The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-01-28
SUNDAY. JANUARY %. 1912.
Safeguarding a city's
Future Interests.

Future Interests.
The Importance Of safeguarding the
only remaining city-owned section OF
the Pensacola water front is album
dainty illustrated in the examples Of
other cities.
In the case of Cincinnati. for exam
PIE, VIII Irwin IN a recent issue OF
Golfers, tells something about ma
chine politics and Louisville & Nash
Vile railroad methods there. Here IS
an extract:
In the next election the machine
won gloriously. It never reigned more
absolutely than at the beginning Of
the twentieth century, It even began
here and there to reach out for greater
things One day Mike Mullen gave
his annual picnic for poor children.
The next, he whipped through the
council a measure granting an over
head franchise along the river front
to the Louisville and Nashville rail-
road. That measure was loaded with
dynamite
The Ohio River Improvement Asso-
citation had spent millions to make
the great waterway navigable-Which
meant water competition for the rail-
roads. With an overhead franchise
the Louisville and Nashville could so
obstruct the water front as to make
hauling from the docks impracticable.
The reformers fought that ordinance
IN the courts. and the decision is still
pending.
The original ordinance proposed for
Pensacola would enable the Louisville
& Nashville railroad to do the same
thing for the Pensacola waterfront
that it is now doing to the Cincinnati
waterfront as described in the fore
going.
City Attorney John B. Jones is now
putting into illegal and effective form
the common carrier" provision sug-
gested by The journal and the intent
and purpose of that provision, prep
erly drawn and Incorporated in the
ordinance. win prevent the railroad
from controlling what little water
front still remains to the people Of
Pensacola.
That we must safeguard the future
when dealing with public service cor
porations is something that city coun-
els and the public everywhere recog-
nize today. Lack Of attention to those
<hfngs always results in trouble. For
example. only few days ago the Bir-
mingham Ledger had occasion to say:
No less than a dozen grade crossing
death-traps constantly threaten the
lives Of a hundred and fifty thousand
people in Birmingham. These people
have been pleading for relief from this
menace for ten years. The railroads
which are getting millions Of dollars
worth of patronage from Birmingham
annually owe It to the city to estab-
and maintain hfe q
guards against the death traps. The
need is pressing, the dangers steadily
increasing. VIII the city commission
and the railroads get together with a
serious purpose to give the public a
1air deal in this matter2
Had this condition been provided for
when the franchises were granted by
the city Of Birmingham there would
be no trouble in adjusting the diff
ferences today.
An example of the gradual encroach-
ment OF q public service corporation
upon municipal and individual rights
IS found in the city Of Pittsburg. KAN
eas. Francis F. Spangler, in a recent
magazine article. says of it:
Nineteen years ago the citizens OF
Pittsburg, Kansas, arose in enthu-
slasm because they had succeeded IN
having the Kansas City Southern rail-
road locate its shops in that city.
To secure this favor the city of
Pittsburg made liberal grants of
money and privileges. In all twenty
seven blocks were handed over to- the
corporation, in return for which it
agreed to exploit the workers of Pitts
burg as long as the shops remained
there.
For years large portions of this land
remained vacant n vF1z
road purposes. The streets were left
open. Blocks were so arranged as to
form an angle, and within this angle
are located some thirty-five working
class homes.
A short time ago the railroad de-
eided that it wanted the streets As
web as the land and obtained an order
from the city council vacating the
streets. Although the land was moi
used, it was enclosed by a high board
fence topped with barbed WIRE As !
result these thirty-five homes of tht
workers were shut off from the city
their value confiscated, and, in some
cases, the savings of a life time de.
stroyed.
That is all. There was no violence
no riots, no excitement These work.
ers saw themselves cut off from al
the things that made their home.
valuable. They saw the results D
economy and saving wiped out in I
moment.
This week the city council of Pen
saeola win no doubt act upon fran
chise. now pending. under which til,
Louisville & Nashville railroad ask
for additional privileges. Sewers
changes in the franchise have beef
suggested and if these changes ar
definitely and properly incorporated ii
the ordinance. under the approval o
the city attorney, they win safeguart
Pensacola's interests at least to tn
extent contemplated.