Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-20
w LESTER MANCUN ON
FRANCHISE QUESTION
Proposition Agitatcd Before Public.
NIcctings-Otlicr Gatherings
This Week.
lspecial correspondence.l

PROVO, July 2O.-W. Lester Man
gum, prominent in mining circles.
has contributed the following to the
+ Union depot symposium: 81 III
To the citizens of PROVO:
Has is ever occurred to the voters
of this city carefully to compare the
reasons given by opposing sides in the
franchise controversy? If # 1t has
careful thinkers cannot have failed
to notice very plainly that all argu-
&nlents against the grant have in $VeiW
not only the city's present good but
her future welfare also al
The Very selection of Third West
street without Immediate provisions
for the widening OF the same silows
a desire to conform to the railroads
requests and lack of faith in our flu
( ture growth and needs. or else an
utter disregard for the latter. II
our city councilmen would consider,
the needs of the city more and the
wishes Of the railroads and the per-
Esonal ambitions and desires of the
West End leaders less. they would in
8sistAgupon the would be recipients of
the proposed franchise purchasing suf-
sficient9property rights along both sides
of Third West street (granting the
same to the city for street purposes)s
to compensate In a measure for
the improvements made for q number
of years on Academy avenue, which we
are now asked to abandon as our main
entrance to the city AS sure as the
depot site Is changed nowswithout pros
vision being made for the widening,
of the street. it will have TO be done
later at an abnormal cost to tho tax
pa Ners, aside from the necessary inn
proVements on the street itself.
The main reason advanced for the re-
dc
say they will not build where they
now are. Certainly they will not II we
can be induced into giving them adj
ditional property for passenger pur-
poses under leo years franchise,
thereby enabling them to keep the
property now occupied for freight de-
pot and yards for Il like Tieriod free Of
cost. There was q time in orr history
when a franchise covering the ground
now occupied at the foot of the ave-
nue. was passed by the city council with
Just as good a guarantee for just as
good "a depot as Is now offered. only to
receive the veto Of the then mayor, now
a prominent advocate of thesdoctrine,
Lets hava8a depot wherever the rail-
roads want itrather than none at all. "
in fact. tho chief argument of the west
end is now: Let us haven deT,ot+re-
gardles.; of where it Is, and since the
officers of the railroads say that Third
West is the only acceptable place, let
them have Third West" The officers
and engineers of the railroads at the
time above referred to declared in fa-
vor5 of Aacadeny avenue being the most
suitable place in the city. There has
been no reason TO change this opinion
from an engineering roin of view; but
it has now been taken out of that
realm and made8a question of finance,
and our friends from the other end
of town have thrown a new light on
the question. A fee grant with hand-
some bonus such as Is proposed now
would change the opinions of any and
s.ill railroad officers and engineers. To
see how sincere the railroad officials
are in this respect. ask them for q
fair remuneration for the franchise
requested and see how quickly they
would show satisfaction with the
present location TO further show that
the m ejority of the city council was not
considering the best interests of the
city. we have only to refer to u resolu-
ton offered by Councilman Giles requir-
ing the railroads to build n steel VIA
duct over the tracks crossing Academy
avenue as part compensation for re-.
snewal of the franchise then expiring.
His resolution was voted down by
series Of arguments every one of which
locked to the railroads interests rath-s
thor thai. to those of the city
The situation is simply this Provo
has a valuable asset in her fra nchtses
Some of her officers realize this and
are inclined to hold them for fair
remuneration Others, TO CRAFTY a per-
sonal desire for victory IN a factional
fight unpatriotically attempt to sac
5rifice the city interests to subserrel
their selfish ends
With an offer of $4,000 in cash ten.
dered the city council for what is of
fered the arilroacs free. and the dc
ttum of. the law that what they at
tempt to do Is Illegal. the sutbborness,
and selfshness OF the motives behind
the fight are further manifested when
the council disregards the oiies lest