Telegram-herald., 1891-02-20
DEMAND INVESTIGATION.
Ihs COMMITTEES - streets Holds A
Animated sesstse.

Na4tS1 - N4ASff sNAtS tA@3 A@+%N~
finn stepped INTO the room, and sat
down Inomsat Tie business q the
committee had progressed satisfactorily
for fifteen minutes, when Mr. Pan
arose and began 70 offeT suggestions on
the conduct OF tue business and tie
subject matter thereof.
At th.s iunctare. CITY Attorney 1ay-
lor 1 I'D the young man that hls conduct
Was too characteristic for endurance,
anu that II he dld col dessi either the
patrol wagon OF a tHeAk OF the nose
would be necessary. Upon this terrible
etfuslon by SO sinall man as the city
attorney, Mr.. Finn SAID tlst he Was
only the representative or a bigger man
than he Was and a bigger man than the
city attorney.
Al this point Andrew DOYLE arose
and said that the best way 10 Use =
thing ike that Was 10 put him out.
But Mr.. Finn went ont on hls own feet,
breathing ont cufslngs and threaten-
ngs against all the committee who
dared 10 take exceptions 10 his taking
part ln the deliberations OF a meeting
of the committee of the Common Coun-
| ell on streets.
Shortly after the episode recorded
| above, VIII j. Sproat took Mr.. tlnn ;
| place. Presumably Mr., Finn sent MIR.
! sproat. On the appearance OF Mr.
| Sproat, Alderman Creque asked the
| gentlemen how he came 10 say IN a
| public way that he, Alderman croque,
had been paid for the time he con-
sumed on his Journey 10 Detroit 10
look over the esllica-Barytle IN that city.
Mr.. SprOat said, At iirst, be would not
! tell. Then Mr.. Creque said he must
| tell, or stand branded as liar.
"See herei" said Mr.. Creque. "Iou
| know am rot IN the habit of speaking
rashly, nor do swear; but If It Will add
solemnity TO my words now uttered, /
| swear by the eternal that you must say
who told YOU that took pay Tor the"
| Here Alderman Mills chipped IN, and
| said that Mr.. Sproat was a great, big
| liar. and must take back what he had
sald about him. II not. then
Here Mr.. Mills clipped Mr.. Sproat
just one. Then Mr.. Mills said, "Do you
mean TO say that'-and here Mr.. Mills
clipped Mr.. Sproat another. At this
point the chairman stepped between
| the combatants and separated them.
| Or course no one was fit for serious
business after that and the committees
adjourned.
| The Observation-Disclosures took the
pains to see the various members OF the
committee on streets, after the meeting,
and those that were seen reported AS
| follows:
| Aid. Doyle, chairman:
| 81 want you to understand that am
a citizen of Grand Rapids, with all my
| life bound up here. ! have saved a
| little property but not cent OF 1t has
| been made outside of my own strong
right arm. LIZ anybody wants TO con-
meet me with wrongdoing. | ask him TO
come on. l want YOU 10 announce that
on Monday next / shall move for an
| investigating committee To look INTO
this whole business. | shall not ask
| for whitewasi. and, to guard against
that, | shall ask that two members Of
that committee be selected from the
most reputable citizens OF the COM
munity. Please emphasize this. l do
not want To talk about the fracas tins
evening, for that is unimportant COM
| pared To the man question. Will you
announce in the paper my intentionl
There will be an investigation, and
| don't You forget il"
Mr.. Mills-"I do not care to talk.
| Any man in the world would have hit
him under the same provocation. lie
called me a liar. If ne had not lied
himself, would have been more in
clined to submit 10 the insult. But
hit him, and l don't deny 1t. But |
want you TO say IN the paper that If
Mr.. Bellaire ever gave me cent thar
was not mine, honestly earned, / invite
the world TO come and show the facts.
Mr.. Stokes-"Iou know ! hate you
reporters as Go rattlesDakcs. ! know
how easy il is 10 make great things out
of appearances. | do rot now assume
to ask you to base anything on my re-
putation. Although | am rs jealous as
Mr.. Creque can he OF my honor, yet the
fact stands that Mr.. Creque is0lder than
ali Of us on this council, and | am con
| tent TO defer To him. It seems To nae
| simply absurd to accuse such 4 man IL
Creque of boodlelsm, even by indHec-
ton. The whole miserable business j:
bad. I do not deny that we ought
not to have been quite so thick with
Mr.. Bellaire. But we must remember
that Bellaire has MS own ways of social
intercourse which we were not inclined
TO question. That IS all there Is of It
am not saying anything of my owr
virtues. feel too Inundated to
quarrel on that point. But If thf
Grand Rapids public think that such
men as Creque and Doyle and ODon
nell and stebbns-aud they are the
men who voted aye on the main ques
tion-sre purchasable by paltry wad
of greenbacks, let them appear before
the committee which is sure now e
come, and avow their belief. do no
believe a word Of this charge"
| Mr.. Bellalre--"I reiterate al have
ever said about the durability Of the
silca-Barvtle. But | say muoh more
If a committee of your Common Coun
Gil - ever appointed to look into thn
question OF hoodle. | shall expect to be
called before them. Do not let me bs
misunderstood. ! want 70 testify under
oath before any tribunal that may wan
20 take competent testimony. touching
al the facts. | understand that an III
vestigatIon "a gong IN be ordered. Jus
put me down as one wGo wants 70 b'
there
All the above interviews were taker
from men under the Intensity Of ner
vo1s strain incident upon the excite
ment Of the evening. IL they stand II
their expressions today, tseB tire u
vest gston may be safely declared as