Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1910 [PAGE 171]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1909]

PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OE TRUSTEES.

133

on Green street, and promises to vacate Green street entirely on the board's allowing the company to construct and operate a second track on the old right of way. So far as the legal features of the case are concerned it is quite clear to my mind that the company has no power to lay an additional track. The term, a track, clearly means one and not two tracks. There is no law to prevent the board, if it sees fit, from granting the permission to the company. Respectfully submitted,

OLIVER A. HARKER,

Counsel for the University of Illinois. ILLINOIS TRACTION SYSTEM.

CHAMPAIGN, I I I . , April 26, 1909.

Mr. W. L. Abbott, 139 Adams Street, Chicago, Illinois: DEAR SIR—As soon as I got your letter of the 21st, we stopped work on the double track through the University grounds, but are still working on the curve on the west side of the University grounds, which is necessary to come out on to Wright street in a southerly direction. I would like to say that our starting to lay this track through the University grounds without securing permission from the trustees was because of our ignorance, although of course, this is no excuse. When the understanding with the University was arrived at in 1903, i was not with this company and Mr. Pepper seems to have known nothing about the negotiations; we were both under the impression that the right of way of which our track was laid belonged to the company, and we both realized that we could not take up our track on Green street, unless we had a double track through the University where our old right of way was, because it would be impossible for us to give to the University and the citizens of Champaign and Urbana the street car service which they are entitled to with a single track, because both our interurban cars and city cars would have to use this track, and there would be considerable delay, unless a double track was put in. Mr. McKinley was away at the time and he would not have permitted us to start this work without securing permission from the trustees. Mr. McKinley has had a_ little conversation with President James and Judge Harker concerning this matter and it seems to us that it would be more satisfactory all around if we could enter into an agreement with the University authorities that we shall remove the track on Green street and shall be permitted to put a double track on this old right of way; in other particulars the' agreement could embody the terms of the understanding arrived at in 1903. . As you probably know, the city of Urbana claims that' that part of Green street which our track is laid ori is a street, and that it is under their jurisdiction and not under th0 control of the University; personally, I have always thought the city of Urbana was right in their contention, as I can very well remember when it was a street and was open to the public. Yours very truly,

GEO. M. MATTIS,

Vice-President. The whole question was then referred to the Committee on Bnildings and Grounds for investigation and report to the board. Later Hon. W. B. McKinley, president of the system, was heard. President Abbott announced that pursuant to the directions of the hoard he had appointed a committee to consider a plan of the grounds, and an arrangement of the new buildings thereon. The members of the committee are Messrs. W. C. Zimmerman of Chicago, chairman, D. H . Burnham, of Chicago, and C. H . Blackall, of Boston.