The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-25
A Special Meeting Of the City
Council Called but Only Five
Aldermen Present
President Steele Positively Re-
fuses to Approve Of Ordi-
nance No 20.
It Called for the Appropriation of Money
to Purchase Lot In the Seventh
Ward.

special meeting OF the city council was
called for last night by Acting Mayor
Steele. The object of, the meeting became
known during the day and a sufficient num-
Der Of aldermen agree to stay away to pre-
vent any business from being transacted.
President Steele made it known that he
had vetoed the ordinance appropriatine
$3.50 for lot in the Seventh ward, which
was to be the site for hose house. A
strong protest was made against this pur-
chase by a minority at Tuesday nights
session. Three days constitute the statu-
tory time for approving or vetoing an ordi-
nance.
The aldermen who responded to Presi-
dent Steele's call were Lissner, Garrett,
Wilmer, Brown and Hartwig.
The aldermen who did not respond were
Connolly; Richards. Dunn, Theme, Han
ley, Gallagher, Thompson and Spencer.
President Steele waited until $3.50 for a
quorum. The roll was called. President
Steele then stated that he had vetosd ordi-
nance Is. He had hoped quorum would
be present, but he felt that the members
not present staid away evidently for the
purpose of defeating his purpose. He
would assure them, however, that while a
doubt may exist in a legal view of the case,
he would never sign warrant voting away
further stated-aad nobody who knows
Doc Steele will question his honesty or
sincerity-that it was not his purpose to de-
prive or delay the residents Of the Seventh
ward of having hose house and fire ap-
paretus; on the contrary, he was anxious to
see this safeguard established at once, and
had the absent aldermen attended the
meeting he would recommend that imme-
diate steps be taken to secure another site;
but he could not conscientiously endorse q
proposition by which the taxpayers would
be the sufferers
The veto was not acted upon and Presi-
dent Steele said they would have to send
after Mayor Bradford if the aldermen
wanted to pay the price of the lot. A re-
porter was shown the veto, which more
fully explains President Steele's position.
1t reads:
II herewith return ordinance No. 26 APP
propriating $2,25O to pay Jno.- s. M. Neill
for lot 16, block 6, Bassett addition. for the
purpose of hose house, without my sigma
ture for the following reasons:
First. Because the price is too high,
other lots equally as suitable for the pur-
pose of the city and in the immediate vicin-
ity can be bought for sums ranging from
81 200 to $1,000:
Second. After the city had appointed a
committee to secure this lot, other OUTSIDE
parties, moving Of the action Of the CITY
council have interfered and bought the lot
from original owners for $1,000, thus fore
stalling the city for private purposes. For
these reasons I have been constrained to
veto ordinance No. 26, and herewith return
il without my signature.
VIM. L. STEELE,
President of the Council.
The lot in question has created consider
able talk. Alderman Wilmer bitterly OPP
posed its purchase, not that il was not a de-
sirable location; but he felt justified in say
ing that the city was being imposed upon
in the sum of $3.50. He asserted that after
the council agreed to take the lot, the real
estate broker purchased 1t from the owner
for $500, the figure which the city could
have purchased it for. Alderman Dunn at
tempted no defense of the strong insin-
uations against him. He pursued another
polioy-that Of charging Alderman Wilmer
with crookedness in the purchase of sup
plies for the fire. department. The latter
courted an investigation and said he never
purchased a dollars worth for that depart
menr in his life. In connection with this
lot muddle, there was another tender from
a property owner which did not receive any
confederation the night the bids were open
ed. It is evident, however, that the price
of lot 16 will have to be reduced before it
will be accepted by President Steele.