Kansas City daily journal., 1896-11-15
bad A WAR OF WORDS.
LIVELY DEBATE IN COMMITTEE OF
THE WHOLE COUNCIL.
Messrs. Smith, Morgan and Burrows
Lock Horns ON the Question of
Street Car License-Resent
Resent Charges.

The session of the common council last
night was the longest held for many
months, 1t being Ills O'clock before the
committee of the whole, into which the
upper house and half the lower house had
resolved them selves in order to consider
! the license ordinance, rose and reported
About three-fourths of the ordinance was
completed in the committee of the whole,
and number of unimportant changes
were made The only fight Of the session
came up ON the proposition to tax the
street railway companies $50 for each car
run instead of the present license OF Us
for the average number of cars run. Aft
er an extended and animated debate the
$50 proposition was voted down. as was a
compromise amendment of $35 Messrs.
Eyssell, Brown, Jewell and Graham, of
the upper house, and Messrs. Brinkfey and
Smith, of the lower house. voted for both
propositions, and Messrs. Morgan, Mum
son and Morrison, of the upper house. and
Hough, Craig and Burrows. Of the lower
house. voted against Them
Speaker Smith, of the, lower house, cham
pioned the increase of the license He de-
clared that the Metropolitan Company
was bonded for SIG. 900 and was earning
a dividend of 20 per cent on what the road
was worth: he thought that the company
| should pay at least $50, which would in
crease the aggregate license tax from $50
to about $780, which he said was about
one-tenth what the company should pay.
He declared that this agitation would keep
up until the people sent a council to the
city hall which would ask more than was
| right. He said he was standing between
the people and the company, and would
keep up the fight until his term OF office
expired.
Alderman Morgan replied rather sharply
| to the speaker. He said that If he (Mor-
| GAM had the speaker in his own house he
would give him a talking to that he would
| remember until he Cthe speaker) was as
gray as Mr.. Morgan The alderman de-
clared that the company had developed the
| city andi should not be oppressed 1t was
| spending thousands of dollars every month
| in this city for labor. He charged Mr..
/ Smith with making his fight for political
effect and buncombe, with the object of
furthering hts political schemes. Mr.. Nor
gan declared he would oppose an increase
| until doomsday.
| ride upon a pass and that his grandson
was not an electrician in the employ of
the company. He said the fight would be
kept up until the people sent a better class
of men to the council.
| Mr.. Burrows, of the lower house, resent
l
| the members of both houses were men of
at least average character and that they
| needed no guardian; they resented the inn
putation that they were corruptionists.
| He said he was not an attorney for the
road and intimated that that was the
trouble with Mr.. Smith. He said the COM
pany employed 1000 men and was the
| means of supporting $500 people. He was
| opposed to any increase.
| The feeling ran rather high about this
time. and after the vote was taken, de-
| feating the increase, the committee rose
and the lower house adjourned.
Before the street railway item was taken
| up, the license on veterinary surgeons was
taken off: advertising physicians were IL
censed 500. and several minor amendments
| to the ordinance were adopted.
| Before resolving itself into a committee
| Of the whole, the upper house devoted its
! time last night to clearing up the routine
business in the budget, there being quite
! an accumulation of curbing, paving, grad
] ing and similar ordinances to be disposed
| of. The mayor in his message stated that
it was his desire after the regular busi-
| ness had been disposed of that the upper
| house invite the lower house to go into a
| joint session or committee of the whole
for the consideration of the long delayed
| license ordinance. When the budget had
been exhausted, Alderman Seldom moved
to adjourn. but the motion was lost AL
derman Morgan said he hoped the house
| would comply with the suggestion made
by Mayor Jones and he moved that the
members of the lower house be invited to
the upper house chamber to confer on the
license ordinance. The motion prevailed,
there being only three negative votes.
In the Lower House.
The lower house held a brief session
When the mayors message, suggesting q
joint meeting of both houses for the consid-
Grafton of the license ordinance, was read,
Mr.. Lynch opposed 1t, on the ground tnat
the lower house had already passed the
ordinance. Mr.. Burrows thought 1t was
due the mayor to show a1im the courtesy of
acceding to his request Mr.. Lynch charged
that the request was made for political eff
ment. The message was formally received
and filed. The house proceeded to routine
business.
And ordinance to put down brick side
walks along the south front of Shelley
park, to which the city claims title, brought
out some discussion, and it was finally re-
ferred to the sidewalks committee. The up
per house sent an invitation to the lower
house to meet in joint session, and the in
vitation was accepted Messrs. Lynch, Be-
roth and Smonds voting no. Messrs.
, Lynch and Beroth asked to be excused
and then the house adjourned, thus making
1t impossible for the house as such to 20
into committee of the whole. The five Re-
publican members then went into the upper
house as individual members. Mr.. Simonds
refused to take part in the proceedings.