Arizona republican., 1910-04-29
TENTATIVE !. FRANCHISE Council Took Action On
 Buckeye R. B. Matter RESOLUTION NOT ORDINANCE
But Holds Situation Intact Until Railroad Interests Can Settle With Property Owners on Buchanan Street.

1 The city council last night passed a 1 resolution granting the Phoenix &
 Buckeye railroad license to cross and l enter upon the streets named in the | franchise ordinance that is now before
 the council. on condition that it's rail ! road be completed and in operation to Buckeye within six months, the reso | lution implying that the license is re- | vocable in the event the company does not make just and equitable settle ment with the residents of Buchanan | street who have been opposing the franchise: and also implying that when the company shows that it has made
 such settlement. it will grant the rail
 road d franchise by the passing of the pending franchise ordinance This ac- ton was taken as a step toward the settlement of the controversy, and af- ter the railroad had deposited 5000
 in the Valley Bank as an earnest of it's good faith in making proper settle | nent with the property owners.
 Before further proceedings of the council are recited it Is necessary to
 introduce another factor in the con- troversy. Col. Epes Randolph, president
 of the Randolph lines of the South crn Pacific. Though 1t has been quite publicly known for sometimes that the Buckeye railroad had become 1 Southern Pacific project, or would be if i. became fact. until yesterday there
 had been no official announcement of
 the status of affairs. MT. Landis gen
 eral manager of the Buckeye road an
 nounced yesterday that the company
 had agreed to turn its assets tright of
 way and bonuses) over to the Arizona
 Eastern. (Southern Pacific) on con
 dition that the latter would construct
 the line. This became it's only pos
 sble chance of construction after fail
 ure to meet the proposition of the Ray
 mond Co on the terms named. It was
 then case of turn over or drop the
 project That condition made Col. Ran
 dolph the chief factor in what is to be done now if anything. A statement to
 that effect is made elsewhere in this
 issue
 Reverting to the council proceedings.
 all members were present. The re-
 corder read d resolution prepared by
 the city attorney, which is in
 substance a copy of the ordinance now
 before the council granting franchise
 to the Phoenix & Buckeye railroad. except that it is a resolution and not an ordinance the term of which is six months and being resolution it can be revoked: and with the further difference that it makes such revo- cation possible when it appears. to the council that the company has Tot made
 g..s- fl,A .x.rfx owners in question.
 Mir Hackett moved the resolution be referred to the committee of the whole. There was no second and Mir. Stauffer moved that the resolution pass, MT. Campbell seconded the motion. i
 The mayor called Mir. Cisney to the chair and addressed the council. He recited that the railroad company on Wednesday night announced that 1t had s3.0O0 with which to settle with | the citizens on Buchanan street who wanted twice that much: that he had appointed a committee of citizens to I raise the other half by subscriptions: that the committee had reported that i it had been able to secure only a | small amount: that C. M scott rep | resenting Col. Randolph who had be- come the chief factor in the railroad 1 had taken the 5000 on hand and de posited it in the Valley Bank late yes- terday afternoon. with copy Of telegram from Mir. Randolph directing the deposit of the money pending a l settlement with the property owners | through board of arbitration to be | appointed by the council ,and on the | report of which no money would be ! paid until the property owners had agreed to claim no further damage. ! These conditions the council did not care to meet believing the money should be paid out as fast as settle ment could be made. The council called up Mir Randolph by telephone last night and got him to agree to leave the $3.000 on deposit with no strings | on it. and to send Engineer Long of Tucson here today to call on each owner with a view of arriving l at a damage settlement. the council passing the resolution above mentioned | as an earnest of it's desire to permit a franchise on proper terms: and with the provision that if the terms cannot be agreed upon, then the council may revoke the resolution and the railroad | project will be off prbably for some years if not forever.
 That brought the resolution before the house. together with the story of cussion an hour or two was spent in oratory, Attorney Hayes appearing first