The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-01-17
r. II. LYMAN TAKES HIS PEN IN
HAND
AND ENTERS ANOTHER PROTEST
Explanation of Some of His Reasons for
His Opposition Hints of Under
handed Methods and Wrong
Deals.

EIbUdllOll do W btluCACJblOl1 lIlGJbLOLo LII
the Pleasant Prairie section. Being
official, it is reasonable to presume that
it is accurate. According to this sum-
mary there are siXty-One voters in the
entire section, of whom twenty-one do
not own their homes, that is, this
twenty one may be here today and
somewhere else tomorrow. There are
then, in this large area, all told, forty
voters who own the houses they live in.
This then is the entire number of
permanent residents, to compel whom
to come into the city, against the will
of the majority, the entire power and
influence Of the law, legislative, execu-
tive and engineering departments OF
the city government is being used, to
say nothing Of the improperly en-
pl0yed. though potent Influence of the
wealthy factories. And all this to
what purpose A.? We have heard from
Mr. Harf1. the spokesman for the Brass
mill and the powers behind it. His
voice in harmony with the other lead
ing anneXationists, and is for sewerage
for what? The answer is for the out
lying subdivisions and':plats of land
owned by very wealthy men, one of
whom is millionaire resident of an
other state.
Now am not one of those who har-
borS SocialiStic resentment toward men
who have amaSsed fortunes, while 9th
Of hov u hnC0 who
while accommodating wealth, have Incl
dentally given employment to large
numbers Of artisans, are entitled to
their full measure Of the good things of
this life, but they have not earned the
right to Cypress their less fortunate
fellow citizens. There is disposition
perhaps to consider the current talk of
the oppression of the poor by the
rich" as a tissue of platitudes," a
glittering generality" a barren
ideality."
Right here in KenOsha we have the
genuine Caliph." We will prove
this. 1t is proposed to annex this
sparsely settled territory so that sewer
age may be afforded for these men of
wealth by extending to Charles street
the city sewers on Elizabeth, Dayton
and POmeroy streets and on Prairie
avenue. Let us take q census of the
voters on these streets, where the sewer
assessments will fall, who own their
homes and signed for annexation.
On Elizabeth street there is just one
man, and he signed under misappre-
hensiOn and wishes to sign remOn-
STRANGE. On Dayton street three such
signed. On Pomeroy street there we're
two, and one of them is a proprietor of
the valuable Frost & futile subdivision
needing drainage.
On Prairie avenue there are three,
one of whom is another proprietor of
the said Frost q Tuttie subdivision
and another who says he signed under
a misapprehension, and would not do
so again. And so it is proposed if an
neXatiOn is cOnsummated, to put new
sewers on the streets and impose q
special assessment on long frontage of
unimproyed property, and on the homes
of many men who are not able to bear
the burden, and all for this outlying
land whose owners are able to pay for
their own drainage. There are many
men in KenOSha who, during this hard
winter, are struggling to pay their
sewer assessment, some being COM
PEELED to mortgage their homes to do
so. A thirty-five dollar special assess
ment may seem small to many persons,
but it seems like mountain to a man
who is working for dollar and quar-
ter a dav or less, or to one who has no
work at all. Even Alderman Hartman,
q prosperous business man, made
a motion in the council last winter to
have the course of the Congress street
sewer changed, so it should not pass
his lot, as was planned by the engineer
who made the survey. But yet this
same man as a member of the common
council is trying to force this crushing
burden on body of men who in these
hard times are having a severe struggle
for existence. But this is fair speci-
men of the spirit that appears to ami
mate the whole scheme.
1t does not seem, Mr.. Editor, that
men were induced to sign the petition
10y being told that the much talked of
stove works were prevented from COM
ing here through fear that annexation
would be defeated and thus they would
have no benefit of the city water works.
The truth is the water works is a pri
vate company and can extend its priv
ileges regardless of boundaries as to
the Telephone Company, the Gas Com
pany, CT the Artesian Company.
The real reason for the stove works
not coming was their inability to make
a showing of their financial standing
that was satisfactory to our citizens
having such matters in charge. The
natural water course where the ac-