The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-03-19
TWO SURPRISES OUT.
THE COMMON COUNCIL STRIKES
TWO SENSATIONS.
An INJUNCTION is SERVED.
And The Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha
Street Railway Company Refuses it's
Franchise Ordinance. Light
ing Franchise stopped.

one, to the aldermen at least, Tor the
two surprises sprung on them. The
first came in the form of an Injunction
taken by DR.. Hazelton against the
granting of the w. Ell. Wheeler & Co.
street lighting franchise, and the other
was the refusal of the Milwaukee, Ra
cine & Kenosha street railway COM
pany to accept the ordinance the aid
ermen had been tinkering with, relat-
ing to the granting of franchise TO
build road through this city.
Before the council had been called to
order Sheriff Cropley appeared at the
council chamber and handed to the
authorities there assembled an omin-
GUS looking paper enveloped in a rough
blue cover, with lawyer hieroglyphics
on the outside. The paper looked in
nocent enough, but had it been dyna
mite bomb it could not have been more
of a surprise nor sprung more of SEN
sation than it did. When opened and
examined it proved to be an injunction
properly signed by Judge Fish, tempo
rariIy restraining the city from grant
ing the Wheeler franchise. The paper
went on to recite in legal verbiage that
Mr. Wheeler wanted franchise, that
this move was at the procuration of the
city for the sole purpose of circumvent-
ing the laws Of the state and enabling
it to obtain an electric lighting system
in violation of such laws, that the city
is about to grant the franchise and
erect the plant, that the Kenosha Light
& Power company is ready and willing
to sell, recites the bonded indebted
ness of the city and the consequent in
ability of the city to issue any further
bonds for the erection of any new work,
that the erection of such plant would
visit great loss and injury to the Keno
sha Light & Power company, and de-
preciate the value of it's securities and
make irreparable injury to the plant
if.
The contents of the injunction hay
inc been made known to the aldermen,
one could almost have lit match on
the atmosphere with which they were
surrounded. It was such q totally I'M
looked for proceeding and one which
came so suddenly and unannounced,
that they were stunned for the instant.
Almost instinctively they turned to
City Attorney Cavanagh, who was in
the room. Mr.. Cavanagh looked the
imposing looking document over and
gave vent to a grunt Of disapproba-
ton, not unmiXed with a confidence
that the injunction would not hold
water long, when he could get a chance
to punch it full Of holes. He assured
the aldermen that he did not believe
that it could more than delay action on
the franchise little, and that it could
be easily knocked out Of court. This
cleared the atmosphere perceptibly,
and the council was called to order.
Immediately after the reading of the
minutes the mayor read a statement
concerning all the improvements the
city had been making, and expressing
the hope that now the council was on
the verge of taking new steps it would
not hesitate to move in the best inter-
ests of the future of the city.
This laid aside, then came up the
matter of whether Market street should
be paved with brick or block. The
council voted unanimously, with the
exception of Aid. Christman, to pave
with brick. Then followed a long
opening of bids for the paving from
William Forrestal & Son, of Milwau-
kee; Talbot Paving Co., Of Chicago;
James Cape & Sons, of Racine; n. F.
Reichert & Co.. of Racine; John 0.
Jones, of Racine: w. G. Nelson q Son,
of Racine; Kengel e Blake, Dubuque,
Ia; P. S. 10y, Of Depere, Wis; j. B.
Smith & Co., Of Chicago; and Richard
son q Young, of Chicago.
These bids we're all referred to the
committee on streets, alleys and
bridges with the city engineer.
Six bids were then opened for fur
nishing the city with a chemical engine
for the fire department. These bids
were nearly all alike, and were referred
to the committee on fire department.
with the chief of that department.
Notwithstanding it had taken the
council nearly two hours to get through
with this amount of business, the hall
was crowded throughout and standing
room was at a premium. All the paw
ing contractors and chemical engine
men were there, and when their parts
of the business were disposed of they
cleared the hall partially, but not ap-
preciably.
The railway ordinance VS. still to
come up, and our citizens med ex-
tremely anxious to see what vas to be
done with that. They still had q con-
siderable time to linger though the
matter was brought up at this point.
The city clerk was ordered to begin
the third reading Of the ordinance
granting the street railway franchise.
1 I. 80 I, r