The herald., 1897-04-17
The Mayor Has Vetoed the
Amendment
MESSAGE FILED YESTERDAY
rNDoRsED BY THE MERCHANTS
AND MANUFACTURES
Weekly Meeting of the Board of Pub
lie Works-Progress of the
Census-General Notes

head wires, Win the eAceptioip VI thoSe
of the electric railroad companies, ua-
less the city council should pass the re-
cent amendment to the anti-pole ordi-
nance over the mayors veto. and in view
of the influence behind the mayor on
this proposition this does not seem at all
likely.
Mayor Snyder yesterday filed with the
city clerk short message to the city
council returning without his approval
the amendment to the ordinance permit
ting existing lighting and telephone COM
panies to erect such poles as may be
necessary to conduct their business, on
making application to the council ana re-
ceiving the necessary permission, oil
condition that the said poles shall be re"
moved at the end of one year without
further notice, and that If they are NOT
SO removed the city can take them down.
The mayor has had the amendment un-
der consideration for some days, foF
while he had his doubts as to the wisdom
of the amendment, he recognized that
many interests would be inconvenienced
and he wished to ascertain Just now
public sentiment stood on the matter
The deciding straw came yesterday,
when the following resolutions adopted
by a unanimous vote of the board OF d.
rectors of the Merchants and Manufac-
turers' assocviation were presented TO
him:
Whereas. The large number of poles
and overhead wires along our principal
thoroughfares are unsightly and seri-
GUS menace to life and property in case
of fire; and,
Whereas. The city council recently
passed and the mayor approved an ordi =
nance prohibiting the erection OF any
more poles and overhead wires within
certain defined conduit district" which
conduit district embraces the principal
retail business section of our city, and
ordering the removal within one year
of said poles and wires in said district,
and,
Whereas. The city council has since
nassed an amendment to said ordinance.
which amendment would permit the ex-
isting companies to erect additional
poles and wires in said conduit district:
now, therefore, it is
Resolved, That this association, be-
1ieving that the time has arrived when
the erection of any more poles and wires
in said district should be absolutely
prohibited, respectfully petition the hon
orable mayor to veto the said amend
ment, and we respectfully urge the city
council to sustain the veto.
The mayor was also notified that the
board of trade would also pass similar
resolutions, and lost no time in return
ing the amendment with his veto.
The mayor, when seen in his office dur
ing the afternoon, said that, so far as he
was concerned, he was satisfied from the
first that the amendment was an unwise
move If the council was in earnest in
desiring to have the poles removed,
there could be nothing gained by per-
mitting more to go up. He was satisfe l
that the time had come to take steps for
putting all overhead wires underground,
but as the business men were those most
directly interested, he was willing to a
large extent to be governed by their
wishes in the matter. They haG now ex-
pressed their opinion, and he was glad
to see that it accorded with his own
He was satisfied that if he had signed
the amendment, hundreds of men would
have been put to work and hundreds of
poles would have been erected through
out the city within the next few days.
AS the matter now stands, not another
pole or overhead wire can be put up in
the conduit district.
The greatest temporary sufferers by
the veto of this amendment are the Main
street property owners who have just
about concluded arrangements for the
lighting of that thoroughfare from Com
mercial to Sixth street This would un
doubtedly be a great improvement, ana
some means may be devised by which
this can be done. The West Side Light
ing company will also be sufferer, and
for a time the extension of it's system
will be restricted to the territory where
they already have poles.
Further developments in the matter
are awaited with much interest. 1t has
been generally reported that the anti
pole agitation was originated by the ex-
listing lighting and telephone companies
for the purpose of. at least for the time
being, heading off competition, but that
public sentiment was so strong in its
favor when once started that it could not
be headed off, and the ordinance passed
by the council and was promptly signed
by the mayor To get around this diff
Guilty, the amendment allowing the eX-
listing companies to erect such poles as
mlRHI Dt HtCtSSdly lOI lltll DuSlItSSf
on making application to the council.
but prohibiting the erection of poles o:
overhead wires by any new companies
that might be organized, was suggested,
and was adopted without any trouble.
The proposed new telephone and light
ing companies, seeing that they were
shut out any way, it is claimed got to
work to knock out the amendment in
order to keep the existing companies
down to their present territory as close
rs possible, in order that they may COM
mence business on as nearly favorable
circumstances as possible when they get
their franchise. Influence was brought
to bear on the several commercial bodies
with the result the resolutions above
given were adopted by the merchants
and manufacturers, and others on SINH
lar lines will probably be adopted in a
day or two.
1t is a very pretty fight as it stands.
and the next move in the interesting lit
tie game will be anxiously awaited.