The ordinance introduced in the City Council to grant a franchise to the Cincinnati Rapid Transit Railroad company, its successors and assigns is most remarkable, not only in what it provides but also for what it fails to provide.
    It is to the Cincinnati Rapid Transit Railroad company (therefore it is to be presumed that the road is to be operated under the steam railway laws), but there is no mention of the motive power, whether it is to be steam, compressed air or electricity.
    By virtue of this omission, the franchise seeker have the advantage of a perpetual franchise and are enabled to use any motive power they may see fit if the franchise was asked as a street railway company, its life would be limited to 25 years.
    As a steam railway corporation the franchise seekers secure the right of eminent domain, whereas, as a street railway company, they would be obliged to secure the written consent of a majority of the property holdings upon abutting streets.
    The rate of fare is not fixed by the ordinance; that is left to the company, which will presumably make it as high as the traffic will bear.  The power to regulate the rate at suitable periods is by the omission removed from Council, the people's representatives and vested in the corporation.
    The ordinance has no provision for the regulation of the train service there is no stipulation as to the number of trains to be operated and the power to supervise the schedule in the interest of the traveling public is not vested in any public body; it is optional with the railway corporation.
    The provisions governing the erection of stations are very lax.  It may erect them upon the public streets, thoroughfares and alleys of the city without recompense to the city.  The only regulation is that the plans and drawings of such buildings are to be approved by the Board of Public Service.  The regulation of billboards upon the stairways leading to the stations and upon the platforms is omitted.
    Although occupying the city's streets for the most valuable portion of its route, no recompense to the city is made.  The Cincinnati Street Railway company for a similar occupancy paid in 1903 six per cent of its gross receipts, aggregating $234,917, which capitalized at three per cent, would represent a payment of $7,800,000.
    The company is granted valuable switching rights without seeking the consent of Council in each individual case.
    The company is permitted to circumscribe our already limited park area by operating its line through Eden park.
    While it is recognized that the timpani, "at its own expense acquire the private property necessary to its tracks," the property which is to occupy, owned by the city of Cincinnati, is included in this grant."
    The company is not required to begin or to complete its work within a given time; it is only required within one year after its written acceptance to file with the Board of Public Service a map showing its main track.
    To cap the climax, it is provided that "nothing herein shall require said company to construct, maintain and operate its road along the entire route herein set forth."
    The franchise, as introduced, is marked with a complete disregard of the interests of the city and of the public; its streets are given away I perpetuity without recompense; part of its park property is profligately donated to a private corporation, and there is an entire absence of those safeguards which experience and wisdom have shown to be justifiable in the dealings between the city and a corporation.  Such an example of civic liberality has not been witnessed since the early days of railroading.  The city is bound to many things; the company is bound to nothing, not even to building, maintaining and operating the road to be thus lavishly endowed.
    It is an outrageous proposition which will eet with an uprising of indignant citizenship; it is an insult to the people of a city that has ever been marked by a disposition to deal fairly with any and all public service corporations and that has never been swayed by the vaporings of the megogue.
    Among the officials of the Cincinnati Rapid Transit Railroad company is Mr. August Herrmann of the Water-works commission.  If this infamous ordinance reflects his views of the city's relations to the people, it should end his public career.  It is time for him to step down from his present public position if he allies himself with this kind of graft.
    KILL THIS INFAMOUS FRANCHISE.