People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-03-04
Council rleeting.
Daily Journal, Tuesday.

SOIue SESSION. ldSU nlg1U WITHOUT dc-
cOmplishing anything Of Importance.
The mayor addressed a characteristic
communication reviewing the water
works litigation and imploring the
council to suggest plan whereby the
city could acquire adequate prOtec-
ton against fires in the future. He
rather favored new contract with
the water works people at sufficient
inducement for them to furnish first
class service and protection. Mr..
Savage had tasted blood in the recent
fight against the water works COM
Dany and his victory has whetted his
appetite for more war against grinding
corporations. Part Of his epistle ad-
vOcated the annulment of the gas
franchise. 1t is couched in the may
Or'S peculiarly feliCitOus language.
Mr.. Savage says:
In regard to the gas that the city
is being furnished, l regret that l
have been unable so far to receive
from this council the aid that | ex-
pected would be given me in the effort
to obtain for the city some relief from
this worthless corporation that has
never complied with their contract to
furnish this city with gas of extra
brilliancy as they agreed to do.
1T seems to me to be an outrage to
compel the taxpayers OF this city to
pay two Thousand dollars per year for
the use Of the street lamps, when the
feeble rays that manage to penetrate
the dirty panes Of glass that enclose
them fail to equal in brilliancy and
radiance the efforts of our fre-flies on
a sultry night in June.
"TO compel every man, woman and
child in this city to pay tax of over
sixty cents each per year for this l6.
candle power, extra brilliancy, and
then command larger part OF our
people to retire from our streets when
the curfew bell rings and deprive
them from witnessing the identifying
effects Of the illumination that is
nightly produced for their own benefit
without their being able to enjoy its
radiant effulgence, seems to work a
hardship and to be unfair and unjust
to all our people. There is a better
and cheaper system of lighting our
streets thar this old style, Out-of. date
system of lighting the streets with
gas. | believe our people want this
better system. l believ they are en-
titled to it. This city is not bound
to any longer pay this gas corporation
when they have plainly forfeited
their franchise and are no longer en-
titled to any consideration at our
hands. Let US do away with this
franchise and place Our city in a posi-.
tiOn where we can furnish them with
well-lighted streets and cOnyeniences
that are in accord with the present
age in which we live"
The mayors war proclamation failed
to arouse the fighting spirit of the
council and the members engaged in
deSultOry, half-spirited arguments
along the lines of the mayors address
concerning the water works question,
but other than a few slight references
to the city'S debt to the gas company
and tie prospects of a law suit, the
gas question was ignored, and the
council finally decided to adjourn M
til next Monday evening with the
idea that at that time somehow the
much mOOted water problem would
solve of its own accord.
A. A. Richards was present and in
structed the council just how to pro-
coed to allow his bill of S4S. 20 against
the city for publishing the official
ballot in the Sumner County Star and
printing $500 election ballots for use
in the last general election. He had
presented rortentiOus looking dOcu-
ment containing extracts from the
election laws of 1893, together with a
varied aSSOrtmentof personal opinions
handed down by himself and the SUI
preme court, touching upon all posi-
BILE teChnicalitieS that may be raised
against allowing his claim. This
document also contained an itemized
statement of the city's Indebtedness
to him and proved 10 be the bill for
services itself. Although it was
"O.K.'d" by Chas. SAdler and sworn to
by the publisher OF the Star, the
council decided that Charlie Elliott
had better strip it of its context to
make it plain to the council, and the
claim went over for future action.
The matter of turning over the
81 81. 81 received from the State insnr-