The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-04-06
Council win Not Be Hasty.
CONTINUED from Page u

next meeting DetOfS tdklDS dctlOH Oh
L.
Alderman Dworman then made a
statement to the effect that the reas-
on the committee took so much time
was that none of the members were
familiar with franchises of this ma
ture and they deemed it best to inyes-
tigate the matter fully before making
report.
The committee in charge of the
matter of granting the St. L., B. &
NJ. Ry. company franchise to widen
the tracks of the old Brownsville ana
Gulf railroad on Twelfth street to a
standard gauge, which Alderman
Dwerman was chairman stated that,
while the committee had drafted a
franchise such as they considered
would be satisfactory to the citizens.
and at the same time to protect the
interests Of the property holders, still
they felt that they had not had suffi-
cient time to fully investigate the
matter and would therefore ask for
an extension of time before making
a report Mayor Combe replied that
he had talked the matter over with
the representative of the railroad
company and that they We're willing
TO have an extension granted. provid-
ed the committee would report within
thirty days.
On motion of Alderman Browne
the request of the committee for an
extension of 80 days before reporting
on this franchise was granted. A
petition from the property owners of
the city, praying the council TO re-
fuse the railroad company permission
to widen the track on Twelfth street
was read and referred to the commit
tee on the franchise.
Alderman Crixell wanted to know
whether a franchise granted to the
railroad company for any stipulated
purpose, could be used for any other
purpose than that stipulated. City
Attorney Kibbe stated that they could
not.
Alderman Celaya stated that, if
the company were restricted to the
use of the road only for passenger
traffic. he would favor granting the
franchise but otherwise he would op-
pose it.
Mayor Combe stated that he had
talked to greae many lawyers about
the matter and all of them had stat
ed that the road could not run steam
engines if they accepted the franchise
as drawn up by the committee.
Attorney Kibbe stated that, if the
clause read that they were to carry
absolutely no freight, it would pro-
hibit the road from carrying even so
much as a lunch basket.
Alderman Dworman favored limit
ing them to only one car of freight.
Alderman Celaya stated that the
only freight that would be hauled
would be oysters and fish
Alderman Crixell was in favor of
limiting the number of trains per day
that they should be allowed to run.
Mayor Combe stated that the COM
pany would be bound by such ordin-
ances that were now in force or that
might be enacted in the future.
Attorney Kibbe stated that, in ac-
eepting the franchise as drawn by
the committee, the company would
relinquish absolutely any right that
they might have to the old franchise
of the Rio Grande railway company,
and that by coming before the city
council and making an application
for a franchise that they had practi-
cally admitted that they did not have
any franchise at all and that, if the
franchise were granted, the council
could regulate the time at which
the cars should be run As to the
Catholic church he said that by run
ming these cars, it might be the
means of bringing many people to
services here from Isabel. Matamoros
and other points, but that. if the
church wished, the car service could
be so regulated that they would not be
run during services; that he thought
the whole opposition to this franchise
was .Much ado about nothing and
that by granting this franchise the
city would gain a good street. that it
would be graveled and that the rails
would be on level of the street thus
making it a better street than it now
is. The city attorney also stated that
If the company cared 10 do so. it |
could condemn the whole of every
block on either side of the street for /
a right of way.
Alderman Browne reminded the
council that as summer is at hand, it .
was time to make provision for q
sanitary inspector Mayor Combe /
stated that some OF the alleys were in
a very bad condition; that Browns |
vile had lost the garb of a ranch /
town and was beginning to blossom
into city, that the present scavenger F.,
force was insufficient for the work |
and. further. that it viii be impos-
sible without a sanitary inspector
to accomplish the desired results. The |
mayor also thought the sanitary in
spector should be a man who speaks |
English. Alderman Putegnat here |
remarked that he thought it had been |
decided some time ago |
that the cleaning up of the city would |
be let by contract Alderman Browne |
stated that there had never been any
bids received.