The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-18
Bother
For Aldermen.
OLD STORY AGAIN
City Solicitor Asked to
Unite the Knots.

The bridge at Lake Quinsigamond
showed the tops of its parapets above
the water at last nights meeting of
the city council but it was only for
moment, and then it was sent down
into the deep again by the reference
of the matter to the city solicitor with
/ the request that he answer certain
questions regarding the legality of some
phases about which the members are
not so sure as they would like to be.
The question came up on the order
that was presented at the meeting
week ago, authorizing the street COM
missioner to contract for the construc-
ton of a steel bridge at a cost of $780,
400
4 In the board of aldermen President
Potter left the chair in possession of
Alderman OConnell to air his views
/ on the question, and it was on his mo-
/ ton that the matter was referred to
the city solicitor.
! In the lower branch the members did
no talking at all on the matter bur
/ concurred with the aldermen IN the
! reference to the solicitor without a
murmur
The common council killed the order
4 extending the time in which the tax
4 payers may pay their taxes without
/ being charged interest from October 10
to October 81. The order was introduced
in the board of aldermen py Alderman
/ OConnell week ago, and the upper
4 board adopted it by unanimous vote.
When the council reached the order
| last night, it was declared lost on a
viva Voce vote. The vote was doubted
/ and a rising vote showed 10 in favor
/ of and IL opposed to the adoption of
the order. A yea and nay vote was
called for by Councilman O'Leary and
| in Seconding the CALL Councilman
/ O'Leary made an address IN favor Of
I the order. saying that it would be a
/ great favor to the small taxpayers,
who have not been given the usual
! length of time to get their, taxes to-
I gether on account Of the delay in plac-
/ ing the warrant in the collector 3
hands Times are hard, and the small
/ property owners have had difficulty in
1 collecting their rents. The extension
of time is only delay of 20 days and
that viii not inconvenience the city
officials. The vote was then taken and
the order was defeated by the follow
ing vote:
4 Yes-Councilmen Connolly James
1 Hunt, Merritt, Mcmahon, Meagher,
/ O'Connell. O'Leary, Ryan and Shea, g..
J No--Councilmen Back, Heath, George
1 c. Hunt, Inman, Johnson l.. ]. Ken
/ DALI S. c. Kendall Powell, Rivard,
4 Wall, Williamson and White. u.
i Absent-Councilmen Lundberg and
Timon, 3
i On a recommendation from the board
4 of fire engineers, the aldermen con-
/ firmed eight new permanent members
/ of the fire department thus assuring
/ the f1remen that they will have three
days off every month. The appoints
4 ment of the eight new men was nee
4 essary to allow this privilege and as
the aldermen confirmed them without
raising any question, the fire fighters
will have an extra day off duty every
| month
The order for an appropriation Of
! $4,000 to be used in paying the expense
of bringing to Worcester the dead SOL
| diers who went from this city, and are
buried in Cuba, was adopted without
question. This order was Councilman
/ Powels, but Alderman Mellen goes him
one better and last night he offered IN
| order which was adopted directing the
committee on finance to consider the
advisabHity of the city paying part Of
| the funeral expenses of the dead SOL
diers who are buried in this city.
A great deal of routine business was
transacted during the evening, as may
be seen from the following detailed re-
! port
BOARD OF ALDERMEN.
The bridge question formed the chief
topic for discussion at the meeting of
the board of aldermen last evening
| President Potter delivering a forcible
speech on the subject, outlining his rea-
sons for not favoring a steel structure
j and winding up by introducing an order
which was adopted, calling upon the
city solicitor to answer certain ques-
tions which would determine the le-
i gality of the order introduced at the
last meeting by Alderman Barrett for
the construction of steel bridge at the
| lake
Alderman Mellen was also heard at
some length on the question, the speak
er oftentimes personally referring to
| President Potter's allusion to Worces-
I ter as being poverty stricken, which he
! declared the alderman was making a
great bugaboo. He declared further
! that the bridge was a necessity and
hitS construction.
| Alderman Hildreth offered an amend
! ment to the revised ordinances of 1895,
providing for the appointment of an
| assistant city solicitor which was Civ
en- it's first reading by its title and re-
| ferred to the committee on ordinances.
1 Alderman Brannon called for action
! in the matter of the order to lay out
and construct June street, upon which
/ question hearing was granted to A.
4 Swan Brown and others at the last
meeting. On motion of Alderman
j O'Connell the matter was laid over I'M
| til the next meeting.
! A report was received from the COM
mittee on police in the matter of the
revocation Of the license of Frank Gold
! berg, a dealer in second hand clothing
| They reported that the charges which
/ had been made were erroneous and
I without foundation and recommended
! that the petitioners be given leave to
| withdraw.
| Alderman Barrett precipitated discus
sion on the bridge question by calling
I for action on an order introduced by
him at the last meeting, which provided
4 for the construction of a steel bridge
at the lake at an estimated expense of
$780, 400, plans and specifications of
which were submitted by 0. w. Nor
cross.
/ President Potter called Alderman
/ OConnell to the chair and took the
floor, and spoke against the adoption of
1 the order. He said
| OF steel bridges there is no end, but
must say that this one for style and
/ price is the best of the lot. Alderman
Barrett is, however, mistaken when he
asserts that this is the first time the
| city council has been presented with a
| complete plan of bridge at the lake
] xpifb SpapifpatioOS I pnIsSr 1-anatnd him