Kansas City journal., 1897-11-16
MR.. JONES TO GET HIS PAY.
COUNCIL VOTES TO GIVE THE MAY
OR's BROTHER HIS SALARY.
Upper House Appropriates $4OO to the
ChiIdrcn's Home - East Fifth
Street Electric Franchise
Goes to the Mayor.

| the ordinance appropriating $3.50 to pay
| the salary of Gould +. Jones. the mayor S
| brother. who Is a clerk in the city engin-
| eer's office. The auditing committee had
| refused to approve the item on the ground
| that Jones attended dental college part
/ of the time.
| The upper house appropriated si60 to the
| Children's home and the lower house con-
| CURED in the upper house amendments 10
| the East Fifth street railway franchise.
The lower house wrangled an hour or
| more over the salary of Mr.. Jones. Colonel
| Simonds led the fight on the item. There
| were several sharp tits between members
of the house during the wrangle.
| When the appropriation ordinance came
up, it was found that the item for the
| salary of Mr.. Jones was inserted in pencil.
Colonel Simonds moved that the item, call
ing for $3.50. be stricken out, on the ground
that it had not been approved by the audi
ting committee and did not appear as an
amendment. Colonel SimonGs frothed for
awhile, until it was found that the upper
house had regularly inserted the item as
an amendment, as it has the right to do,
The colonel then branched off upon the
real reason for his opposition, which was
based on the fact that Jones. clerk in
the engineers office. was brother OF the
mayor He complained that Jones refused
to meet the auditing committee and was at
tending a dental college.
NJ. T. Getchell. chief clerk i'll the engin-
GERS Office, stated that Jones. who was a
copyist frequently stayed after O'Clock
and was frequently at work before O'Clock
in the morning. putting in his fu.l hours
and making up the time spent in attending
the dental college. Mr.. Getchell stated that
Jones did not understand the auditing COM
mittee wanted to see him. hs did not he,eve
the auditing committee had a very earnest
desire to save the city $3.50 or any belief
that the city was being swindled.
open fight. instead of trying to hit the may
or over his brothers shouders?" he asked.
of political animus. He said if he wanted
to hit the mayor over his relatives it would
not be through the brather in the engineers
office.
Mr. Burrows replied that the colonel had
been merely hoodwinked by his informant
and made tool OF by ,,; an enemy enemy OF the
Colonel SimondS eXorerated Mr.. Bishop
in this respect.
Mr.. Burrows stigmatized the anonymous
informant as a, spy, sneak and disgrace to
the city. who should be held up to the rid
icule of all honest men.
Mr.. Beroth. the Democratic member from
the Fifth ward. said he visited the en-
gineering department very often and al
ways saw Mr.. Jones at work. If the young
man neglected his duties it was with the
consent of his superiors.
Colonel Simonds declared that if Mr.. Bur-
rows said to his informant what he said
behind his back he (Mr Burrows) would
have the finest scrap on his hands he ever
Mr. Pendergast and Mr. Wolf both Dem
ccrats. sustained the young man.
On the motion to strike lout the item
Messrs. Pendergast Hough. Craig. Brinkley,
Burrows and Beroth voted no; Messrs. ST.
monds. Smith. Lynch and Wolf voted aye.
and the motion was lost. The ordinance
was then passed by the same vote.
The house concurred in the amendments
to the East Fifth street railway franchise
and passed the ordinance by a vote of to 3.
after a brief debate on. the applicability of
the Julian law providing for the sale of
franchises to the highest bidder.
When the franchise ordinance came from
the upper house. Councilman Simonds de-
clared he would vote against it on the
ground that he wanted to see the Julian law
tried.
City Counselor Middlebrook repeated his
opinion that the Julian law can be applied
if the company consents. but having no
penalty clause it cannot be enforced by
process of law.
Colonel Simonds refused to be placated
by the assurance that the law could be ap-
piled after the franchise was passed. He
insisted that the time to try the. law was
criticized the mayor for failing to apply the
law to the franchises already passed.
The amendments, inserted by the upper
voting no. On the final passage of the or
dinance Pendergast. Simonds and Brinkley
voted no.
avenue from Sixth to Eighth street. Forest
avenue from Eighteenth to Twcnty-second
street; Lexington avenue from Walrond 20
Indiana avenue; Charlotte street from
Eighte enth to Nineteenth street.
Councilman VOLTS ordinance separating
all claims other than those for damages.
judgments. adjusted claims, court costs.
legal services and election expenses and
making each claim a distinct ordinance
was not reached when the house adjourned.
In the Upper House.
TIE upper house meeting was brief and
dinance appropriating $500 to the Chldren's
home for the care of waits. the SEMI
monthly salary ordinance was presented.
Alderman Brown moved to amend by in
serting the name of Gould f. Jones' for
$3.50. He stated that the auditing COM
m:ttec had labored under mistake in the
emission of this name from the pay roll.
The representation had heen made that Mr..
Jones while drawing salary from the
city. was devoting his time partly to at
gated the matter and ascertafned that the
duties of Mr. Jones were such that he cou,d
perfCrm them in part by working after
hours, which he had done. The city mad
and he was entitled to his pay.
The amendment was adopted and the or
dirance passed by unanimous vote.
The ordinances drafted by the gas ccm-
ways and the railway lines proper to MAIN
tain electric arc lights at street crossing
designated. were passed with two eXcep-
ticnS. In the cases of the Missouri Pacific
and the Suburban Belt railway ordiranc
scme errors in location of lights appeared
and the ordinances were referred back to
the committee.
It is estimated that the ordinances Will
save the city from $4,000 to $50 annually
PEARS0NS HEARING TO-DAY.