Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-10-19
scANT COURTESY
GIVEN MERCHANTS
WHO WANT SUBWAY

-.I Thempson, Illinois Central
- engineer of plans and construe-
CO s,ork was in Champaign late
~. - a.ssk ostensably to see Main
.s4ssf merchants and others who have
- insisting on subway under the
s5sck, at Main street.
Tgampson declares that the ques-
- was settled AZ a previous meet
- hon representatives of the city
=z,zs3 10 the plans as announced by
- illinois Central company, and that
- wjll be no consideration Of the
- street merchants proposal to
5.zssfruct a traffic subway al Main
street. III
sIares, according TO several Main
sfrzet merchants, that If the agita-
IN for another subway does not STOP
-. company may withdraw its plans
.s# discontinue work on the new
4gain the city throws up its hands
s.a the agitation stops. Thompson,
6sVeyer, handed out a sop to the
s.Igocates of the Main street subway
h, promising that if in a period of 4
rear or two or perhaps longer it is
l.apo that the company cannot handle
he congestion al the station without
a revision of its plans, ''the company
nav be willing TO consider subway
al Main street.
Residents who are familiar with the
history of Champaign are specializing
gs 10 how long a time may elapse
befWe il is possible TO open Main
street to the east side. They declare
fbat the life OF the new station should
b. Al least as long as that of the an
fiaat Doane house, which served the
city and railway company for period
ef forty years. In that case they
declare this generation of east side
people need not expect the street to be
In Justice 10 the Illinois Central
company it is pointed out, that the
question of a Main street subway was
actually settled before the improve
ments started, and that many of
those. who are now agitating the
question of an additional subway, con-
sented to the eompany's plans in or
der to prevent moving the station
south Of University avenue, which
the company proposed to do in case
they were forced to construct a traffic
subway at Main street.
MANY citizens of Champaign con-
sider it very poor taste to urge the
company to change its plans when
the work is fairly completed, and to-
demand subway that would, if con-
structed, disorganize the company's
service by dividing its freight and
passenger facilities.
Few of those who apparently
worked zealously to induce the COM
pany to change its plans thought
there would be any change. The
agitation was merely an expression
Of the sentiment of majority of
citizens,
According to Mr.. Thompson the
company has a well devised plan for
controlling the congestion that is en-
pected at the station, and it is pro-
POSED to let them try out their plan
before proceeding further with the
agitation for a subway.
The decision, however, plays havoc
with the hopes of east side residents
and merchants who will continue to be
cut off from any possibility of future
progress. The dream of east side
citizens for boulevard drive through
Park street to Urbana and Crystal
Lake by way of Mercy Hospital is
vanished. The row of unsightly
shacks that have served for half a
century to disgrace the east side to
all travellers is destined to remain
perpetually--a monument to the ira