The Sentinel=record., 1918-02-19
MCLAUGHLIN OPPOSES THE
GRAND AVENUE FRANCHISE

Al tonights meeting of the city
commission the ordinance granting
right of way over Grand avenue to
the ~ u & G railroad viii come up
FOR its third reading and final pass
age and ! believe this ordinance
should not be passed because it viii
practically convert one of the best
streets of our city into railroad
switchyard
One of the reasons given for the
passage of the ordinance is that it
viii make connection between the
three railroads and if this is done it
viii cause a decrease in our freight
rates and I write this article to show
that the freigh trates can be lowered
and the railroads can be connected
with an interchange switch without
giving Grand avenue over to the rail
roads for switchboard About year
ago the Arkansas Railroad Commits
sion ordered the Iron Mountain and
the Rock Island to connect about
three miles from the city where these
two roads cross. the matter was de-
layed and contested by the railroads,
but was finally lost by them and am
reliably informed that the board Of
| governors OF the Business Mems
League passed a resolution asking the
Railroad Commission to defer the en-
forcement Of this order, but now the
| league is willing to six the city com
missiOners 10 donate a city street TO
the railroad companies instead of hav-
| ing the railroads comply with the or
/ der of the railroad commission
The NJ. ID and G railroad and the
Iron Mountain are connected now at
a point east OF the Oaklawn race
track and if the Iron Mountain and
the Rock Island will comply with the
I order Of the Arkansas Railroad Com
mission then all three railroads will
I be connected and our freight rates
will be lowered without donating
Grand avenue for a switchboard,
The VI. d. & G. erected their sta
ton just outside the city limits and
is therefore exempt from all city
taxes, but now they ask the city to
give them a city street to be used
as a switchyard, the idea of reaching
! vast timber lands in the north part
of this county is only a subterfuge.
! There has been recent talk of beau
tifying our city streets and the peo-
pie owning property on Grand ave-
nue. are DESTROYS of beauufying that
street by paving it. but do you think
it, will ne improved if converted into
switchyard2 The people Of this
city sene a delegation Of citizens to
Fort Smith last year to investigate
the city wide paving plan and this
delegation brought back a very en-
| thusiastc report and Grand avenue
| under city wide paving plan was to
he the grand drive of this city but
now they want Grand avenue to be a
SWITCHBOARD
The ordnance granting this fran
| chise may be passed. and after the
matter has been presented through a
referendum to the vote Of the people,
/ IT may zee adopted, bub ; h1a4i p INV
people to remember the prediction
that ] make as conclusion to this
article
I say that there win never De a
mill erected large enough TO warrant
the running OF Grand avenue by rail-
road track. and that there viii never
he an extension of this railroad
through the Gorge that will benefit
this city sufficiently TO offset the
damage done TO Crane avenue and al
| iutorscctinC streets
eay that this is only scheme of
the rairods 10 acquire Grand ave-
nue. and 10 means that Grand avenue
will be switchboard for the next
twenty-five years or during the life
! of the franchise.
submit that the people should de-
mand the defeat of this ordinance.
Respectfully yours.
LEO. p. MTAUGHIIN