The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-05-14


= could get this great improvement
D. that we will be compelled to have
some day for not exceeding $4,000.
The elimination of grade crossings
is the latest branch of extensive
railroad work in the larger cities.
1t has not reached the smaller towns
for the reason that the companies
n are not prepared to finance the en-
&c terprise. But Union City has been
made an exception in having been
If offered these advantages.
a The underpass was suggested by
this paper when Mr.. Perkins and
: others ridiculed the idea. l have
= held in this paper for number of
years that the underpass was the
/ only rational and reasonable solu-
ton of the embarrassing question
in Union City, and / still hold that
: position.
The idea of safety first, the ex-
peditious handling of traffic thru
our streets, the pleasure to autoists
in passing to and fro from one side
Of the city to the other without de-
lay, the delivery service will all de-
rive unreasonable advantages over
the old grade crossing that stood
here when the site of the city was
forest. The railroad was not built
thru Union City. The city was built |
on the road, and l feel that the |
roads are indeed making an honest |
effort to give us the best thing in
the premises. They are indeed lib
eral in an offer to spend from fifteen
to twenty-five thousand dollars for
something that will be equally if
not more advantageous to us than
it is to them. To this will be added
the investment here by the railroad
companies of a $4,000 or $4,000
depot.
If we accept the proposition the
companies are Offering us Union
City gets an investment in PUBLIC
improvements from these companies
of $4,000 to 100000.
Now the point is will we go into c
lawsuit with the railroad COM /
panies to force the surface opening '
of this street with nothing whatever j
to gain but an empty victory. Sup +
pose we win. The fruits of the vic :;
tory will be an open street with
sorry looking depot wedged in be-
tween the N, C. & st. L. track and
the street line. This will come prob
ably after years of litigation and an
expense to Union City of thousands D
of dollars. Over one thousand dol a
lars have already been expended y
and the suit has not yet been insti- a
tuted. r
Will the tax payers of Union City a
stand for ten to nty-thousand (
dollar lawsuit for this purpose9 I
do not believe it. 81
The M. & o. people claim that !
they will have to build an indie u
pendent depot. That may be merely c
an idea. Makes no difference. The s
conditions with surface crossing
will be very little better
/ am trying to talk sense now.
There is no railroad pass in this r
talk. That piece of pasteboard was F
in Difference to the u
sentiment of the people on the first I
Of January back to Mr.. Waller, who 8
issues the order for these things, >,
and l have not ridden on a pass for .,
over year Every railroad official =.
is not a rascal. Some are honest,
some are grasping. The same HUI
man nature trains thru the blood, "
makes no difference what the voca- u
ton is, and l am convinced in this Ii
matter that neither Mr.. Peyton nor 5
Mr.. Taylor is trying to unload a ii
scheme on Union City. Il
know that the cities are forcing the a,
railroad companies into the elimina- nj
lion of grade crossings with sub
" avs anu luSCS' "A ulluSS 10 Ia
practical here. There is no specula- y
ion on this point, and Union City ~
S offered such an enterprise volun- y
arily. There is nothing to lose. al
Now, here is something that IN
ought to stick. The people of Union &C
Jity are entitled to the initiative b.
and referendum. and the tax-pay- Ell
srs of Union City should have a ne
chance to vote on this question. An
election of the white voters should A
De held to decide whether or not
hey will have imposed on them an .
expensive and tedious lawsuit. The ~
Board of Mayor and Aldermen have :
10 moral right to open this suit
Without an honest expression from
he taxpayers, and the only way to OF
ret this is in an election. Gu
The Board must take cognizance ~ ~
f the rights of the taXpayers. Thew ~