Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-02-23
MORE 0N STREET
 JAR ORDINANCE Major Parkes Says He Was Not Mentioned in Mayor
 Jordan's Interview.
HE GIVES HIS OPINION
Says Council Missed Opportunity in Not Amending the Fran.
 chise Measure.
Editor Graphic:-

Editor Graphic:-
 In your article in yesterdays Ora
 pric containing an interview with
 Mayer Jordan on the ordinance Gre
 cognizing, confirming and vesting in
 the Citizens Light and Transit Co.,, it's lccessors and assigns "the fran
 chise of the Bluff City Lumber Co.,,
 70 operate the street railway, you
 lsc as sub-head Mayor Jordan
 is caustic in replying to criticism of
 ~doney, Rowell and Parks" As my
 name Is net mentioned in the inter-
 view, and no attempt is made therein
 to c1ntrovert my article in Tuesdays 8 Commercial, am at a loss to under sand why you should refer to me in your head lines, unless you have con- fused my remarks with those of others. That this is probably the case would appear from the following 1 paragraph which occurs in your ar ticle..
 The interview was solicited by the sraphic man because of some critis- II. K. Toney and A. H. RoweH and former City Engineer w. J. Parkes, who charged that the adoption of the ordinance was detrimental to the peo- lle of this city. in that it carried with it a joker" which would allow the Citizens Light and Transit Com ,any to accept $3O0,000 from the Pine Bluff Corporation, and then be 'olieved, under the ordinance, from se payment of it's honest debts.'' A glance at my article will show at I never made any such change. am assured you desire to be fair, lnh will thank You to correct your error.
 What I did say was that my in- otmction was that there was no evi- lenca of any transfer of this fran 'atse fronl the Bluff City Lumber o.. to the Citizens Light and Tran it O., and therefore the latter could 5i transfer it to the Pine Bluff Cor 'oration without the passage Of this 'dinance. did not say even that
 1ow this to be the case, but would investigate. Such investigation is now necessary, since the Mayor in his nter7iew admits the correctness of V information. I further said that this was not the case the ordinance as unnecessary, but if it was the ase the city council had lost it's op- cGtunity to amend the franchise. This nov desire to repeat with all the mpNasis possible, and to add that Fe will noth have such another ,hamce for 39 years as the franchise ,xpires February Is, 1851.
 Thst the opportunity to amend this 'anc lise existed before the passage f tlis ordinance cannot be denied. That failure to pass it would be de- ayed, and might have endangered the W.cSase by the Pine Bluff Corpora ion is equally true. Opinion may 'ifer as to which was the best course
 ) pursue, but even if in the end it
 ,r; decided better to have the street
 ailTay owned by concern which
 o,ild and doubtless would improve
 t, than to secure an equitable fran
 ehise, there was certainly no occas-
 sion to rush through in one night an
 'rdinance effective for 29 years. Ma
 ure deliberation would have pointed
 he right course.
 An examination of the existing
 'ranc lise will show the intelligent
 ,itzen or unbiased official that it is
 defective in many respect. It grants
 | pratical monopoly of the streets
 How ing the company to lay tracks
 III any street (except 5th avenue)
 ,rov ded they beat the Council to it,
 md allows them to abandon any line
 t their pleasure. It gives the use
 If tLe streets without any rental
 .here fore except the pitiful sum of ,10 per car per annum, and even re- luires the property owner to pave he tracks. Transfers are not re- .uired neither are lenders or ether :afety appliances; cts. etc. AS stated, some may think that we lad letter put up with the franchise s it stands, rather than risk the sys- 'em remaining in te hands of the pre- sent owners. My opinion is ether J'sa.
 Our present excellent system of waterworks is sufficient evidence that n Arkansas city can compel any pub 'ic s2rvice corporation eo maintain it's plant in good condition.
 Finally this is a matter for cool md deliberate discussion, inc which ny citizen is privileged to express 'is vews. and not for peevish slacs IT innuendoes.
 Respectfully,
 w. JPARKES. Msi,r Parkes name was inserted T tho headlines of the story referred Q bv Major Parkes because it was very plain to the editor of this paper
 that Mayer Jordan referred to no oth- t an Major Parkes, when he in serted the phrase ''would-be office seek rs." It is we'll known fact that Major Parkes is considering en- ering the mayorality race in opposi- ion to Mayor Jordan one year hence, although he himself has not confirm ed the report.