The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-02
.ITISNOT QUITE CLEAR
The Claim Of the Sazerac Saloon Is
Paid.
BUT WAS 1T LEGALLY DONE
Mayor Thompson May Find Him
self Under Investigation for Set
Ting Claims Caused by the
Fourth OF July Riots.
BUT WAS 1T LEGALLY DON


since the present administration came
into power. and inasmuch as no expla-
nation accompanied the warrant and
nothing has been said In regard to IL.
" might be possible that some future
administration. in the course of an In
vestigation, might dig IL up and raise
some inquiries about 1t.
The history of that warrant Is as
follows: A year ago last Fourth of
July there w'as a riot in Butte. Simon
Hauswirth. In decorating his saloon.
arranged the bunting in such a way as
20 form the gigantic letters in front OF
his place, "A. p. A" Later in the day.
Veeton & Anderson. proprietors OF the
Sazerac saloon. who worshipped the
same God that Mr. Hauswirth worship
ped, and who did not wish Mr.. Haus-
wtrth 10 get a scoop on them In curry
ing favor with this God. hung out a
similar sign In front of their place. But
1t seems there were people IN Butte who
worshipped a different God from the
God worshipped by Mr.. Hauswirth. Mr..
Anderson and ,Nfr. Veeton. The emblem
which to the latter signiied holiness.
religious fervor and patriotism was
considered an insult by the former. and
the fun began. A riot started. in which
several good people were killed. Mr..
Hauswirth, for the general public good
and IN the interest of the city as a
whole. took down his sign. but the
Sazerac would not take down its en-
blem of respect and alteration to the
great God of the universe.
Z. o. Dugan was at that time mayor
of Butte. Despairing of any other way
OF dispelling the riot. and the exchange
of shots between the crowd and the
Sazarac saloon having proven quite
deadly. and the propr.etors of the Saz-
erac refusing to listen to the pleadings
of worshippers of any God, declaring
that their token of alteration to the
Being who said, Love One Another
Should stand even II all Butte were
laid in ashes-this being the case Mr..
Dugan ordered out the Butte fire de-
partment. The department turned a
stream of water into Hauswirrhs sa-
loon- which was unnecessary, inasmuch
as that saloon had taken down It's re-
Lgtous sign, and then turned a stream
into the Sazerac saloon.
A few weeks afterward. when things
had quieted down. Mr.. Hauswirth put
in a claim for damages done to his sa-
Icon to the city council for $500. and the
Sazerac put in a claim for $1,000. A
committee of the council Investigated
the damages done to the saloons, and
reduced Mr.. Hauswirth's claim to 800
and the Sazerac's to $500. The council
allowed the claims at these figures.
Mayor Dugan paid Mr.. Hauswlrth's
claim of 800. which sum was sat.sfac-
tory to Mr.. Hauswirth. Mr.. Dugan con-
siderlng that the damages done by the
fire department. to Hauswirtn's place
was by mistake and uncalled for. there
beng no trouble there at the time the
department turned out. Mr.. Dugan,
however. refused TO pay the claim
awarded tine Sazerac. and vetoed the
N = nm a u
L. S. Booth, who was acting as city at
torney in the absence of Mr.. Cotter In
the East.
There the matter rested until the
present administration came into pow
er. Some time since that event ]. ].
Anderson OF the Sazerac saloon was
paid that claim of $500. although II is
not known just on what date 1t was.
Probably nothing would have been
thought of the matter and no comment
would have been aroused had the mat
ter been brought up in the council
and the council had acted on IL, or
had Mayor Thompson made a state
ment to the public through the news
papers of the fact that he had paid the
claim. The singular thing about IL all
Is that the mayor saw fit to observe
the strictest secrecy in the matter.
He made no report TO the council that
he had paid the claim, he did not
ask the approval of the council and
not a word has ever been published
of the matter in any of the papers
purporting to tbe the official papers of
the administration, or in other papers
up to the present time. Had the may
or told the council before he paid the
claim OF what he proposed to do. and
had asked their approval. or II he had
merely reported at a council meeting
that he had paid the old claim, II is
probable that nothing further would
have been heard OF IL. The secrecy of
it all is what leads to the suspicion that
possibly IL was not all proper
The mayors action came to the ears
OF two aldermen the other day and
they kicked to the mayor in private
about IL. but after some talk con-
cluded not TO ventilate the affair in
public and so iet II go.
The mayor before paying the claim
consulted City Attorney Hamilton and
was advised by him that he could le-
gally pay the bill II he chose 10 do so
Mr.. Hamilton argued that while may
ors change the council never dies. Con-
sequently the action OF the old council
in allowing this claim could be exc
cuted by the present mayor and would
not have to be endorsed by their pres
ent council. There Is some difference
OF opinion on the matter however,
some claiming that a former mayor
having vetoed the action OF the council
the claim could not legally come up
again except by passing the bill over
the mayors veto. which has never
been done. II is claimed that the pres
ent mayor can only execute the acts
OF the council OF which he is the may
or and cannot legally execute acts OF a
former council. passed six months be-
fore he was mayor and vetoed by
preceding mayor
Whatever may be the right or the
wrong. the legality or the illegality OF
the thing. IL is a fact that the claim
OF the Sazerac saloon has been paid.
and is given merely as a matter OF in
formation to the general public.
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