The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-12-18

une city OF Topeka was pdylllS tiiC4-
watenworks company sI500 year for
hydrants while only $4,000 worth OF
the company's property was assessable
| IN the city.
The committee of which he was
member Mr. Bradford said, went before
| the legislature and asked for law
| regulating such matters 1t passed the
| house but failed in the senate Tne
! proposed bill provided that the power
| house Of all such corporations should
be located inside the city limits.
Mr.. Bradford said he heartily concurr-
| ad in the suggestion Of the gentleman
| from LeaYenlWorth that we needed some
| legislation in regard to damages. He
| said there seems to be an inciina ton on
| the part of juries to give it TO muni-
| cspal governments and corporal tons
He then expressed the conviction that
| The question of municipal government
| was problem that demands a solution
| by the present age.
| City Attorney J. H Crider Of Fort
/ Scott stated the condition Of their wa
| terwOrks and said he wanted a law by
| which corporations could be made 10
| live up to their contracts with the cities
| Of Kansas. Then in cases where dam
| ages resulted from improper grades and
neglected crossings of street and other
railroads, he wanted the roads and not
The city TO be responsible for the dam
ages.
Councilman Bradford then called at
tention to the laws his committee had
secured. There were several of them
and he explained now he thought they
would be to the benefit of the people
Of the cities. He said there was a feel
| ing among members of the legislature
as well against creating any more Of
ficers in cities, but he believed the cities
needed more and better law counselors.
| He said the city attorneys had too much
TO do while all the corporations having
business with cities employed the best
Of legal talent.
ASSESSMENT AND TAXATION.
The first great question of the day was
that of assessment and taxation. In this
question ex-County Commissioner J. Lee
Knight of Shawnee, City Attorney Solo
mon of -Atchison, Councilman Hale of
| Tcpelt, City Attorney Haussermann. OF
| Leavenworth. Councilman Bradford of
| Topeka and City Assessor Caldwell Of
this city participated. Mr.. Bradford in
troduced the following resolution:
Resolved, That the committee on leg
islation are directed to prepare and
present TO the next legislature a bill
changing the basis of equalization so as
to commence with the state board Of
equalization and certify down to fine
county clerk and they to the township
and city assessors the basis OF valua-
ton.
JD.Caldwen Of this city objected to
the resolution and spoke in favor of
nome rule in assessments. He wanted
nothing from Topeka Councilman
Throckmorton also objected to it. He
thought that the meeting should confine
| Itself to matters pertaining solely to
cities Of the first class and that general
assessment should not be considered
The upshot Of the discussion was the
following amendment to the resolution
ny City Attorney HaUssermann of Lea
venworth, which was adopted by a
vote of 56 to II.
Resolved, That the committee on
legislation be directed to prepare and
present to the next meeting of the deg
islature a bill changing the basis Of
equalization so as to commence with
State board of equalization and certify
down ito the towship and city assessors
the basis of equalization.
WANTED WICHITA TO OPEN.
When the second subject came up, that
OF sidewalks. delegate from Fort Scott
wanted Wichita to open it as he thought
the Peerless Princess had the worst
sidewalks he ever saw Mayor Cox
pricked up his ears and wanted the
delegate TO repeat his statement, which
he did. The mayor of the Peerless
Princess did not know what TO say but
took his hat and went into an ante
room and lighted a cigar.
Councilman Bradford Of Topeka ad-
dressed the convention on sidewalks
and said that Topeka was very fortu-
nate in having good sidewalks
and yet it had damage suits. City At
torney Solomon of AtchisOn said that
his city mad solved the sidewalk problem
by haVing an ordinance passed for
( bidding the use of any material for
Sidewalks but vitrified brick stone as
phaItum or some other non-combustfb]e
material. The result is that AtchisOn
has only one damage suit on its hands
He Thought that propertyt owners
shou be made to pay for all grading
necessary for the construction of a side
walk. For instance, if there is a draw
or creek THE property owner should be
made TO pay for th expense of the sup
ports for said sidewalk. Councilman
=. J. Mcdonald of Leavenworth OBJ
jected to this because it was against
the poor people. He said there was
many poor property owners in Leaven-
worth who, if this idea prevailed and
became a law, would be wiped out of
house and home.
In connection with this the subject of
damages came up. Mr.. Haussermann
of Leavenworth introduced ae resolu-
ton asking for legislation 10 make the
property owners Jointly with the city,
responsible for damages by reason Of
defective sidewalks. Attorney Bird of
In, Ii Ia
UP for the widows. He said that if a
law of this kind was passed and a
person broke his leg on a sidewalk in
front Of a poor womans cottage that
the law would then step in and rob her
of Il. Mr. Throckmorton of this city
did not believe that as he thought the
resolution contemplated the exemption
of a homestead from such damages.
He Objected to Uhe resolution. however.
4 on other grounds. He said that # a
man went along some cold night and
tore up a few planks Of sidewalk for
kin,dling and another man came after
him and broke his leg in the hole thus
created that 1t would not be right 10
make theO wner responsible for dam
ages. Mr.. Hsussermann Withdrew his
resolution and the whole subject was
SETTLED by a motion Of Mr.. Throckmor-
ton To the effect that the committee
on legislation work for the passage Of
a bin compelling people injured 10 put
in their claims to the city council wi,h-
IN thirty days after the accident may
have hsppened and 10 lay his dam
ages wichin ninety days. He says the
great trouble now Is that when a person
injured he lays low for long time and
then presents mis- claim when IL IS diff
fcult FOR the city to get proof in lis
favor.
After this the convention took re-
cess mill : O'Clock