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Show C.B.Jack, nttorncy for f'O Papil Tran it com; any s rys: "The Trib ,ne c'aims tie p S on was rai r a d thro, gh T ssniiSi. Tho ;o it on wi s led n April 18i)0 for ce y parallel par-allel ticc. K mentions. It has ceu joniig . tver sin o The application appli-cation was rem wed at the li'st meeting meet-ing of the new eouncl and has been constantly urged since that time. "Tho committee on streets refused to grant us any extension until the- old company had been notified and given a chance to appear and show cause why we should not not be granted a franchise. fran-chise. "The committee recommended an exchange of State road for West Temple and asked further time for tho consideration of the petition. Then they required tho Rapid Transit people to secure running arrangements ar-rangements with the old company. But tho latter refused. Then they granted us a single track over Second South street to connect with the depots. "On every single street where tho old company have a franchise wo aro limited lim-ited to a single track. "As to railroading tho bill, every one knows that that is not so. It has been argued debated de-bated and discussed at great length from tho time our application was lirst died. "The Tribune's claim that the Eaglo Gate route should have been given the old company is absurd. The Rapid Transit company already had a franchise fran-chise there. But tho old company have a right to the street also, while we are compelled to stand one side when the (piestion of parallel lines come up. "As to First street ;'t always was in the petition. "As to Ninth East street tho old council granted the old company a franchise on that, streect in tho face of our application and merely gave us two blocks in order that we might have proper connections. "The ten cent maximum fare clauso was inserted because the old company had the same privilege. "We must pay 2J per cent of our receipts re-ceipts into tho city treasury, while tho old company is let oil' with a $23 per car rate. . "There are ho coiineilinou connected with our line. Mr. Spalford owned stock but v hen elected sold out in order or-der that nothing could be said against him in the way of improper intluenco being exercised over him by tho company. THE CHARGE DENIED. , i What the Members of the Council Have to Say About the Charges MADE IN TODAY'S TRIBUNE, They Emphatioally Deny the Assertions Asser-tions of the Morning Journal. Members of the city council aro exceedingly ex-ceedingly indigimnt today over an article arti-cle published in this morning's Tribune, which practically asserts that there aro at least four "hoodie" couucilmeti in tho municipal government. The paper claims there are dishonest members of tho council who aro directly di-rectly interested in the gas aud street railwas franchises which have been granted within the past few weeks. It further alleges that two franchises were granted to the Kapid Transit company com-pany under peculiar circumstances, one of which franchises is a "blanket" to cover half or all of the city, with a limit of faro fixed at double tho rates of tho old company, and that tho measure was secretly introduced and railroaded though the council at last Friday night's special meeting. The most shirtling declaration made by the Trilmne is that it has a great objection ob-jection to tho dishonest men in tho council. This is what made the council indignant, indig-nant, aud is t ho cause of a special secret gat'iering of tho members of tho council coun-cil this afternoon in M. K. Fai'sotis' nltico iu tho Scolt-Auel'bach building. Those in attendance ' at tho meeting were: Councilmeii Cohen. Far-sons, Far-sons, Spall'ord, I'endletoii, Karrick.Ilall, Pembroke, Noble and others. The eonferenco was a secret one, but Councilman l'atsons, who is chairman of the committee on si roots and which committee recommended lo the council to pass the bill giving the Kapid Transit company the franchise, said to a Times' reporter that tho meeting was being held for the purpose of taking some'action ou the Tribune's accusation. accusa-tion. "Wo have two lines of action laid out which aro being considered by the council," said ho. "The articles were outrageous, scandalous and unfounded. We feel that the council has been libelled li-belled and as the paper wao too cowardly to mention any names we will do something. some-thing. As it is now the entire council is implicated and maligned. If there be any dishonest members it was the paper's duty to expose them." "Do you think that, the Tribune implies im-plies that tho four members to whom it alludes, were 'seen' by any of the Rapid Transit people." ' , - ftWcll, that's loir. I to determine." re, lie I Mr. J a ; m; "Hut 1 think tlio paper had iquiouco t sjuio of t iu councilmeu owning stock in th J street railway." "Have you any idea to whom the a-p a-p ;r refers as being directly interested v" "Not exactly, but I understand it has been intimated that tho paper meant Messrs. Spall'ord, Noble,. Karrick and myself." "Have you or any of those geutlerneu stock in the railway V" "Not a single one of us. Mr. Spaf-ford Spaf-ford is tho only man that ever ownod any stock In tho ' corporation, but lam pretty well satistiod that he disposed of it before ho was elected to tho council. Somo time ago, before I was ever thought of being a councilman, council-man, I was offered stock in tho company, com-pany, but would not go into it. The only thing 1 am sorry for is that tho Tribune did not mention some member's mem-ber's name iu connection with being "boodler." I think, however, wo will give it enough of it at all events. L. E. Hall, a member of tho commit-too commit-too on streets, which granted or rather recommended to the council to grant to tho Kapid Trausit company a franchise to go upon curtain streo'ts which was published in yesterday's Times, was seen by a reporter for Tiik Times this morning in regard to the Tribune's alleged al-leged "four boodle couneilinen" whose names it neglected to mention. "The paper was very severe in its article ar-ticle this morning about tho council," said Mr. Hall. "If the Tribune thinks there aro any dishonest councilmeii in tho municipal government it should give their names, and not make a re-lloetion re-lloetion upon tho entire council. Perhaps Per-haps tho Tribune is of the opinion that it is impossible to get a body of fifteen honest men together. Instead of making mak-ing insinuation's about dishonesty in tho ooimcil, tho paper, if there bo anybody connected with it that knows anything any-thing about modern journalism, should givo tho names of the alleged boodlers so that tho characters char-acters of tho other members would not be smirched. 1 was a member of tho street committee which recommended recom-mended to tho council to grant the Kapid Transit a frauchiso. The council coun-cil thought It was to the best interest of the city to givo tho franchise in order that there would bo competition in street railway service, and to secure a gooil servico the franchise was given because there is nothing like competition. That is what tho people want. If tliero were but one company it. could dictate whatever terms it desired de-sired (o. Tho Tribune is wrong. It does not discuss tho main issues, but merely abuses and slanders the council. When it says there will be four tracks on the principal streets ami it, has l'ol'orencu to Second South tliero will bo nothing of tho kind. The franchise clearly states that tho new company will be allowed lo lav only ono track oil the street. The side that it occupies will be determined by the council. As there is a double track ou the street now and when the rapid transit puts down its single track there will bo but three, and the Tribune people know it, if they have looked at tho franchise. As to tho ten-cent faro that, is all nonsense. We did not want to discriminate between be-tween the old and now companies. All tho franchises of the old company are for a ten-cent limit fare and wo could not go to work and ay to a new company that it would be allowed al-lowed to charge ouly live cents. The new concern will probably extend its lines 'way out. into the suburbs su-burbs where trade is light ami where the fare is worth 10 cents. However, I understand that the old compauv is talking of making a 5-cent fare and' the othi r company will probably do likewise. like-wise. "Now as lo the dishonesty of some of the members of the council' as attested to by tho Tribune, I am not aware nor an I surmise to whom the paper refers when it speaks of four men who were directly interested in the numerous franchises recently granted. But it should give names if it intends to make anything intelligent to its readers. I presume it has reference to Councilman Spaflord who, before fleeted to the council, had some, stock in the Rapid Transit company, but that gentleman now, as I have been informed, claims that ho has no iutcrests whatever." |