The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1912-04-13
The MASK IS REMOVED
REAL ISSUE EXPOSED
Contest for Street Privileges Shown
to BE Contest Between Two
Interurban Companies.


: At a called meeting of the cit,
q council Friday night at which time
. the granting of rights and privilege!
\ for the Occupation of certain streets
= by street car companies was to BIZ
: considered the mask was removed
: and the real issue pending before
Y the council was shown to be con.
test between two interurban com.
Z panies, the Dallas Southern Traction
' company, promoted by Stone &
q Webster. and the Southern Traction
company. promoted by r. F. Strick-
land and associates
. The exposure came when Hon. r.
: B. Williams of Dallas, representing
] the Southern Traction Co., took the
floor to enter protest against be-
ing interested in or representing the
Lake Park Street Railway company.
His reference to conference at
Dallas between the engineers of the
two companies disclosed the fact
that an effort had been made to
reach an agreement as to the occu-
patton of College and Washington
streets by the two interurban lines
before the matter was submitted to
the city council. That these nego-
tiations had been considered prior to
the filing of an application by Stone
& Webster for permission to occupy
the east side of the streets was en-
nh
called on his engineer, Mr. Dean, to
state what took place at the con-
ference at Dallas. Then followed |
lively tilt between the engineers
of the two companies in which the /
disclosure was made that 1t was on
ly a contest between the two COM
panies as to the occupation of these
streets and practically eliminated
the local car line from the issue,
The council was called for the.
of considering Stone G
Webster's application for the occu- 4
patton of the east side of College Il
md Washington streets with their ]
line and to give due |
to a petition filed by '
he Lake Park Street railway com
'any for the same location by right J
# priority. Anticipating that there {
would probably be a lively discus {
sion of the issue between the two 4
companies a large number of citi-
zens of the town We're present the
session being held in the firemen's /
club rooms Of the city hall.
The council was due TO begin its |
deliberations at O'clock but 1t Was
$40 before Mayor Prince called
the body to order.
He stated the object of the meet
ing and asked John D. McRae, rep
resenting the Stone & Webster in
terests, to present his argument IN
support OF their application.
Mr.. McRae said that he was
forced to the necessity of anticipat-
ing the objections that were being
urged by the opposition. He refer
red to the filing of the companys
application Wednesday night for
permission to occupy the east side
Of College and Washington streets
and and of the petition filed by the /
Lake Park Street Railway company j
for the preference right to this To-
cation. He said the issue was not I
between these companies, but was
between the Dallas Southern Trac-
ton company and the Southc
Traction company, He said he ao-
preciated the fact that the local line
had been here a long time, and had
NJ - |
the way Of furnishing local tGanspor-
tation accommodations, but it did |
not want these streets. He said the
question was who shall got the east !
side of said streets, the Dallas |
Southern Traction company or the
Southern Traction company He
said Sthe Dallas Southern Traction
company had been granted fran
chise by the city council, the fran
chiRe had been accepted, a certified
check as a guarantee OF good faith
had been deposited in a local bank,
the right OF way had been procured,
and now the company was right at
the door Of the city knocking for
admission, He said that the South
ern Traction company had not yet
asked for a franchise and so far az
Waxahachie Is concerned the com
pany has no existence.
Geo. w. Coleman spoke in sun
port Of the petition filed by the Lake
Park Street Railway company. He
said that so far as the people were
! concerned and so far as the local