Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-28
WHIT 5 WRONG NITYCOONC.L
Another Attempt 10 Hold a Meeting,
Last Night, Resulted in a Failure.
The Second Branch Gould Only
Muster a Bare Quorum at Half
past Eight, While at a Quarter
of Nine the First Branch Still
Lacked One-Some Timely Re
marks by President Maxwell.

of Nine the First Branch Still
Lacked One-Some Timely Re
marks by President Maxwell
Having failed to secure a quorum last
Tuesday evening, when Council was
called to meet in regular session, a spe-
cial session was called for last night,
and everybody supposed there would
be no trouble at all about getting a
quorum, particularly as it was known
that there was important business upon
the table awaiting action, and that the
cleaning up Of bills payable would be
Of material assistance to the City Clerk
and Receiver in closing up the business
OF the year. That is where everybody
was wrong. Only a comparatively few
people know the capacity Of Council for
doing nothing at critical times. Among
the matters awaiting attention in add
ton TO 4 considerable accumulation of
bills and ordinances. was the ordinance
SrOyid.ng fer an increase in the rates
TO be charged by the Natural Gas Com
pany OF West Virginia, from 15c per
LOGO cubic feet to 1Sc net per ], goo cubic
feet. And right here IS the explanation
Tor the lack OF a quorum. Too many
members We're afraid to face the music
and vote On the measure. During the
past few days a very strong influence.
no. born, as might be supposed, of hos
tiEty 10 the gas measure because of the
increase in price, but arising out Of the
hot scramble between a number of Re
publ.Cans for the nOm.n2ti0n of Sheriff,
has been eXerJed 10 keep members Of
Council away. upon the plea that a vote.
either favorable or adverse. might dam
age the chances Of one or TWO certain
individuals. \ member Of the bar is
given credit, particularly, for prevent
ing last nights meeting. and Judging
from the results attained. he carried out
his instructions TO the letter What
some Of the Republicans councilmen re-
gard as AN evil day fer them person
ally. has only been postponed. however.
IL is very probable that Council will be
again called in special session for Mon
day evening. and folks who fail to re-
pond the next tine will be both watch
"a ana criticized.
The events OF last evening we're Just
q little bit funny. Members generally
heat the record for procrastinat.on in ar
irving az the City Hall. and at eight
o'clock there we're but SIX members Of
The First Branch, out of sixteen. and
bu, thirteen cut of the Second Branch.
out of twenty-e.ght present About ten
minutes past eight. after a number of
I.smal predictions had been made that
3, was mo use" the members were mar
shaled upstairs. and the rolls of the two
bodies were called. In the First Branch
those who answered 10 their names
We're MesSrs. Britt. Butts. Farrell, Hal
Ter. Kalbitzer and Otto. In the Second
the responses were from MeSsrs. Arndt.
Bodley. Britt Campbell, Fair. Kern,
Lindsay, Retzer Uselto1, UtermOhlen.
Wells and Mr. President. BY this time
it was quarter past eight. and the
struggle between those who were anX-
ious 10 adjourn and those who wanted
to proceed and transact the citys bus
mess was fairly on Chief Bennett, ac-
tive in the discharge of his duty. had
officers securing the town for members
and as result of these efforts, Mr..
John Hess appeared for the Second
Branch, followed az intervals by Messrs
Halne and F'rew, and at half past
eight a bare quorum was announced
In the First Branch matters did not go
on so well. Nessrs. Swicker and Rob
ins0n came in between hall-past eight
and twenty minutes Of nine but that
body was till one short.
When a quorum was announced in
The Second Branch, President Maxwell
made a short address. scoring the First
Branch for its repeated failures to OBJ
tain a quorum for the transaction of the
c.ty's business. As he concluded. he
announced that a motion 20 adjourn
would be in order. Mr. Utermohlen
moved 20 adjourn and Mr.. Frew second
ed It. On g viva voce vote it was ap-
parent that the noes had il, and some
body called for the ayes and hayes. On
roll call Messrs. Arndt. Frew, Uselt0n.
Utermohlen, Wells and Mr. President
voted aye-and AeSsrs. B01ley, Britt,
Campbell. Fair. Hahne. Hess. j.. Kern,
Lindsay and Retz5r voted no. The mo-
ton being lost, a message was sent to
the First Branch 10 find out how they
stood, and the reply was returned that
they had eight members IN Their seats.
and that a ninth would be present in
short time. This settled It with the Sec
,ond Branch. Mr.. Frew stated that he had
important business requiring his at
tention, and although his absence would
break the Second Branch quorum. and
he fact had been announced officially
that another First Branch member was
on his way. Mr.. F'rew was Immediately
excused. The Second Branch. thus one
short of n quorum Immediately adjourn
ed. and the First was compelled to fol-
low suit. As the first of the fleeing
members reached the lower corridor,
they met Mr. Richards hurrying along
on his way to the First Branch cham
Der. He would have been there in fif-
teen seconds more, and business would
have proceeded.
As it is, a good many people will have
to do without their money for an indie
finite period. and the general business
of the city Will go without attention.
And all because CT politics.
TWO MORE CASES.
IT,. -,,,ro NON ooeo- ,,-oro ,.oDor4oJ