Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-02
The Mayor Requests Councils to
Pass a Ralding Ordinance.
SEVERE PENALTIES SUGGESTED,
Action Postponed on the Department
Chiefs Tenure Measure.
CITIZENS DEMAND ALL CITY WORK

character. President Parke asked for q
suspension of the rules, and read the fol
lowing communication from Mayor Ken
nedy:
| ALLEGHENY, Dec. L
To the Honorable the Common Council Of the City
| OF Allegheny:
GENTLEMEN-I respectfully request that at
| your special meeting this evening the rules
be suspended to admit the presenting OF an
| ordinance to control houses OF ill-fame and
| illicit liquor selling.
Pittsburg under her ordinance has closed
| oil houses of such character, and we must be
in position to prevent these people from
| opening houses in our city. 1t will also give
| us a chance to close up such houses as may
now be here and thoroughly stop the sale OF
liquors without license. Yours respect
fuily, W. NJ. KENNEDY, Mayor.
Fixing Penalties for Disobedience.
The accompanying ordinance was read:
| Section BE it enacted, ETC., that from
| and after the passage of this ordinance all
houses Of ill-fame all houses frequented by
| persons for lewd and unchaste purposes, all
| unlicensed dance houses, and all houses and
places where Intoxicating liquors are sold
| without license or contrary to the laws Of
| this Com mon wealth shall be deemed and
of said city are empowered to arrest every
| keeper thereof, and everyperson found there
in and to bring all such persons before the
Mayor or any police magistrate of said city
| for examination and hearing, and each such
| described person whom the Mayor or police
magistrate shall adjudge guilty of maintain
| ing such houses, or of visiting the same for
Improper PURPOSES shall be fined not less
! than $5 nor more than 500 for each ofense.
and in default OF payment OF such hne and
costs shall be committed to the Allegheny
fxy unrEh fnr q
than 80 days.
Section 2-All fines collected, as aforesaid,
shall be accounted for by the Mayor or po-
lice magistrate and paid to the City Treas
urer for use of the city of Allegheny.
The ordinance was read and referred to
the Committee on Public Safety.
When the ordinance increasing the terms
of the chiefs of departments to four years
was taken UP Mr.. Koehler moved to in
definitely postpone action.
Mr.. Rudolph thought the ordinance un-
constitutional and that the special act of
1870, which did not give to Councils the
power of fixing the terms of officers, ap-
piled to the matter.
Councils Could Fix the Tenure.
City Solicitor Elphinstone was called on
and said the gentleman was mistaken. The
second-class city charter act provided for
them and Councils could fix the term of Of
fee.
Mr.. Gerwig opposed the motion to in
definitely postpone. The ordinance should
not be so summarily dealt with; all should
have a chance to express themselves and it
should lay over to the regular meeting.
The motion to postpone was lost Mr..
Knox then offered an amendment to the
ordinance. making the term for which the
chiefs will be elected in January, 1898,
three years, and the terms after that four
years His reasons for this, he said, were
that now the chiefs are elected right in the
midst of the canvass of Councilmen for re-
election. There would be an influence ex-
erted by each over the others election.
The amendment would change this and
have the chiefs elected in the middle of the
Councilmanic term.
Mr.. Gerwig favored the amendment
There was no doubt, he said, of the cleo
tions of Chiefs and Councilmen close to-
gether exerting its influence on both.
On vote, however, the amendment was
lost by 13 ayes to q nays.
On motion of Mr.. Dahlinger the ordi-
nance was then laid over until the next
regular meeting.
The ordinance to refund the assessments
paid by the School Street Chapel for the
grading and paving of School and Kilbuck
streets failed for the want of legal major
itv. The vote was 20 ayes to 18 nays.
Willing to Fight the Case.
CITY Solicitor Elphinstone was granted
the floor. and said he wished some instruc-
tions He informed the Council of the
mandamus petitioned for by citizens of the
Twelfth ward to compel a reassessment of
the taxables in the ward and a reappor-
tionment SO as to give the ward two Com
mon Councilmen instead of one The case
is to be argued December 10, and he wanted
to know if he would resist the petition. He
could do so, as he thought the petition is
fatally defective, and that the court
will quash it. The Twelfth ward
no doubt did not have a fair
apportionment, but he thought it impru-
dent to open up the apportionment matter
at this time. 1t might involve all the
wards, as it would change the quotient.
Further, ifit is opened for one ward all would
be entitled to it and there had been COM
plants from several wards There may
have been an injustice to the Twelfth ward,
but he did not think 1t advisable to open up
the matter at this time, so near the begin
ming of another term, and it might reflect
in Councils.
On motion of Mr. Knox the City Solicitor
was instructed to oppose the petition.
Upon the call of wards a number of
papers were presented and referred to the
proper committees. One petition was as
follows: That the city of Allegheny shall
have a proviso3 in all OF its contracts or
awards for work to be done either by the
city or by contract through others for the
city, that none shall be employed to per-
form such contract or work except by citi-
zens of the United States, and that prefer
ence shall be given TO the citizens of Allie
gheny City over others. Among the sigma
lures to the petition seven were written In
German.
Disposing Of Routine Business.
Ordinances regarding and repaying Basin
street and Ella street and for an act to
assess on abutting property the additional
repaved with superior pavement, were
presented,
The following measures were passed
finally: Ordinances fixing rents for Carnegie
Hall, for sewers on Charles street, Wolf
alley, Sawmill alley, Magnolia street, La
mont street, North street, Hazel street;
grading, paving and curbing kirkpatrick
avenue, Wolf alley, West Market street,
Roberts street, High street, Lamont street;
requiring connections to be made with
sewers; regulating the construction of sew
ers naming O'Neil street, Eleventh ward;
prohibiting erection, etc, of barbed wire
fences; to lay water main from Howard
street station to Montgomery hill tank;
awarding contract tor regarding and repav-
ing Cabinet street; to advertise forSbids for
q retaining wall at the Howard street pump
ing station; repeating ordinances opening
Rodgers street; changing the sidewalk line
on Bemlock street: authorizing the sale of
the iron fence around City Hall, and to
purchase lot on Vii street.