The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-10-11
TROLLEY GRANT
FINALLY MADE
Board Of Aldermen Passes Trac-
ton Franchise After Amend
ments Are Made.
CITIZENS ADDRESS MEETING

mentS the board Oh dlueImSu 1tlu"y
evening granted to the Morris County
Traction Co. franchise to build its
trolley line around the park, down
Morris street and across the railroad
tracks to the junction of Morris and
Washington avenues, A large attend
ance Of citizens applauded the action
of the aldermen, which was unanl-
NOUS.
George e. VOORHEES, was spokesman
Of the committee ofcitizens appointed
at a public meeting to wait upon the
board. Mr.. Voorhees, told the alder
men that Morristown needs the troll
lev and was intensely interested in the
matter, having wanted and prayed for
it for years. The people, he said, we're
tired of the delay granting the fran,
chise and wanted the work finished
up. A vote of the people would be
\ 100 to one in favor Of granting iran
chise, said Mr.. VOORHEES,.
WHY, Mr. Thomas and his friends
viii be asking for the trolley to run on
Madison avenue in few years, in
stead of trying to hold it up, /" said MT.
Voorhees,. "1'he automobiles nave
come to stay and the other people,
who have none, should be given a
chance. The people don't want any
compromise in this matter-no haif
way measures. d., L. & W. stands
for delay, linger and wait and that's
what it win be if we have TO walt for
the track elevation. Morristown, 1t
Is said. has gained but 1000 in popula-
tion in the past ten years, why, in the
next ten, with the trolley, we Will
make big gains.
:. You must consider adj the people,
said Frank E. Stultz, a member OF the
towns railroad commission, in address
ing the aldermen, these people on
This committee were invited TO, ap-
pear here at three public meetings
and did not hear single gentleman
on this committee say word in favor
OF this franchise That was the time
to talk. They ignored that invitation
and you arrived at your conclusions
regarding the franchise without their
advice and | consider they are not IN
good taste to come here tonight and
protest. want to protest against
that citizens meeting. Invitations
were sent out only to a chosen few.'
s We did not think it necessary TO
appear before this board at the public
hearings" said Mr.. voorhees, in reply.
we had confidence in this board and
believed that when it was said ! mynth
ago that the franchise would be granl-
ed at this meeting after the Insertion
of the clause requiring the company
to abandon the private right-of-way
back of Hill street when the tracks
were elevated it would be decided TO-
night and we demand that you Keep
your promise and grant this fran
chise."
The next speaker was Ransom II.
Thomas, of the towns railroad com
mission. The most important ques-
tion of the day ne said was that OF
track elevation and told OF its being
brought up in 1904 and that it was
kept in the hands of the board OF al
dermen and allowed to slumber or be
pigeon-holed and said that Mr.. Trues-
dale had told him the town had never
answered the railroad company's prop
osition.
g In 1908 Mayor Bennell asked me
to serve on this railroad commission, T"
said Mr. Thomas, ~ accepted and
have since been earnestlyy at work
with Messrs. Revere, Stults and Mr..
Cory, appointed after Mr.. Revere's
death. | have minutes here OF every
meeting for the past two and one-half
years We made great progress and
were about ready to move when the
Ennis property was purchased by the
Morristown & Erie railroad. This
checked the 1904 plan for one railroad
corporation cannot condemn the prop
ty OF another railroad and the Lacka-
wanna needed the Ennis property.
You must get together with the rail-
road on this matter.
/ have been a citizen of this town
since 1874 and have voted regularly
and am not an undesirable citizen and
don't propose to be considered as one.
We have plodded along with this work
and wanu the people to understand it.
This Elm street loop would be a
death trap. Put that in and you have
postponed the abolition OF the grade
crossing and have added another. We
have now plans in the hands OF COM
petent engineers and draughtsmen and
If you vote for this loop these men will
say the town does not want to abolish
this grade crossing. We are opposed
to this Elm street loop and we could
get just as many people to publicI
meeting as there were at the meeting
that appointed this committee. )"
Mr.. Thomas then presented figures
compiled by Eugene v. Welsh and
Frederick @. Davis of the number Of
pedestrians and vehicles crossing the
tracks at the station together with
other data. The figures for Septem-