, 1865-01-21
CLEANSING the RIVER,
Special Meeting Of Tho Common copnell---A
Protest from the Board ofPu5llt WORKS.
Indignant Ildermen-ldopilon Of
All. 1olden's Preamble, Resolu-
ticns and Bill on the Sub
Jet The Committee
Of Thirty 10
buked.

' stdering the bill for an Net to ipcorporate
Chicago River Commlssiont' and other iegaslati
t propofed relative to the cleansing Of the Chic.
D River.
I There we're present the Mayor, md Alderm
Gage, Shrimp, Barrett, AcRoy, Walsh, W41lvo,
comisky, shcsWia, Clark, Rafferty,, Talcott, Voc
afo. dtmfod, Holden. Gastdeld, Franzen. RI
SULLIVAN. LAWSON, o'sullisan, and Woodman,
The call wns read By the Clerk: # xsa v;c,
b5 Aldermen shimp, M,mrod, Holden and Snl
ynn. ~A
AID. Holden had come resolutions 'rh,ch
would read to the Council.
The Mayor eaid thst there was comnnnscaY,
from the Board Of Public Works; should mt II,
bc read frsta
AID. Holden Withdrew for the uouce. .na =,
Clerk read protest from the Board Of pnbl
Works to the Council, signed by Messrs, Lot
Rose and Sherman. Of the Borrd Of Public Work
1nH ., aol6S1nG tbs1 & are ~ ne o6leenons 5a..ed:
OILY proper party to have the charge OF any in
sheaa'ng ~ o. ne Chicaso Hrer, and they deprecat
purpose: that such appointment would be yery cm
ai tassine to the Board and injurious to the div
inden, inds aee n makes he commisstoners pracnca
compels the ciy TO place at their dspo.al three mi
miq1 o. bonds, and sweeps away ali safcenard
nTnn nSm nas9 ths been sought 70 have been place.
aty oiAcere; that teere IVES no necessity for thI
proposed change ofju7isdiction; that the memo no
r1eiists anS quite ae able to undertake the super
velon OF Inc works for cleansing the river ae
afe to haFE the charge Of tee other matters com
mlued to their charge, each OF which would on tlf
ssS oaEa pttnepte require the creation OF tiGe1en
Is 60 for tho other; that 1t IS not trnc lint te
AoaEa nas no time to attend to the matter. aud
49,, = Telc uue. the creation Of another
always coincide with that Of the Board Of WORKS
WoaIo ancrense rather Than diminish its labors
t tnat tae Bossd has 70 much to do that 1t cannot
tFa1e lta Ffesldcnt to seTre On another board .
mat at ne public works OF the city should bar.
at the disposal Of the Commissioners of Enri-
peers appointed by the Council, some four survey
Ing parties, and tint the whole question Is being
thoroughly examined by. them, and they viii
doubtless @ report the;r soncus,ens speedily
being discussed the city should SET in mooon sucb
as clear water in The river; he former Il not alto
gether dependent upon the latter.
then offered by Ad. Holden: ''1 'sA.4'u' "efe
WHEREAS, number Of persons, citizens Of Chi
doreing plan for draining he south Branch q
| The Chicago ttyer By pumping the waters Of aaad
Branch tnto canal to he excava1ed, one hundred
milea long, terminating al the Calumet rfycr, at
! point as high or higher than the Chicago riyer
and have also reported bill for net Of the Gen
l 10C0Fn0TNtf
the Chicago River Commissioners" which hi
has been approved l.y small number Of persons
calling thcmselves u meeting Of the citizens b
Assembly, aeaa oR9e ns b. sss
called meeting Of the citizens to endeayos to PRO
cure ite enactment as q Law OF this State, and an
purrose q comforting with the officers proposed
by sad bill to be authorized to appoint said RlyeI
| Commissioners In respect to euch appointment
! WHEREAS. The said bill embodies pla1, sub
ye!sive Of the chartered rtghte Of The people o,
| this city, and contains many extraordinary and
WHEREAS, The members Of the Common Coun
ell elected by the people OF the city and its
wards, t9 SonserEe their local interests. levy
finances and credit Of the city may properly ann1S
to the General Assembly for such charter amend
ments a their experience may prove to be need
against the passage Of laws for The I eovernspt d
Chicago Of the character Of the biit under consid
Grafton; therefore belt N1
c1ty o. Ghicago IN Common Council assembled,
!Et- That eaid bin IL destructive OF the mos,
Sa.nable rights Of the people of Chicago in sub
without their consent or that OF their represents
hves IN the City Council, and In taking AWAY the
administration snd expenditure Of the moneys o.
tanned thereby from competent officers elected BY
them for such purposes, and cntrustlng it to a.
irresponsible and unknown Board. with whose an.
pointue1t the people Of Chicago hare nothing "a
2nd+ We must On the principle Of local self gov.
erEment Of the people Of Chicago By their agents
md officers Only elected by The people, aud ze:
tponsible 70 them for their Official conduct and
condemn this hill for the violation Of this prin-
c'ple in matters Of the greatest importance.
