, 1874-05-05
THE COUNCIL.
The Validity of tho Present Gas
Contracts.
An Appeal to 0pon milwaukee, Avenue
to Lake Street.


tho Committee On Judlclnry to report m ordin-
anco, changing tho COW limits Of Tho soyontoenth
Ward. It was roforred.
TIE TITLE TO THE LAKE FRONT.
AID. Campbell offered tho following, Which
was passed.
ORDERED: That tho ootporstion Connao! nc snane
IA hcroby direoe to procure ~ Abstraet o. tho heto
Dearborn PARK aud Tho property known a. Tue "Lako
Font rom ny abstract rn Or asms that @ may be
It his earliest conron,enee what scttoh, Y any, y
Oougress or othcrwnc Ia needed to vest The foo simple
In tic city.
pnrpoE AT pEEn1No srnEEr.
Ala. Rody introduced an order for tho Board
nj Public Works to prepare estimates for d
hridrc over tho South Branch at Docring strcot,
and include tho salno In thoir annual ostinatea.
II WAS 1oforrod.
DE1lNQuEsr SEWER CONTRACTORS.
.Ald. Jonas presented q preamble resolution
,umpaining that, In consequence OF tho delay
pf sewer contractors, certain districts In tho
North Division nre In bad sanitary condition,
md directing tho Board OF Public Works to hold
Ill gevpr Contractors roHponBiblo Tor tho com-
plotion OF all contracts within tho specified time
Referred 10 tho Committoe on judiciary.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A petition Of ronfdentp Of tho Fourteenth
Ward for q viaduct at tho intersection Of Ash
land Avonuc and Kinzie stroet, was roforrod..
An ordinance prohibiting bathing In tho lako
In front Of Lincoln Park was referred: o. st,u
An order for a policeman to bo stationed at
Carroll Aud Dosplhlnoa streets In order to pro
Won't tho unlawful obstruction OF tho crossing by
tho ratlway-oare, WAS referred.
4 PROTESTING DANK.
A communication WAS road from the officers OF
The Hide aud Leather Bank, protesting against
The tax assessment on the capital Btook Of thai
bank, as out OF proportion with tho tax Of osher
banka. It Waa referred to tho Committee Oh FL
nnnco. ...
THE GAS CONTRACTS.
4 communication Was received from the Cor
poration Counsel to tho effect tint, before pro-
ceoding to declare tho gas contracts void, 1t
would be we'll for tho Council to take certain
tho CONTRACT void, and that, after q cortaiu day,
the city will use no moro gus undor tho provia-
ions of the existing consraet, and authorize tho
Mayor and Comptroller to mako arrangements
lions as to quality, quantity, and price, for Gas
AID. Quirk moved to rotor tho mattor to the
Committee on Judiciary, with instructiona to re-
port an ordinance ombodying tho suggestions Of
the Corporation Counsel. .-,
Aid. scha1ner counaolod caution In 90 imports
ant mhtter. Eminent lnwyors differed In toto
from the opinion Of tho Corporation Counsel,
and tho Council should well consider, before
proceeding to declare tho contract null and
void, and should not tnko this step until il had
provided for substitute for tho gus no longer
to be procured under o1isting contract. He
moved to refer without any Instructions. :
Aid. Campbell said ho had consulted tho most
emincnt attorneys in the city, and they simply
lnu8hoaa at tho opinion Of tho Corporation Coun-
sci. There wcro many decisions precisely In
point, the courts holding that in oasoa whore
It was necessary for tho city to mako contracts
tho contracts hold good, although tho ohnrtor
provisions might bo to tho contrary. lie was In
favor Of referring without instructions.
Tho motion to Instruct WAS lost, aud tho mat
<ar &r np raj farrnd ty{kfnnt instr1,ctiouA.
THE CoNHUapTloN OF GAS.
4 communication was received from the City
Comptroller, to tho effect TINT tho Gas Inspector
had prepared Timetable for tho street lamps.
saving can and ought to be effectod in the con-
sumption Of gas by tho city. Tho mast0r Was
reforred to tho Committee on das-Light.
sTnF:ET IMPROVEMENTS.
Ordinances wero passed for curbing, filling,
and paving CLARK street, from Harrison to po1l
and Tor ciirbing, filing aud cindoripg Granger
street, from Wells to sodgwick.
TAX JUD0iENTS,
Aid. McGrnth offered resolution authorizing
tho Comptroller to employ additional counsel to
prosecute tho tnx appeal casea now pending in
tAe Circuit Court. and also to obtain judgments
on the general tax-warrant Of 1874. lie OK
PINNED Chat tho majority Of these appeals and
delinqucncles were on spociai, assessmonts on
which rebates were due to partica who had ovor-
Paid From tho fact that the originnl warrants
wero burned in the great fire, 1t
would be difficult to obtain judg;.
tho present Law Department being unfamiliar
with those cnses, itwould be necessary to employ
competent counsel. Tho Comptroller beloved
1t tnccossnry, but did not feel warranted in doing
It without authority from tho Council.
Aid. Richardson believed tho present Law De-
partment ought to be- compelled to attend to
all these matters. Tho Comptroller had cul-
p!oyed outside counsel heretofore, md he would
probably do 9"y it now i i no really thought tho
The Chair stated that tho Comptroller had the
tight under tho chartor.
AID, Campbell said il that wero true thore was
no need OF passing the resolution.
fer TO have tho Council act III tho matter.
The resolution waa adopted.
AID. Whlto presented y reBo1ution.inquirin OF
tho Board Of Public Works whethor anything
kyouuo. It was referrod.
STEWART AVENUE.
Tho Board OF PUBLIC Works reported that tho
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne Il Chicago Railway Com
rany refuse to comply with an order to improve
eightecn feet of Stewart avont,o, because they
eau ouly be compelled to do it after tho Council
has first ordered tho ,proporty-owners to improve
Tho strect mud that the Company ia not Obliged
to improve tho ayenne north OF Sixteenth street,
And that until all ordinance has been passed by
Tho Council tho Company is only required to
keen in order TINT portion OF the avenue ocou-
pied by their tracks. Tho matter was referred
10 the Committee Oh 6tfoeta and AtloY6.
IAcEN8INa sTnEET CARS,
AID. Cullorton prcsonted mn order, which was
rsforrcd to tho Committee on Railroads, direct
luz tho Corporation Counsel to report IN orfli-
n.nceroquiring tho payment Of aliconBe for ovory
str0at car.
THE GAS CONTRACTS AGAIN.
AID. 6ohalfuor moved to ask the City Attorney
fot his opinion as to the validity OF existing gaa
contracts.
Aid. Quirk objected to this method Of getting
up D feud between tho Corporation Counsel aud
the City Attorney.
Aid, bchaffner said that Judge Norton'n opn-
lon, already given, was regarded Rs unaound by
eminent lawyers. The Council ought to have
Mr.. Ja1nieson'a opinion,
Tho motion was lost
MILWAUKEE AVENUE DELKdAT1OH.
jAld, White stated there was present largo
delegation OF proporty-owucra on milwaukee, W.
enuo, aud ho Desired leave for tho Oharman Of
ths delegation to stato their grievances.
Several Aldermen objeotod, on tho ground that
thn DELEGATION could send III n petition.