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Show THE CITIZKNS' STREET RAILWAY. The city council did the right thing when it decided to grant J. B. Waldex the franchise fran-chise for a new strt line to run from the penitentiary along the east and northeast bench dow n Third South street to the Kio Grande Western depot. If competition is the life of trade the principle must apply as much to a street car company as to any other enterprise, and The Times supports this particular enterprise because it will inure in-ure to the benefit of the public if it is carried car-ried out. Indeed the mere application for a franchise fran-chise has already had a benelicial effect, for the City Railway company, which has held a franchise on AVest Temple street for lo, these many moons, without doing a single thing to build a railroad thereon, sees fit all at once to lay ties along that street and prepare pre-pare for operation. Of course there is opposition, and yiolent opposition too, to the new project, but let it be re-remembered re-remembered that it do-s not come from the people, but from the old companies who do not like to have their business interfered with. For some time a deal has been pending pend-ing between the Papid Transit and City Railway companies to consolidate the two and get a monopoly on the street traffic against which the public would be powerless. power-less. If only to protect our citizens from that danger we urge the encouragement of the new railway. It will be remembered that two years ago when the Rapid Transit company asked for a franchise along certain streets some of the councilmen who favored it were called bood-lers bood-lers and other harsh names, though the sequel se-quel proves the sagacity of their policy. Today it is the other ox that is to be gored and the Rapid Transit people who have got all their hearts desired, unite with the City Railway company to defeat an enterprise , that promises to establish a uniform 5 cent rate throughout the city. That may not be agreeable to the corporations already operating, oper-ating, but it will be a big item in the pocket of the workmen and business men who live in the outskirts of the city for the 6aving that is in it. By all means let us have the Citizens railroad. |