The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-15
Official of Company Makes
"Unofficiar' Promises, but
the Board Did Not Even
Meet with Him.
BESCHER TELLS OF
LOCAL CONDITIONS
Asks Mr.. Jeffries If He Can
Blame Any People Forced
to Ride in Local Cars for
Bearing Grudge.

G. X. Jeffries, superintendent of the
T. H. I. & E. traction company, is
saying harsh things of Richmond. He
thinks Richmond people are migrate
full for the many blessings" which
have been showered upon this city by
the philanthropic corporation he rep
resents.
Jeffries, alarmed at the action Of
council authorizing steps be taken by
the city legal department to revoke
the franchise of the company to op-
crate cars over the streets of this
city, came here to smooth things
over" But he did not even have an
audience with the board of public
proved failure.
Traction officials have got to do
more than make unofficial promises.
the board announces, and the city will
proceed calmly along in it's efforts to
revoke the franchise of the traction
company.
Probably if the traction company
would assure the city government in
black and white agreement, duly
signed by the officials of the company.
that all causes of complaint within
the borders of the city would be rem
edied, the city might decide to give
the company another chance"
What the Mayor Favors.
But even in such an event such ac-
ton on the part of the city is doubtful.
for Mayor Zimmerman has buntly
stated that he believes the best thing
to do is to take away the franchise
the company now holds. bring that
corporation to its knees and then, ii
it promises to be good, give it another
franchise, iron-clad and guaranteed to
be free from legal loop-holes and CIV
ing the city such authority that it will
have absolute control over the corpor-
alton.
While here Jeffries was taken on q
Seeing Richmond" excursion behind
a speeder owned and driven by Homer
Hammond, president of the board OF
public works. The various places along
the car lines which the city has order
ed repaired and which the company
neglected to do were pointed out to
Mr.. Jeffries and he promised" to re-
pair them He told Hammond that the
line the company was now building.
connecting the West Fifth street
tracks with the National Road tracks,
which latter tracks have not yet been
placed in the center of the National
Road, as the city has ordered, was
only a temporary connection. Ham
mond told Jeffries that this temporary
connection might become permanent
connection and to stop work on 1t un-
til the National Road tracks had been
paced in the middle of the road.
Has Tilt With eescher.
At the city building Jeffries told City
Clerk Bescher that in his opinion the
peope of Richmond were too hard to
pease. He admitted, however, that
there were few people who are all
right"
Bescher then took occasion to get
rid of something that has been resting
ike a weight on his brain for many
moone-he gave his honest opinion of
the alleged street cars that are op-
Grated over the streets of this city.
and concluded his address by asking
Jeffries if he could blame any people
compelled to ride in such collections
of junk for holding grudge against
the company that owned and operated
them. Jeffries replied that the cars
were all Richmond deserved as the
patronage given street cars here did
not warrant placing larger and better
cars on local tracks. Bescher retorted
that maybe If such cars were operated
here patronage would increase. He
said the people here were afraid to ride
on the cars that now run over the var
ious lines. IF you want a shower
bath, get on one OF those cars in a
Storm" Bescher fired point bank at
Jeffries, and the traction magna.e re
tired hurriedly.