St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-04
OMAHAsS FINANCE COMMITTEE
STOPS THE PAY OF CITY
EMPLOYEES.
TO COMPEL ALLEGIANCE.
NO WAGES FOR LAST MONTH,
AND HUNDREDS OF MEN
IN WANT.
Judge HOpeweII Calls u Halt Till
Tuesday, and Threatens I'M
prisonment for Contempt.

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 3-The A.
P. A. combine attempting to control
the police and fire department will
not be able to take another move
before next Tuesday. The district
court heard the arguments today on
the injunction restraining the new
commission from acting, and inti-
mated that a decision would be rem
dered Tuesday. The court further
intimated that if its mandates were
again ignored by the city council,
or other, they would be Jailed. In
the meantime the old board runs
the city. After convening court
Judge Hopewell, of the district court,
said that on Friday, before him at
Tekahama, petition, verified as
provided by law, had been present
ed to him, asking that an injunction
issue against the city council re-
straining it from approving the
bonds of Broatch, Vandervoort and
Foster, who claimed to hold appoint
ments as members of the fire and po-
lice commission. He had examined
the petition and found that it was
duly drawn, as provided by the
statutes. He could do nothing, had
he desired, other than to issue his
order. In order that all the parties
might have notice and be given a
chance to show why such injunc-
tlon should not issue, he had set the
hearing in Omaha at 10 o'clock this
morning. When he reached Omaha
he was surprised to find that the
restraining order Of the court had
been ignored and the express orders
OF the court defied. He had hoped
that this morning he could have TAX
en- up the legal aspect of the. case
presented by the Injunction But
the question now presents ITSELF
said Judge Hopewell, shall the COM
munity allow this definace of the
law to pass without comment or re-
buke? The complications now aris-
ing are legal ones of a peculiar ma
ture." He expressed regret that this
complication had arisen, but as a
judge it was his duty to see that the
court was honored and obeyed. The
situation was such that he could not
ignore it, and must see what his DUTY
as a court was
SHUTTING OFF SALARIES.
Seventy-five more special police
men reported for duty, under the di-
rection of Mayor Bemis and two
"hold-over" commissioners, this
morning at roll call. They were duly
sworn in, and armed with a star
and an eighteen-inch club, after
which they were instructed to guard
the city Jail. The newly appointed
men were divided into two sections.
one of which was posted about the
front entrance and the other watched
the entrance to the rear Jail door.
That the members of the A. P. As
majority in the city council are
bound to use their majority to the
fullest extent is again in evidence
The services of the members of the
finance committee have been called
into requlSition, and the July sal
aries of nearly 800 employees of the
city have been withheld, to be used
as club to compel their allegiance.
The appropriation ordinance which
was passed by the council yester-
day was only for the benefit of pre-
ferred creditors. Contrary to all
precedent the finance committee in
structed the comptroller not to in
clude in the ordinance the salaries
of the members of the board of
fire and police commissioners, the
license board, the police department
and the board of health, and the
employees of the street commission
er'S department except the street
cleaning gang. The excuse of Chair
man Cadet Taylor for this unpre-
cedented proceeding was that he de-
sired to hold the pay rolls of these
departments for investigation. What
the nature of the investigation might
be, or what fault he had to find
with the pay rolls was not indicated.
EMPLOYEES INDIGNANT.
There was much Indignation to-
day among the employees, whose sal
aries have been thus withheld with
out apparent reason. While the IA
their warrants as usual, the victims
are met by the statement that there
are no warrants for them. Most of
them are married men, and were
depending on their salaries for the
| money to meet their monthly bills
tonight. The failure of the council
| to pay their salaries as usual is a
serious hardship, which is augment
| ed by the fact that they have no
! knowledge whether their salaries
are to be held back for a week, a
month or a year. A large number
| of the men affected are laborers
! and other employees, whose pay only
amounts to from $50 to $50 a month,
and they are entirely without money.
| The action of the committee relative
to the board of health is regarded as
a mere subterfuge to give color to
the refusal to approve the pay rolls
of the other departments. The pay
roll for the board of health only in
cludes a dozen or so of names, and
these are mostly men whose salaries
are sufficient to tide them over for
few days without inf1icting any ma
terial hardships. The failure to ap-
prove the pay roll of the police de-
partment involves the salaries of
nearly 100 employees.
Soldiers as BootIeggers.