Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-16
THE MAYOR WILL SUE.
Liberty Street Merchants Must Clear
Their Sidewalks.
NO QUIBBLING OVER AUTHORITY.
Gourley's First Fight With Former Polit-
ical Associates.
HOW TIE MERCHANTS TAKE THE ORDER

tions All who hereafter violate the side
walk ordinance will be prosecuted by the
Mayor himself Liberty street commission
merchants are included in this order
announced BY the Mayor yes
terday. His Honor took q walk around
the business part of the city yesterday
morning and passed along Liberty street
Just as the grocers from all over the city
were busily engaged loading their wagons
with the daily supply of fruit, vegetables
and green truck. His way was constantly
impeded bt baskets and parcels and busy
men rushing back and forth across the side
walk. When he returned to his Office he
announced his intention of enforcing the
sidewalk ordinance that pedestrians might
have their rights, not only on Liberty
street, but on all streets in the city.
As noted in THE DISPATCH some weeks
ago, the Mayor has been receiving COM
plants about the way merchants were en-
croaching on the sidewalk for the display of
their wares At that time he called the at
tention of Chiefs Brown and Bigelow to
the matter, but Mr.. Brown said 1t was Mr.
Bigelow's business, while Mr.. Bigelow said
nothing.
Pu. the Ordinances Onicer to Work.
The Mayor thereupon put his ordinance
officer to work investigating who the offend
ers were, and has now list of them on all
streets downtown. The movement thus
long dlgested will be stiff1y enforced, the
Mayor says, and will be applied to all
offenders against the law, at least until
Chief Bigelow returns from his trip to
Europe.
The Mayor insists that the clearing of
sidewalks is clearly police regulation and
as such should be attended to by Chief
Brown. The Chief makes no denial that
such is the case, but says the City Attorney
long ago decided that ANYTHING relating to
the condition of streets belonged to the
public works department. Such being the
case Mr.. Brown had not interfered The
Mayor says he will carry the law into ef-
feet until Chief Bigelow comes back, and if
there is still a doubt as to which depart
ment has jurisdiction he will go into court
and have a decision which will completely
set all doubts at rest
A little hitherto unwritten history is per-
tinent in this connection. The question of
which city department should control the
sidewalks was the first one on which Mayor
Gourley took a determined stand after he
assumed his Office. According to his state
ment, there was a meeting in his office
about ten days after he had been
installed, at which there were present
the chiefs of departments and several prom
inent political leaders. They we're discuss
ing and deciding how the city government
should be amicably conducted when the
question of street distractions came up.
Chief Brown declared that the suppression
of nuisances was police regulation and be-
longed to his department Chief Bigelow
said no, the matter of keeping the streets
clear properly belonged to the Department
OF Public Works.
Rapidly Widening Breach.
The Mayor sided with Chief Brown.
Others present took stand for Chief Bige-
low and finally persuaded Chief Brown to
allow the matter to rest in the Public
Works Department As this included the
appointment and control of a number of
men known as ordinance officers, which the
Mayor believed were a part of Chief
Browns department, he was inflexible in
his opposition. After a long discussion of
the question Chief Bigelow withdrew his
claim. The Mayor says he supposed that
was the end of it until Chief Brown in
formed him of the contrary yester-
day. Such, in brief. is the story
of the first rupture between the Mayor and
the men who were instrumental in electing
him. Other disputes followed this and the
chasm separating the Mavor from his
former political associates has grown so
wide that there is no hope Of its ever being
closed.
Liberty street merchants are considerably
agitated over the determined stand taken by
the Mayor When a reporter visited that
busy thoroughfare yesterday afternoon the
dealers were all e1citediy discussing the
situation. The general opinion was that
the movement is only the periodical flash
in-the-pan agitation and will die out in a
few days. as far as Liberty street is con-
cerned. Some talked of seeing several
prominent politicians to have ;he move
ment stopped, saving that was all that had
been necessary heretofore. Others took
rueful view, saying the enforcement of the
order simply meant that the commission
men must seek other quarters where they
could expose their perishable goods to the
air without public Inconvenience.
Prosecutions Will Be Necessary.
Henry J. McCracken, one of the oldest
commission merchants on the street, took a
philosophic view. Said he: 'T saw the
Mayor down here and wondered what he
was after. His order will have some effect
but not much, unless some of the dealers
are prosecuted. We have had talk of this
AiHu heaIlN every year since L can Iemem-
ber, but you see we are all here vet.
don't know what should do if compelled
TO carry on my business inside the door. 1t
would he impossible in this location, and 1
presume it would mean that we would have
TO move, though where / can't saw
John Wallace, another old firm, said:
''It is simply out of the question to carry
on commission business indoors Take
melons, for instance. If we could not keep
them out in the air they would scarcely
keep over night. At this time of the year
we must keep the bulk of our stock out of
doors in the air. After the first of Novem-
ber it is different, we can keep our stock in
side. There is never any complaint of us
in winter. But Pittsburg is not as bad as
other cities in this respect In
Chicago or New York the streets
upon which commission merchants
are located are practically. closed
to other business or pedestrians during bus
iness hours. You are compelled to take the
middle of the street to get along. The
sidewalks are entirely monopolized by the
commission men, but there is no complaint
Here we keep passage way four to six feet |
wide open for pedestrians, but still they
complain. As matter of fact few people |
walk on this side of Liberty street who |
don't come here to do business with the
commission men. They never complain.
The complaints come from those who have
no particular business on this side, but who
might just as we'll walk on the opposite
side"
Commission Men May Have to Move.
G. w. Van Gorder thinks commission
men will have to find other quarters if the
Mayor entorces the ordinance. 'It would
be great hardship on US to move just
now" said he, 'because the majority of the
men on the street have leases which do not