rates
Sooner or later it will have to be done
But as long as the movement ha
been started, the feed wires of tn
company ought to be off Main street
These feed wires should be out o
the business district and conveyed t.
the trolley wires through conduits un
der the ground. That can be don
without disfguring the town witt
poles in every city block.
All the evidence that is introduce,
into this case has been introduced b.
the traction company. 1t comes from
no other source. 1t is not the way t.
conduct affairs to believe everything
that is set forth by an interested CO,
poration without verifying the fact
from other sources.
The question Is not so much no,
much this will cost the company l
is how much the city can be benefite
by the removal of the feed wires
Sooner or later the wires will hav
to be put under ground and the soor
err this is done the sooner Richmon
will reap the benefits. It makes n
difference what other cities let tn
traction company do. 1t is questio
Of what Is best for Richmond.
COUNCILS RESOLUTION.