The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-22
FORNEY JOHNSTON POINTS OUT TIDEWATER BENEFITS
 AND ANSWERS CRITICISMS
Takes Opportunity To Explode Certain Stupid Vicious
 Canards With Reference to the Franchise and the Work

1 that cars shall be operated within one year.
 1t is said that the franchise is grant ed by the city without considera ion That statement is not only false, but stupid. The city acquires trackage for 25 blocks along Fifth avenue worth S200,000 together with the obligation of the company which uses the fran chise to construct, pave and maintain not only the space between the tracks. but the entire roadway over material
 portions of the lines.
 Those seeking to prevent this work
 further overlook the fact that, as ap-
 piled for, this franchise secured to the
 public 5-cent fare to Ensley and
 Pratt City; and that, as granted. if secures 5-cent fare from those points
 to East Lake. That fact should account
 Tor opposition, not from the public
 which Is benefited vastly in excess of
 the amount which would be paid for
 blockage, but from those interested in
 excluding competition of that nature
 It IS stated that the use of the sub
 way would constitute a menace I say that the maintenance of lights bv this line and the sobering effect upon traf-
 nc or being required to exercise req sonable care and the law of the roan through that subway would vastly in- crease It's usefulness. The point is. however. besides the work, this com pany would be subject, as an inter urban line, to the supervision forever. not only or the railroad commission, put also by the express provision of the franchise to the specific regulation or thls city; right also possessed by the city under general laws in so far as the physical condition of the roadway IS involved. It must also submit all plans to the city for approval. The city or Birmingham has, therefore, the right 10 require that cars observe any rate or speed which may be directed that lhey shall pass through one at a time. forward, backward or sidewise; and if the requirement is not observed the franchise is subject to forfeiture.
 ueslre to state that in no franchise granted by the city has the public interest been more carefully and explicitly safe guarded. My recollection is that the own CTS or the greater portion of Fifth ave- hue property petitioned for the franchise when originally granted Are certain property owners along that limited area who imagine that their property will be injured to be gratified in their misinfor- nation or querulousness by throttling an enterprise which will do a millionfold more for the convenience and material welfare of the district than would be realized by the contribution of their en- tire holdings to the public? My good friend, MT. H. U. Sims, is quoted as ob- 1ecting to the passage of freight cars or railroad trains in front of his property If he had read the franchise he would have observed that the utmost financial disaster he can sustain, a catastrophe to be avoided at any cost, will be from the transportation of the good people of Jeff ferson county in electric cars past his lot. There may have been time when Fifth avenue was a residential street Mayer Israel. good citizen and the owner of property on that avenue, has called my attention to the fact that but a small per cent of,the dwellings on the entire avenue are inhabited by the owners. It is now classed and taxed as prospective business property, without the development which | will enable the owners to earn a return on it's value. Messrs. Harris, Hood. En- slen, Downey, Beason, Warner Moughon. ! Black, Bates, Collins, Cox and many