Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-07
TRIALS Of STATESMEN.
Two Council Committees Which Net in
Vain.
Jealousies, Heart-Burnings and
Ambitions Which Led to Some.
Amusing Situations and Pre-
vented the Transaction OF Bust
ness Bodies Which Could Not
Organize Nor Go Forward or
Backwards.

ness Bodies Which Could Not
Organize Nor Go Forward or
Backwards.
Tire was 4 good deal of quiet amuse-
ment at the City Hall, last evening. and
the few disinterested gentlemen who
were present enjoyed the situation
thoroughly. No public business was
transacted, and no progress whatever
made in the matters at hand, but there
was much p ated and pointed talk, new
ertheless. As a matter Of fact, every
body appeared to have gone TO the build
ing in bad humOr, and with the deter
IL nation to be as cross-grained, crab
led and ugly as possible without VIC
latlng the usages Of polite society, ana
the result was chaos.
The row started in the special Com
mittee appointed to consider the plan
of refunding the city debt, an idea in
troduced into Council by Mr.. Horkheim-
er. the statesman from the Second ward,
and against whom the crime Of petty lar
ceny has been attempted by sundry gen.
tlemen. who have been trying 10 steal
the Colonels financial thunder. This
may be denied, but nevertheless the
charge is made, and there is some shad-
ow of reason for the allegation.
When the committee was called to
order, last evening, Messrs. Hazlett,
Schmidt, Berry, Horkheimer and Hig-
gins responded to their names, leaving
Mr.. Ahl as the absentee. Then came
the rumpus. Mr.. Horkheimer expected
to be made chairman, but somebody
nominated Mr.. Higgins for the place
and the ensuing discussion was spark
ling and effervescent. It dubbed Ike
freshly opened bottle of mineral wa
ter. and disappointed ambition stood
out as prominently as a row OF scare
marks" on a circus poster. The result
was that Mr.. Hazlett was chosen chair
man pro tenn, and a motion to adjourn
was carried against the indignant pro-
tests Of one or two Of the gentlemen.
Mr.. Horkheimer intimated his intention
Of resigning from the Committee. but
he will probably reconsider this. When
the body will again be called together
is uncertain. and there was some talk
later in the evening, about asking for
the appointment of an entirely new
committee.
The foregoing proceedings were had
in the office Of the City Clerk. Up
stairs in the committee room there was
another storm centre, with an area OF
low barometer and fitful gusts OF oratory.
This section of trouble was in the sub
committee of the Committee on Ordi-
nauces. appointed TO consider the fran
chise Ct the Peoples Telephone and
Construction Company. The sub-com-
mittee consists Of MCssrs. List, Fair and
Baird. The latter gentleman was alb
sent last evening. There were present
with the Committeeman Solicitor Mes
bitt. Attorneys Cowden and Robinson,
representing the Peoples Company ana
Col. Geo. 3. Caldwell. Several other
interested parties strolled in during the
session.
The row started promptly There
was call for the resolution appointing
the committee. and the minutes dis
closed that the body was named TO not
only consider the pending ordinance
but to investigate generally into the APP
pIication. the hopes and expectations OF
the new company, etc. Mr.. CoWden
at once took the ground that this was
not the resolution at all, and stated
that Mr.. List had simply moved to refer
TO the subcommittee for consideration
and report and the printing OF the ordi-
nance. This put Clerk o Brien on ms
metal. and he informed Cowden, IN
strictly parliamentary language, that
that was the substance OF written
memorandum handed him at the meet
i1g Of the full committee. Mr.. List
hacked this up by saying that his in
tenfion had been for the Subcommittee
TO go over the whole ground and make
q comprehensive and thorough inquiry
and report. This led to discussion be-
tween Messrs. List and COwden which
was always picturesque and az times
little heated. Mr. Caldwell Joined in
after while. and the result was an in
creased interest, particularly when Mr..
Caldwell suavely enqu!red or Mr.. Cow
den how much money had been actually
n?id into the treasury Of his company,
and generally what the financial pros
meets were. anyhow. Mr. Cowden
gracefully declined to divulge private
business matters which were not per-
tirent 10 The situation, and which were
not IN be divulged eycept for good and
sufficient reasons. During the contro-
versv Mr.. List made a point that the
committee could not act to the best adj
VANTAGE without printed copies of the
nronosed ordinance before it, while Mr..
Cowden could not see the necessity OF
nrirting a measure simply to have it
marked and changed and then reprint-
ed perhaps several times. Finally
matters got in such shape that the Com
mit+ee could neither back nor fill, go TO
work or adjourn, and after half an hour
of wranglng to no purpose quite 10y
common consent. During the evening
Tho noint was we'll made by Col Cald-
we'll that the franchise was a very i'm
nortan+ matter. affecting the interests
Of the public generally. and he did not
want to see it railroaded through the
body. of which intention he had de-
tected symptoms.
lust when the Committee will meet
again is problematical
Chocolate Pots $50, reduced from
DILLON, WHEAT G HANCHER co.