Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-01-11

- muCn.J we agreed 10 give all I'll
land we owned between the pavemen
;. and the railroad right of way, to tn
city for road and park purposes, O.
condition that the city cancel the bal
ance of its paving charges agains
n this particular piece of land. Thi
would be giving them the land an
. nearly six hundred dollars that ha
, been previously paid on paving as
sessments on that particular strip o
;, land. All water bitches, water right
and springs to be protected and lef
. in good order. Road to be graded S,
we could reach the new highway, ant
when the new highway was ready foi
travel the old highway was to be va
Gated. And in exchange for the righ
of the wagon crossing granted w. G
Myer and wife by the o. & c. Rail
road Company, which would be de-
stroyed by the grade of the new road
private gateway and crossing were
to be granted to the said G. F. Bill
lings, his heirs and assigns where the
present grade crossing now is on the
present county road.
The above is the substance of an
agreement which was submitted to
the honorable county court of Jack
son county Oregon, on July 16, 1915.
Every member of the county court
expressed himself as satisfied with
the offer. And shortly afterward the
common council of the city of Ash
land made q similar decision. Did
not the public have a right to expect
that the matter was settled and that
the road would shortly be completed?
Surveys were made by the new high
way engineers and also by the rail-
road engineers and the new route re-
ported feasible and not expensive.
Later on came the report that the
railroad company had agreed to this
underground crossing and that the
steel for the required bridge had been
ordered January /, 1916, and would
reach Ashland in April or May.
About the middle Of July, 1916, one
year after the proposal of right of
way was made, an official came to
me and said that all arrangements
had been made with the company, but
that the county court had forgotten
to say anything about the private
farm crossing. That formed an i'm
portant part of the proposal to the
county. Then the county asked that
this be granted, and were told that
they would not deal with the county
with me. At the request of the court,
in the matter, but would deal only
Attorney A. E. Reames, who had rep
resented the county in nearly all Pa
cific Highway matters, sont me let
ter, enclosing a Southern Pacific
blank application for a farm cross
ing, with the request that | look over
the same and, when signed, return to
him. After reading the application
| found taht it was drawn solely in
favor of the railroad, that it would
require annual rental and upkeep and
could be revoked at any time, with
or without cause. It contained other
Objectionable features. The blank
was returned to Mr.. Reames, un-
signed, Mr. Reames himself saying
that he considered it a one-sided
agreement. Judge Tou Velle said
before witnesses that he did not con-
slider 1t fair, and did not blame me
for refusing to sign it.
We have not asked for an open
roadway, but simply for a crossing
with gates, which may be kept locked
except when in use and with the as
Burance that tho crossing is to be
permanent one with equal rights to
the one we surrender. Even the in
convenience of such a crossing as we
asked would cost us at least $50 each
year, over the present county road,
but for the sake of the convenience
of the travelling public we are willing
to be at this inconvenience and ex-
pense. Any one who will look over
the premises will see that 1t is neces-
sary that we have such crossing.
am assured by the members of
the county court that they have done
all in their power to induce the
Southern Pacific officials to grant the
crossing, and have told them that if
they will not do so the road should
be graded around the hill, and as
soon as necessary ask that watch
man be placed at the crossing at the
company's expense. 1t would seem
that the Southern Pacific does not
consider underground crossings very
desirable.
The above statement has been writ
ten at the solicitation of many people
who have hoard 1t said the road
would have been built long ago had
not Billings held it up" I plead