Srd- We condemn and denounce ssid bill be.
oath Of office. II gives them millions Of dollars
Of city bonds with power to sell at any price, to
deposit the money In any 50 called bank they
please. 1t empowers them to adopt their plans IN
secret to let their contracts without advertise
ment or bids, and to carry on the1r business for
year q = time without any report or publication
thereof II authorizes them 10 buy an unlimited
| amount Of real estate, to employ any number OF
officers and seryaDts Al such ealaes they please,
and without supervision, check or contract to en-.
ter upon and prosecute with the money Of the peo-
pie Of Chtcago-a gigantic undertaking which,
under such ar,agemeat, can only result In dlssp-
4th. For these and other reasons ve protest and
remonstrntc against the passage Of this bill. and
| respectfully request the members OF the General
Assembly from Cook county to use every effort to
5th. We recommend the passage Of the snb}oin-
cd additional sections to the proposed aet for
ton If The ka1ne should lave been adopted as q
psrt Of the amendments hereafter recommended
By the Common Council.
miltee OF three members Of the Common Councl
| who. together with the Mayor and Comptroller,
shall take charge Of these resolutions and have
them presented with such further matter as they
may deem proper, AID TO proceed to Springfield
and lay them before our own and other members
Of the General Assembly.
him and rejected at the meeting In Metropolitan
HALL on Tuesday evening last; it has been already
reported Y ths TsiRcssi ,Rosai ~ .ao.+
I and resolutions. When the meeting OF Aldermen
was called for the purpose Of considering amend
to the e h.fs the exens m
These people who we're moving. in the matter now
held back ct that time. ne ridicn'ed the ide, oil
the result Of popular movement; 1here were moi
more than one hundred persons present at the last
meeting in Metropolitan Hall.
Aid. Talcott moved to amend the resolutions by
! limiting the committee To visit Springfield, ia
three members, thd nunbcr originally mentioned
being I've. On motion Of Aid. EomIsty the CON.
ststed, the amendment being accepted By Tie
mover The three members were not appointed
ut the adjournment ofthe Counsel.
strncted to distribute printed copies Of tic resoa
11ons, &C., to each member Of the Legislature and
other; subsequently adopted.
| Aid. Gage did not leel sure about the best plan
to be adopled to cleanse the river, but felt su1e
| that some plan mCst be adopted Some considcr
arion was due to the charaetera Of the gentlemen
committee. and be thoughtit was not well to take
any action Ehich might oppose the publication o.
the river. He had been opposed to the hill, and
1nittee (Ar. Iaraed) that he should probably vote
against 1t in the Council, unless he saw other
eonB for Its adoption than those already etated4
The members OF the Board of Public Word {he IN
| deretood Nr. Gindele to be the one referred to-
had stated that the Board could not attend to the
The Mayor knew that the other members Of the
Board, himself included. had not shared in thai
expression Of opinion. The protest just read was
signed by all tho members OF the Board exeep!
nj. Giudc]c, md tbat gentleman had not refused
to sign it. the fact was be was absent at the time
that piper was slened-
frtred to as having acceded to the views Of Ar
| Gindcle, He hoped that the Council would dc
nothing, hastily. II was admitted that the Cain
lion would possibly coon be taken up by Indiana
make the deep cut. Very possibly The city would
,sss would he taEen in hand By lie State. il ihey
would act calmly they might probably be able to
accomplish this grea7 reform ln the river without
on aDF particular plan, moi tie the city to do any
thing tn advance. he did not want them to do
anything rashly, because they might do harm to
S II ss q
vas composed q good p,cn; he thought TIE!
c s % h
was no rcason for insulting them BY the.passas
" Ala. sa wslsh sad the way to Keep calm was t.
overthrow tie hill. II that Committee Of Thirt
we're allowed to push their measure through. til
coanet mht sp kGsp i9f It , eua hay
Of the City spent By outside parties.
AID O,Sullivan complained that the genuene
who cayilcd ut the city authorities had abst.ine
from making their grievances known while Ii
Common Council was considering the charter, wit
q view to It's amendment He objected, in toto, I
the proposed hill, because, while It provided ths
The Commissioners shou1d report to the Counc
once year, it did not proride TINT they should :
aiespurove Of their course entirely, but that woal
make no difference. All TINT the Commissioner
would do would be to involve the city in million
Ala, Barrett .aid 1t Was universally regarded
a most contemplate scheme, and he had been asl
II fr4x afs