The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-24
WHDE H0RAeE HOT
AlNSEL 0PPENHEuMsS ASPERSI0NS
ON AID. BIGEL0W ALMOST LEAD
TO FISTICUFFs.
LIVELY TIME OVER THE LOOP.
IN WHICH RESPECTED CITIZENS
NARROWLY ESCAPE AN AT
FAIR AT ARMS.
AID. NENNEY AND MAI. COOLEY
Also Have Spirited Oral Set-tO
over Allegations That Were
Deemed DiscreditabIe.

has been hanging fire for nearly three
months, caused an explosion in the
council chamber yesterday afternoon
While under consideration at the hands
of the aldermanic committee on streets.
Nobody was injured, though four or
five gentlemen came near getting hurt.
They We're Aid Bigelow and Ansel
Oppenheim, and Aid. Kenney and Maj.
w. w. Cooley.
1t was Ansel Oppenheim who pro-
voked the helligerent demonstrations.
The committee on streets had been lis
tening to the arguments and protests
of the Robert street business men, who
were present in full force. Hiram F.
Stevens had just finished speaking
against the removal of the Robert
street loop. when Aid. Bigelow, who is
strongly in favor of a Broadway loop,
moved that the committee recommend
the passage of the ordinance extending
the loop to Broadway. This did not
surprise anyone, as Aid. Bigelow had
already manifested his position in the
matter by interrupting all the speakers
opposing the ordinance, with questions
and denials of their statments But
when he offered this motion, and then
started to leave the chamber, Mr. Op-
penheim exclaimed, addressing Senator
Stevens:
What's the use of arguing with
him? Take him out in the hall and
fix him. Take him out and fix him.
That's the only way"
Aid. Bigelow did not seem to hear
Mr.. Oppenheim. The latter then ap-
preached the committee and said to
Aid. Bigelow:
Why do you leave us so suddenly p"
i've got an engagement answered
Alderman Bigelow, who thereupon at
tempted to explain his reasons for ad-
Vocating loop to Broadway But
Mr.. Oppenheim shook his head and
waving his hand toward the. alderman
from the Fifth ward, again cried out:
Take him out and fix him, take him
out and fix him.
What's that" gasped Bigelow. and
as he spoke he made dash around the
seats with clenched fists and started
straight for Mr. Oppenheim. Had he
reached that gentleman there would
have been head end collision, but
such a catastrophe was happily av-
erted by the assemblage in general
and Mr.. Lederer in particular.
Mr. Lederer planted himself squarely
In front of the angry alderman and
talked to him in this fashion:
What are you trying to do with us
anyway? You're nice one, you are
to sit on a committee and interrupt the
speakers. You did nothing but ask
them questions and dispute their state
ments. but when we want to ask you
a few Questions, why you've got an
engagement and must go That kind
of thing don't go, Wen tell you that"
In few moments Messrs. Bigelow
and Oppenheim became sufficiently
pacified to render it safe to let them
meet Alderman Bigelcw informed
Mr. Oppenheim of the nature of the
and as it was in fact, most pressing
affair, Mr.. Oppenheim admitted that
1.-The boy was justified in leaving"
In the meantime the riotous spirit
had broken out afresh. Robert Mann
heimer declared that the selfish prop
erty interests of the Jobbers in lower
town was the motive that was re-
sponsible for the ordinance to extend
the loop. EX-Assenblyman Robb said
amen to that. Alderman Kenny, of
the Third ward, who is the chairman
of. the committee, Indignantly resented
what he construed as an insinuation
that he received a money consideration
for advocating a Broadway loop.
Mai. Cooley, representing the Bos
ton Clothing house. remarked that
whatever the consideration might be,
1t was a selfish one.
After an alteration between Maj.
Cooley and Aid. Kenny, which was al
most as lively as that between Bigelow
and Oppenhein, the Temperature subsid-
&c, and Aid Kenny and Mr.. Oppenhefm
INDUCED in cOmparativ temperate
argument over the right of the COM
mon council to pass the proposed ordi-
nance, Mr.. Oppenheim contending that
it had no such power and could not do
so without breaking a contract be-
tween the city and the street railway
company, whereby it was agreed that
the Robert street loop should be per-
rnanent.
The members of the committee pres
ent, besides Aid. Kenny and Bigelow,
were Aid. Shepard, Larsen and Lin
dahl, Aid. Bell being the only absentee.
The meeting was called to order at
5 D. M. For the fourth or fifth time,
not a representative of the street rail-
way company put In an appearance,
though Vice President Goodrich was
expected 20 arrive at any moment.
He disappointed the committee, how
ever, and the large delegation Of Rob-
ert street business men, representing
all the retail interests on that street,
from Fifth to Seventh street, and also
on Sixth street, from Minnesota to
Robert. Among those present were
Robert Mannheimer, Ansel Oppenheim,
Maurice Auerbaeh, Col. Well. of the
Ryan; G. Lennon of the Plymouth;
Mai w. w. Cooley, of the Boston; J.
H. Horton, of Ransom & Horton; !,
George Benz. and a number of others
Chairman Kenny announced rat the
outset that the meeting was called
s5lely to grant a hearing to the street
railway company, AS the-committee had
already listened to the arguments of
the jobbers and retailers for and
against the extension of the loop. The
committee consented to hear more ar
gunents, however Mr. Horton was the
first to be heard.
Mr.. Horton said that 1T was a cues
ton Of benefit to the city at large The
vital trouble with the city of st. Paul
was the question of maintaining a re-
tail center In consequence of the lack
of a retail center, st. PauFs retail in
terests had suffered. Mr.. Horton said
that many of his country customers
had informed him that they did their
retailing in Minneapolis because Of the
concentration of the retail houses there.
To extend the loop to Broadway, Mr..
Horton argued. would not benefit that
district materially, as there were no
retail interests there. The number of
people in the wholesale stores was not
a drop in the bucket compared with
the number who visit the retail estab-
lishments. Anything that could be
done to concentrate the retail center
should be done or else the retail inter-
ests of st. Paul would go to the dogs.
Mr. Horton did not believe sanybofy
thought that the extension of the loon
to Broadway would build up that dis
trict. 1t was only q question of time