The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-06-09
To End National Road Fight
a Compromise Offered,
Which Virtually Meets De-
mands of Company.
TO ASK CRONIN TO
FORFEIT CONTRACT
And County, Not Traction
Company. Willing to Pay
for Work Done and to Give
Him New Contract.

Him New Contract.
The cats back was virtually broken.
in respect to the trouble between
the Wayne county commissioners
and the Terre Haute. Indianapolis and
Eastern Traction company. over tho
location OF the company's tracks on
the National road, from the corpora.
ton limit to the Wayne-Center town
ship line, when Thursday afternoon
commissioners Beeson, LiRderman and
tarlow agreed upon terms OF q very
attractive nature which the board will
offer Saturday to the company. In an
effort to effect compromise settle
ment.
The offer OF the commissioners, 40
outlined by their attorneys. consists
Of complete surrender OF the princi.
pies the board has stood for II IL
proposed that the contract with ].
Frank Cronin, for the construction OF
the Improvement. be modified to call
for forty foot instead OF forty-six
foot highway. and that the company
be allowed to SO place Its tracks that
the tie ends will join with the south
curb line. The construction Of the
road proper is to be OF macadam. but
| the company. by the compromise Of
fer. will be permitted to conform with
| its franchise with the county by con-
structing the roadway between its
tracks with gravel.
What the Company Wanted.
This. SO far as affects the pub
lie utility OF the Improvement,
| is virtually what the company had
asked for in one OF the propositions
considered some time before the coun.
Ity commissioners flopped backwards.
However. this feature of the offer II
but the cake. The icing is spread on
i to the tune of about $1,000. AZ the
commissioners stand ready. unless
they change their minds again. to give
the company the benefit OF the work.
consisting Of grading. fills and bridge
extensions, which Cronin has done un-
der his contract.
That the railway corporation will
accept the cake, not overlooking the
icing, the commissioners have little
doubt. BY such an arrangement the
company would be at little expense In
moving It's tracks from their present
| location on the highway. Under the
existing specifications and contract for
the Improvement, the company ID or.
dered to get off the proposed forty-six
foot Improvement, compliance with
which order the officials say would
mean the company would be put to m
texpense OF no less than $40, 900. But
the board of commissioners figures
that 1t would cost the company only
about $4,000.
| County to Foot Dill.
! II the railway officials will agree TO
the new proposition, the contractor
will be reimbursed by the county for
j the work he has done under his pre-
/ sent contract, which he estimated in
round numbers on Thursday to bs
something between 4 thousand and
fifteen hundred dollars.
! After deciding to make this propo-
sition, the sentiment Of the board was
voiced by one OF the members who
said: If they do not accept this pro-
position. then we will really fight.
The action OF the board does not
inject entirely with the approval Of the
attorneys representing the county. A
few weeks ago when the commission
ers and the company could agree on
no compromise. the county decided TO
compel compliance with its orders by
process of litigation and employed ex-
lpensive legal talent, attorneys T. J.
Study and H. L. Johnson, to assist
County Attorney J. r. Robbins. Tho
1 attorneys filed mandamus. action
against the company. This suit 10
still pending without any OF the issues
made up. Attorneys Study and John
son advised the compromise, but at
torney Robbins told the board that.
though at first he was not anxious to
fenter into litigation with the company,
he was now In favor Of pressing the
suit. and determining the right Of the
1 board to force the company off the
highway. OF course there is no GER
Itainty that the commissioners could
win their contention, but they were nd
vised they had good fighting chance.
| About 10 O'Clock on Thursday morn
ling it was noised about the court
house that "a hen would be On the
nest in the commissioners court In
the afternoon. An attorney for the
county later admitted there would Be
a meeting. but said It 'was Tor the par-
pose Of talking over the case. md ho
apparently did not understand that N