Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 158, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1914 — QUITE A SQUABBLE OVER FRANCHISE [ARTICLE]

QUITE A SQUABBLE OVER FRANCHISE

Lafayette and Northwestern Asks For AU Roads in County—Must Define Their Route.

The commissioners of Jasper county have been undecided what to do in the matter of granting a franchise to a projected railroad known as the Lafayette and Northwestern. The leading promoters, O. L. Brown and Warner T. Elmore, the former from Terre Haute and the. latter from Remington, had prepared and caused to be published a franchise right to parallel and cross every highway in Jasper county, the franchise being exclusive for a period expiring Dec. Ist, 1916, or almost two and a half years away. The granting of a franchise on the broad proposition asked by Brown, et al, would sew the county up so that no other company could get a look in and the commissioners after some discussion Saw through the proposition and decided to limit Brown’s theatre of actions to a defined route, giving him two miles on either side of the range line road from Remington to Rensselaer or one mile on each side. Brown* accepted the proposed change' and Attorney Parkinson, for the Indiana Northwestern Co., the old Purtelle route, which now seems to be in substantial hands, asked that the franchise ’ e modified to say . that the granting of it did not restrain the commissioners from extending any franchise now existing nor from the granting of a franchise to any other company that might come in good faith and ask for a franchise. . - It was next decided to grant the franchise to the new company on the west side of the range line road. This would cause it to run west of the college and of Mt. Calvary cemetery and to avoid this the commissioners proposed to grant the use of the road in front of the college. Attorney Honan said he knew this would be objectionable to the college and it was proposed that the college faculty be.consulted and Commissioners Hershman and Welch, accompanied by Messrs. Brown and Elmore and County At-

torney Dunlap went to the college to talk the matter over with .them. Monday there was a lively discussion and Attorney Parkinson sprung a letter from the Public Utilities Commission stating that no right had been granted to Brown’s company to sell either stock or bonds, although a request had been made and a hearing begun. The letter stated that all that could be done was to offer the stock or bonds for sale, subject to delivery when the consent of the commission was granted and that nothing could .legally be collected until the stock or bonds were actually delivered. v A near riot was precipitated and for some time it looked like the commissioners’ court might be disgraced with a fistic encounter. The Republican believes now as it has all the time that the people of this county don’t give a rap who builds a railroad, but that the commissioners should be very careful not to further the interests of

any stock-selling scheme and that they should make i Brown show some sign of responsibility before they grant his company any franchise that appears antagonistic to a company that has the appearance _of responsibility. It would bepossible, we believe, under the terms of the franchise which Brown sought, to use it as a means to hinder the Indiana Northwestern Traction Co., and make it possible to compel them to pay in order to remove this hindrance. There is nothing very pressing about the Lafayette and Northwestern and its /franchi<e could be tabled until Dec. Ist without injury to its promoters. That would give the Indiana Northwestern Co. a chance to start building under the terms of -the franchise granted to it. It would give the public an opportunity to ascertain whether Mr. Brown really has a company that might contemplate building or whether he is simply working oh a speculative basis and holding up a company that is acting in good faith. In the meantime Brown can find out whether the Public Service Commission wjll grant him the right to sell stocks or bonds in his project. There is no occasion for haste. There are many wedldeiflned reasons for precaution and conservation. Let’s wait awhile.