The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-16
FLETCHER SEES IRON HAND IN VELVET GLOVE Railroad Confident of Influence With
 State Authorities. Purchase of M'Elroy Property Best Solu.
 tion of Problem. Ballard Won!dn't HavHAldermen Thought 'Easy Marks" s"-Report of Committee on Car Barn Entrance Laid on Table For Two Weeks.

Chairman Benjamin Fletcher, of the special committee entrance to car barns. jolted the railroads attitude on
 the car barn proposition when the committee submitted it's report. Alder
 man Bullard said he did not want to
 see the aldermen put down as easy
 marks.
 The report of the committee was laid on the table until the next meet
 ing of the council. The report of the
 committee was supplemented with a blue print map showing both ways of
 getting into the proposed barn. one through Water street, north of God cr Hill street: the other from Water street. beneath the elevated platform of the railroad station.
 Chairman Fletcher said. in part, in support of the report: "I believe should tell why we are presenting this
 report in the form that we have. We are here to represent the people of the city of Bridgeport. I believe the right any corporation within the community and I think the rights of the city in this case equal those of the railroad.
 ''This problem which your committee easily solved if the railroad had simply followed the plan suggested by the mayor. All the company had to do was to purchase the McElroy build ng q it's cars to and from it's barn over its own property for all time to come. But from the start the company has been determined to enforce It's own plans. the matter. They wanted to cross the sidewalk in Stratford avenue at a point where thousands of pedestrians passed daily and where there are hundreds of vehicles passing every day. Then again at Congress street they wanted another entrance where an actual count tells us there is a foot traffic of over 10000 people each day. From the blame them for wanting to carry out their own plans which have the ad vantage of being the cheapest as well as the straightest ways of getting into the proposed barns. But the public is not considered in the matter at all
 1.-The company'S plans are cheap be- cause there is no change of grade to be made. no buildings to be removed, and no bridges to be built in overhead trestle work. When they found they could not have their own way they appealed to the railroad commission and the commission held a hearing at which the protests against the plans of the company were so great that the commission stated it did not want to hear any more evidence in the case. am not a prophet. or the son of prophet. but I think that the company will take another appeal from the re- port of this committee. The railroad denied the ownership of a plot of land we owned and later acknowledged they were wrong: It is the only case on record, believe. of such an acknowl- edgment.
 ''This committee has had six meet ings. one public hearing. and has made two visits to the proposed site of the barns. At one of these hearings Judge Beers appeared for McElroy Bros. Vice President Townley of the Connecticut Go. and Supt. Chapman also appeared The only concession we could get from them was that two entrances were better than one. I believe that could see the iron hand beneath the velvet glove. I am a BridgeDorter by adop- ton and believe we should all stand together for the best interests of the city"
 Alderman Primrose stated that the plan showed the scheme was going to work to a disadvantage to McElroy Bros. and cause that firm great hard through Water street in front of the firms building where it was obliged to load it's wagons. The street at this point he said was only 28 feet wide and there would not be room for the railroad company and McElroy Bros. to do business in the same street.
 Alderman Bullard stated that a gen tIeman who was interested both in the Consolidated railroad and the trolley companyS had told him that the on'y feasible way for the company to enter the barns it proposed to build was to purchase the McElroy building. He said he did not want to be understood as being antagonistic to the railroad. and at the same time he did not want the board of aldermen to be put down as ''easy marks"
 man O'Neill seconded the motion to have the report lie the table until the next meeting. The motion was unanimously carried.