The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-01-23
TO THE VOTERS OF THE CITY
OF SHREVEPORT.

port Traction Company, and IN view OF
the further fact that we voted against
this so-called resolution, we deem it but
fair to ourselves and to the citizens of
Shreveport that we place before them
the reason for our action.
Il will be remembered that when the
Traction Company first presented its
|proposition,ao the City Council that 1t
demanded an extension of its franchises
in consideration of limited and unsatis-
factory transfers and without any obi
CATION on its part to pay for keeping its
tracks in the streets in repair and with
full reservation of its right to charge
double fare to the Fair grounds. Be
lieving that such proposition was utterly
unfair to the people of the city, who
we considered had been generous with
this company, we thought, as represent
atives of the people that their demand
for an extension of their franchises
should be defeated.
The result OF our opposition in this
direction is well known to the citizens
of the City of Shreveport The Trac-
ton Company being defeated on its
first proposition, later came back with
another proposition which was not en-
tireiy satisfactory, but under which they
agreed to give transfers more literally
and to maintain the pavement of their
tracks and to put in fve-cent fare to
the Fair grounds and return, with some
Improvement in their schedule. This
7gds not the Vof4Htary action of the
Traction Company, but spas the resHlt
of oar gerry sfrenHoHs OPPOSITION to its
proposition.
At recent meeting of the City Coun-
Gil resolution was presented, which
was understood as coming from the
Traction Company, providing for sys-
tenn of transfers, not universal, how
ever, for some better service and as
Stunning the obligation of maintaining
the pavement of their tracks and pro-
viding for a fve-cent fare to the Fair
grounds in consideration of the extern
sion of their franchise so as to make ii
expire on all of the lines in 1854 and
this is the proposition that the people
will be called on to approve or reject at
the election on Tuesday next
In the meantime, however, the City
Council has instructed the Mayor to in
stitute suit against the Traction Com
pany and the Shreveport Suburban
Railway Company to force them to give
transfers under provision In the fran
chise of the Suburban Railway Com
pany which seemed to clearly obhgate
them TO do so, and which in the opinion
of able attorneys did obligate the Trac-
ton Company to give to the citizens a
system of transfers as good or better
than that proposed by the company
This saff suus authorized by large
majority of the Council, and acting
pursuant thereto and ander the GHthor-
Ifty rested IN him. the Mayor had sacH
sait filed.
+ The so-called insurgents, after the
suit was filed, at meeting of the City
Council called for other purposes, when
only nine members were present, by a
vote of FIVE TO four, passed a resolution
directing the city attorney to dismiss
this suit on behalf of the city. The city
attorney, acting in conjunction with the
attorneys for the Traction Company,
pursuant to this resolution, attempted
to have this suit dismissed, but its dis
1sissai 7gas styeaaonsly resisted By the
Mayor, auth the resalt that tie conrt
held the Mayor had right TO prosecute
the smit in his own name for the bene-
fit of the city, and in SO far as he was
concerned that the suit should stand.
In their petition in this case the at
foy1leys for the city stated nothing bit
1ufh1t eaa Be proved BY the record. The
attorneys for the Traction Company
filed ON its behalf in this suit an excep-
ton of no cause of action, under which
was put at issue the right of the city to
recover, conceding the facts alleged to
be true. This exception was argued and
submitted to his honor, Judge Murff.
who, in an able opinion rendered on the
10Th, held that If the facts as stated by
the city acre true, that the Traction
Company quds already under obligation
to gi0e to The city q better system of
transfers than is proposed by the Bo-
denheimer resolution. As before stated,
the facts alleged in the city's suit are
matters of record, and ifs ability to SUBJ
stantiate them IS unquestioned.
In this situation, when the City Coun-
ell met on Wednesday night, we Did not
see why the city should grant to the
Traction Company an extension of its
franchise which, in our opinion, was
worth thousands of dollars, in consider
alton of its granting transfers, when
Under tie Judgment Of the court rem