The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-08
SPEAK OUT HOTLY.
And Very Justifiably Does the City
Council
IN RELATION TO THE WATERWORRS

The Assessing of the WaterworIxs in
Topeka Township to BE AnvestIge a.
ted-Ehe Petty Squab5ie Over the
Resolution Censurins the Mayor
Renewed.
The council took up the waterworks
question last night with a vengeance,
and Councilman Bradford offered the
following resolution as told in last even
ing's JOURNAL:
Whereas, The Topeka Water company
is corporation and has its general of
| fees in the city of Topeka, also over
thirty miles of water mains and other
valuable property, and is subject as
other corporations are to the laws of the
state of Kansas and the ordinances of the
city of Topeka; and,
Whereas, The township assessor of
| Topeka township returned to the county
| clerk Of Shawnee county the sum of $780,,
/ 000 as the assessed value of all property
owned by the said Topeka Water com
pany in the said township. The city as
SCISSOR of the city of Topeka returned to
the county clerk of Shawnee county the
sum of $153, 500 as the total valuation of
/ ka Water company in the said
township and city. That the board
! of county commissioners of Shawnee
county acting as board of equalization
enormously and Illegally set of to To
peka township OF said total valuation
the sum of $125,000. That in fact that
portion of the property of the said water
company, situated in the city of Topeka,
and now by the action of the board of
| comm iSS toner's assessed at $4,000, was
| once sold TO the present owners of the
| he nf
fore, be it
! Resolved. the city attorney be- and he
| is hereby instructed and directed to make
an examination into all of the facts con-
nected with the said equalization and
| brin-r such suit. civil or criminal, or both,
as shall be necessary to correct the error
and give to the city of Topeka its just
proportion of the assessment of said COM
pany
opposition.
City Attorney Tillotson said that the
position taken by the water company
| and concurred in by the county attorney
and county commissioners was that the
water mains should be taxed where the
pump station is located They have
overlooked the fact" said he, shat the
company has a pump house inside the
city limits which is connected with the
mains and frequently used.
/ Councilman Bradford said that the
action of the county commissioners was
astonishing in view of the fact that the
law expressly states that property shall
be taxed where it is situated.
/ Councilman Bradford then introduced
a resolution requiring the city engineer
to prepare an estimate of the probable
cost of a water plant sufficient for the
demands of the city. This was also
adopted
The fight between the ma ,1or and coun-
! Gil over "a matter which will occasion a
great deal of relief when it is finally
dropped, was commenced last night al
most as soon as the mayors gavel fell.
Clerk McFadden started to read the
minutes of December and Councilman
Fellows at once moved that the minutes
be amended to include the resolution
Vcensuring the mayor passed on that even
ng.
THAT motion is not in ORDER" said
Mayor Harrison, firmly. "This is the
old fight and we don't want to go over it
again"
Councilman Fellows@sThen you hold
that we can not amend the minutes"
The Mayor-''I hold just what I did
before"
Councilman Fellows-'I would like to
hear from the city attorney on that
pOlut
| The Mayor-"It is wholly immateriaI
what the city attorney may think. He is
merely subordinate officer and l am
acquainted with the manual"
Councilman Fellows-'I move an ap-
peal from the decision of the chair"
The Mayor@"That ia not in order"
Councilman Fellows = THAT rul-
ing is without precedent 1t is
tyrannical''
The mayor: II say there is no use to
go over that old ground again. do not
propose to allow the resolution entitled
protest" to go on the records. 1t does
not state the truth. It is an insult to the
man who propos ed it, to every member
of the council who signed it, and to the
member who presented it to the coun-
Gil"
Councilman Fellows then moved that
the further reading of the minutes be