The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-11
HARRISON FAVORED 1T.
Asked Reduction of Salaries Year Ago
The North Topeka Meeting.


The North Topeka Meeting.
There was a meeting of citizens of the
First ward at the fire station in North
Topeka Saturday night Chaplain P. I.
Rhodes of the house of representatives
was chairman of the meeting.
The meeting was for the purpose of
hearing the report of committee ap-
pointed to ascertain which of the can
didates for city offices are in favor of re- =
ducing the salaries OF all city employees
who receive over $50 per month. The
committee consisted of J. A. Lukens, o.
D. Skinner and George G. Stoker.
The committee reported that they had
visited Mayor Harrison, who said that he
was in favor of the reduction of all SAL
aries over $50 a month, except those of
the members of the fire department c.
A. Fellows had told the committee the
same thing. Councilman Holman said
that he was in favor of reducing some
salaries, but not all He afterward ex-
planned that the salaries he was not in
favor of reducing we're those of mem
bers of the fire department
Cy Kistler and NJ III. Hale said that 1t
had not been the intention of the meet
ing to advocate the reduction of salaries
of members of the fire department
W. h. Eastman took exception to
something Mr.. Holman said about Coun-
Gilman Fellows being in favor of the re-
duction of salaries. He read the recon-
mendation made by Mayor Harrison to
the council in February, 1894, in
which he submitted a schedule
of what he considered an equit-
able reduction of salaries of the
heads of departments, his own salary he
advocated being reduced to $500 q year,
and reductions in the other departments
which, he said, would make enough of a
saving to furnish 5000 days. work to
men at $3.50 per day.
The communication was not discussed,
but Mr. Holman said that he did not re-
member that it had ever been presented
to the council, and that there WAS no re-
cord of the communication ever having
been read.
Then Mr.. Eastman took from his
pocket a copy of the JOURNAL of that
date. which told of the communication
of the mayor having been read to the
council which refused to agree to its
terms This seemed to be all the oppo-
sition wanted and nothing more was said
The meeting took steps in favor of
granting the new dam company a fran
chise and having the mayor sign the new
dam ordinance.
The following resolution, introduced
by Samuel Dolman, was unanimously
adopted:
Resolved, That on account of the de-
preston of times we believe that it is our
interest to encourage and foster any and
all public enterprises by which the pres
emit large surplus of idle laboring men
will be furnished employment
Be it further resolved, That we be-
Iieve that the candidates for mayor and
councilmsn who are dependent for cleo
ton, to large extent, upon the voting
franchise of this laboring class should,
before the primary next saturday. place
themselves on record on all questions of
public improvements under contempla-
ton at the present time and that Mayor
Harrison be requested to sign the ordi-
nance granting the upper dam company
franchise, before next Wednesday eve
ming.
This time is named because q meeting
of the council is to be held at that time.