Arizona republican., 1909-05-23
4 TEMPE STATEMENT
 OF STYLE OF CAMPAIGN
A Suggestion Regarding an Electric Line.

To the Editor of the Republican,
 Sir:-The cry against personalities from the Center street committee is strange, indeed. We do not believe in appeals to sectional jealousy or personal prejudice" but when those things are used continually by the Center street committee, we cannot understand an article signed by them and deploring their use. As far as we are concerned, we are not ap- pealing to sectional jealousy or per- sonal prejudice.
 During the past week, Messrs. Heard, O'Neill, and Ainsworth have been campaigning in the districts west of Phoenix, and their only argu- ment for a bridge at Center street has been an appeal to sectional jeal- Ousy or personal prejudice. Having no argument against the Tempe site they attacked the citizens of Tempe, in an effort to create sectional jealousy.
 The first meeting in this cam paign was held in Mesa, where the Hon. Eugene Brady O'Neill com menced the campaign by making a rabid appeal to sectionalism in an effort to make a fight between Mesa Phoenix and Tempe for a bridge across Salt river, instead of what this campaign has brought out. a fight between the promoters of the Center street bridge and the tax payers of the south side, aided by over fifty per cent of the taxpayers of Phoenix.
 We realize that the Center street committee is making every effort to keep the friends of the Tempe bridge in Phoenix from exercising their rights as taxpayers. The cry of the Center street committee is in keeping with their campaign of misrepre- sentation. Why they should take everything written from Tempe and apply it to their individual selves is not clear.
 The argument that a street car line could not cross the Tempe bridge has been used from time to time. That this bridge is not heavy enough is a question that had better be discussed with the county en- gineer as it is made on estimates and profiles signed by himself, and not as the Center street plans, on which the name of the county engineer is used without his consent or approval. A street car line to Tempe could be built beside the county road or over private right of way without inter fering with the taking over of this road as a territorial highway It is not necessary for the territory to take over the bridge in order to maintain the road and the car line could cross the bridge. This is we'll under stood by the companies that are ask ing for franchises through the town of Tempe so that they may build a modern line in this valley. All mod ern car lines prefer a private right of way between towns. as lines on the public roads are dangerous both to the companies and individuals. A contract can be made with the street car company for the maintenance of the bridge in addition to the amount that they will give towards the original cost
 We want to correct the headline on our article in the Republican yester- day morning MT. Goodwin writes over his own signature and does not write for the committee. We appre- ciate the interest that taxpayers not members of the committee are taking in this campaign, where a small town is making a fight for its very existence against the interests of a corporation, and we make this state ment for the sake of accuracy.
 TEMPE BRIDGE COMMITTEE
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