The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-14
ST. LOUIS NEWS.
BRIDGING THE RAILROAD TRACKs-A
HITCH I'm THE MUNICIPAL
ASSEMBLY.
Proposed Rebuilding of the southern
HOtel-The Proposed New Opera House
The Missouri state Democratic Con-
VentiOn.
Especial Correspondence OF the Democrat
ST. LOUIS, July II, 1878.

ST.. LOUIS, July II, 1873.
THE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY
adjourned for the summer last Tuesday
night, but a proclamation has been issued by
Mayor OverstOlz for the re-assembling Of
both houses in special session next Saturday.
The object of the special session is the passage
! OF the annual appropriation bill. The two
houses could not agree on one item of the
bill, and after the appointment Of six con-
ference committees and dozen or more
extra meetings for the express
| purpose of considering and agreeing upon
that one item, they adjourned without pass
ing the bill The point Of difference between
the two houses was on q proposition to bridge
the Missouri Pacific and the North Missouri
Railroad tracks at one or more street cross
ings. Both tracks enter the Union Depot
from the west, running side by side between
the depot and the outskirts of the city, and
are on level with dozen or more streets at
the points where they intersect them. The
tracks are already bridged at Twelfth
and Fourteenth streets, and PROPOSE
| tions and plans have been considered
| for bridging them at Tayon Avenue Mercer
| street, Jefferson Avenue and Grand Avenue.
joint committee Of the two houses reported
in favor of building a $4,000 bridge of the
Grand Avenue crossing this year and of
commencing 100000 bridge at the jefferson
Avenue crossing. The appropriation bill had
already been passed by the House Of Dele
gates when this report was made, and with
| out any appropriation at all for bridges The
council took $4,000 off the appropriations
passed by the House and made
an appropriation for that amount for bridges,
the intention being to put $4,000 of it on ap-
proaches for the Jefferson Avenue bridge
The property holders on Grand Avenue and
the two railroad companies had agreed to
contribute $4,000 to the building of the Grand
Avenue bridge, leaving $4,000 of the City's
money to be used In the Jefferson Avenue
bridge. The lower house refused to accept
| the Councils amendment, and conference
committee was appointed. All the daily pa
pers came out in favor of the pro-
posed appropriation for bridges, and an
Indignation meeting against the action of the
House in defeating the appropriation was
| held by prominent citizens on the Fourth of
July at Schnaiders Garden. The House re-
! fused STILL however, to accept the appropria-
| ton, q large majority OF the members claim
| ing that every cent of the money could be
used to better advantage on the streets and in
laying water and gas pipe and In building
sewers. Six conference committees were ap-
pointed one after another, and the last ten
| days and nights OF the session were CON
sumed In discussing the one point Of differ
ence without an agreement being reached. AS
| compromise, the lower house offered to ap-
prOpriate S35, 900, half the proposed sum, for
| bridges. The upper house proposed $50, 600 as
@ compromise. Ih8 lower house finally rose
to $48, 900, but the proposition was rejected by
| the Council. They wanted $50, 900 or nothing
The lower house refused to make any more
concessions, and the hour fixed for the adj
iournment of both houaes for the summer
passed with the appropriation bill still in the
| hands Of the last conference committee. The
Municipal Assembly was in session without
q recess since last fall. Most OF the bills
| passed during the session were for
THE REORGANIZATION OF THE DIFFERENT
| DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT
and for public improvem ents of various kinds
none Of which were Of special Importance
| The bill for building the proposed tunnel be-
tween the Union Depot and the levee fell
| through, as did also the bill providing for the
inspection of live stock butchered for CON
sumption In st. Louis. The bill authorizing
the extension OF the Iron Mountain railroad
track along the levee to the northern portion
Of the city, and the bill providing for the
building Of new street railroad, between the
business portion of the city and South st.
LOUIS, were DOLQ passed.
Two grand enterprises are now projected in
st. Louis, but whether either of them will be
| carried out or not is questionable. One is
THE REBUILDING OF THE SOUTHERN HOTEL.
and the other Is the erection of q grand opera
house The site of the proposed opera house
has not been decided upon as yet, but the
neiGhbOrhOOd Of Twelfth street, near Wash
ington Avenue, seems to be pretty generally
favored by the gentlemen at the head Of the
anfnTnTiIQ bod for Ia
$4,000, the principal subscribers being Gerard
b. Allen, Edwin Harrison, Albert Todd, VIM.
Barr u Co, Charles SCudder, A. A. Mellier,
J. L. GrisWT3Id, G B. Greeley 90. Hall
over $4,000 has been subscribed to the
Southern Hotel project and the men at the
head OF 1t are Silas Bent, David Nicholson,
Erastus Wells and COlOnels George and John
Knapp. Since the burning OF the old South
ern, property in the immediate neighborhood
has deprecated 80 per cent and more In value,
and the property-hOlders are, of course, anx-
ious to see the hotel rebuilt. The present
plan Is to lease the ground from Robert
Campbell for sixty years at $4,000 year,
and put $250,0O0 into the block The hotel is
to occupy about two-thirds of the block, hav-
ing entrances on Fourth, Fifth and Walnut
streets and the other third Is to be made the
site Of an academy of music, fronting on Elm
street and Fourth and Fifth streets. The two
buildings are to be separated by covered
acade, extending from Fourth to Fifth streets
forming carriage way and promenade and
having small shops, as they have In Paris and
other European cities, at the sides. The pro-
ject Of building
AN ACADEMY OF MUSIC
In the rear Of the hotel is bitterly opposed by
some OF the newspapers, and am inclined to
think that 1t will never be carried out The
fact is, don't believe that it was ever really
intended to put up such building, and it was
certainly never thought Of until the new
opera house project was started. That the
Southern Hotel will be rebuilt within the next
five years have no doubt at all, but hardly
believe that the work will be done under the
plan now proposed.
THE STATE CONVENTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY
of this State was held yesterday at Jefferson
City. Only four nominations were to be
made namely, for Register Of Lands, Judge
of the Supreme Court, Railroad Commission
er and Superintendent of Public instruction. |
The present incumbents Of four of the offices
were renominated without much opposition. |
A change was made in the office Of railroad