The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-16
Council Authorizes Issuance
 of Voted Municipal Bonds
R TO CHANGE SYSMK.
NEW ROUTE OF STREET CARS DIsA
 CUssED.

East Belt to Re Discoatinued-Curve Madison Avenue Granted
 e. to Traction Company.
 
 The Judiciary and Street Committees placed before the City Council the mat ter of the changing of the High Street switch of the Montgomery Traction Company from its present location to a point between Jackson and Ripley Streets, and also the allowing of the Traction Company to put In curve track connecting the street railways of Madison Avenue and Lawrence Street.
 Then the lively business of the Coun- Gil for the evening started.
 Alderman Thompson was the first so- Ion to take position on the. firing line. He said to grant the petition of the Traction Company would be to bring the city face to face with the possi- bilfty of one street car running to the Capitol. and asked. feelingly. that the matter be re-referred to the commit tee for further investigation. Also that the Committee of Franchises and Priv ileges be called into the consultation of committees. Mir. Thompson spoke Of ammunition, was joined on the scene | of action by Alderman Jones'
 Mir. Jones is one of the Aldermen who does not talk often. but when he does 1ope into the proceedings he has something to say. He said he had been talking over the question with many citizens who were deeply inter- ested in the matter and he saw plain ly the much contended for East Belt line would cease to exist. He also said that there had been suggested to the car, people the possibility of running g the Electric Park cars up Dexter Ave- nue to the Capitol, and putting more cars on the Oak Park and Highland Avenue lines to take charge of the for mer passengers of the East Belt. The whole matter was up In the air for a while, and Mr. Rushton. attorney for the car people, was called upon to throw some light on the subject. Mir .>Rushton said the company was not in . position to promise anything definite. that their plans were more or less tentative. for the company form erly operating cars had lost money. and the new management was trying to figure out a method to~make the street cars pay. He said he would not prom ise anything. but asked for the change of the switch on High Street and the installation of the curve at Madison Avenue and Lawrence Street so the company could try method under ad- visement for giving the people a good schedule and at the same time make money. Four cars. he said, were to be put on the Oak Park line. according to the plans contemplated.
 Mr. Rushton said very definitely that the car people would not continue the present system. where several cars went up and down Dexter avenue in tandem. almost, with no passen- gers Inside, this congestion of rolling stock rnf. nf n financial nature to the company, would be changed. He cited the fact that although many persons rode up to thef capitol, most of them walked back because the way led down hill. The car company's attorney sprung | a surprise when he said the com pany was contemplating the abandon ing of Electric Park for the develop ment of the Pickett Springs line Re stated distinctly that the car people were in no position to make promises, for their present handling of the mat ter was tentative.
 At the conclusion of Mir. Fushton's s talk. Alderman Jones' resuming the floor. cited the fact that the operation of the old East Belt had led many clerks and other persons of limited incomes. to invest in suburban prop erty, becaudse the East Belt enabled them to reach their work In time, but if the belt were permanently dis continued 1t would work on these a great hardship for the change of a few minutes in the schedule might bring these persons to their work per petually late and so sacrifice their po- sitions or put them to great hard ship in maintaining property they could not rent or use.
 He said 1t seemed to him that the car people were catering to the pas sengers Ffrequenting the Country Club. and that the working men whose jobs depended on the East Belt cars, were entitled to more consideration than the pleasure seekers who would take the Oak Belt car, If 1t were sub. stituted for the Belt line, to so to the Country Club.
 Alderman Johnson took up the cud- gels for the car company, and said the same was a home institution. run by home people, who paid taxes to the home interest and they were entitled to as much consideration as anyone else, and that if the cars were being operated at a loss, 1t behooves the city council to do all in Its power to help the car people; that the matter was not one of class against class. but one to enable a home industry to make a living at the least. He said because of the former schedule, the former owners of the car lines had to sell out.
 This bit of light on the subject brought Alderman Thompson to his feet. He had something to say about the service on Dexter Avenue. What he kicked about was the possibility of one car on the main avenue of the city. and that one car carried negro passengers to te negro pleasure park. He cited the fact that in summer this car would be packed with negro pas- sengers and its use to citizens. if 1t were the main car or only one of the Dexter Avenue service. would work hardship on white people.
 Alderman Brassell was also anxious to know something about the Dexter Avenue service to the Capitol and the service to persons living beyond the Capitol He said he wanted to see all done that could be done to help the car company If 1t needed help. but ethat fundamentally his interests werer for the citizens of Ward and the service rendered the Capitol employees
 Alderman Parrish asked hatly wha' was to become of the East Belt. An1 da Affnrnav Rnshtno co{5 xuos