Omaha daily bee., 1893-08-06
SEEKING FOR INFORMATION
1nterrogatives in Job Lots that Bowildsr,d
the People at City Hall.
PERPlEMNG QUESTIONS BY A TAXPAYER
Tirc'ome Hunt of an Inquls,t,vc Citix IN tor
Results of tho Councrs Efforts TO In.
sugurate Certain Re Reforms-Cuiied
from tho Corridors.

An tnquisitivo individual happened into
the city hall yesterday morning. He wanted
ITO know this and ascertain that" and
his inquisitiveness did not tend to ease
the councilmanic feelings. In fact tho
gentleman had heard OF great many
steps the council had proposed TO tal,c
In the interests of the taxpayers,
and AS some of the measures had
been introduced in the council aud appar-
ontly straugled to death in the committees
to which they were referred, he started out
on tour of investigation.
His first inquiry was after the street car
transfer ordinance that the dear people have
heard so much of and seen so little. The
gentleman found that the ordinance creating
systemof transfers had come before the
council In May and had been referred toa
special committee of which McI.oarie Is
chairman. Ho also found that McISearie has
announced half n hundred times moro or
less that the committee would report at the
next meeting, or as soon as some councilman
made some more changes desired. The ordi-
nance Is still In the hands of the committee
and it is apparently held there with death
like grip.
The inauisitive individual then sought to
ascertain what had become Of the scent fare
across the bridge. He ascertained that tho
committees Of the two towns are perform
ing the extraordinary feat of waiting reply
from the bridge company officials rs to what
the company proposes TO do. In the mean
time the inQuisitlve man is paying 10 cents
and is wondering what the agitation was
started for If nothing more was to be ac-
complished.
This gentleman had once heard OF coun-
Gilman named Chris Specht and n great
scheme Chris had in his mind for compel
ling the telegraph and telephone companies
to contribute to the revenue of tho city by
paying 81 each for every pole standing on
the streets and alleys. He hunted long and
hard, and even with the aid of powerful
glass he was unable to locate Chris or his
pole taxation ordinance.
Aksed About Assessments.
Not many weeks ago, the inquisitive man
ascertained the city council was engaged in
the laudable enterprise or taking steps to
levy an assessment for taxation purposes
against the property of the railway COM
panIes within the right-of-way, the Wagner
and Pullman palace car companies and the
| telegraph companies. The assessor had
| overlooked these and the council intended
| forcing the companies to turn into the treas
| ury of the city several thousand dollars to
| help along the maintenance OF the munich
| pal machinery. He found that the Union
| Pacific had ruched into the federal court and
| secured a temporary injunction which for
bade the city placing the property OF that
company on the tax rolls. He also
the serving of the papers the coun-
| Gil had stopped proceedings for two
| weeks pending hearing of the motion to
| dissolve the temporary order. The two
! weeks have come and gone many times over
get the injunction stands and the council
| has evidently forgotten all about the other
companies and the proposed taxation. Al
| the time the adjournment was taken it was
| expressly agreed that another me citing
should be held within two or three weeks,
and that in case the hearing on the Union
| Pacific injunction had not been secured the
| property of the other companies would be
assessed, Notwithstanding the injunction,
| which affected only the one company. The
| meeting has not been held, and there exists
| a deadlike silence regarding taxation against
| those companies.
Mira 20 of n Market House.
The man Of the lnqustive turn of mind
| also heard that some months ago there was
| n lively demand for the erection of q public
| market house. He found that the site was
| agreed upon after weeks of delay and that
| finally The city engineer and building inspeo-
| tor have been directed to prepare plans and
are now doing so. What he sought to ascer-
tain was how long time after the plans are
submitted to the council will be required in
getting the construction under way, and
whether the building will be completed IN
| time to lease it for an ice house.
The gentleman WAS worn out by this time
| aud he did not have the strength to ascer-
tain how long it will be until the council
! gets the new viaducts under way, reduces
the monthly bills Of the Thomson Houston
| Electric Light company In accordance with
the measurements Of the lights for candle
power as shown by the tests of the cleo
trician announces the public opening of the
city hall, removes the river front squatters
aud hundreds of other public matters thai b
| have hung fire for time almost immemorial