The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-15
THEY WANT NEW LAWS
Delegates from Wichita to
Municipal Association.
WORKING FOR CHANGES
What They Propose to Have
Enacted for Wichita.

Clarence Smith. who is secretary OF the
Kansas Municipal association, which be-
gan its annual session at Fort Scott Tues
day night, notified the Eagle that they
are having a great time and that Mayor
Ross is giving the other mayors and city
officers of Kansas some pointers on how
to run a irst-cIass city in frst-class
shape.
Delegations are present from each OF the
six first-class cities OF the state. namely:
| Kansas City, Topeka, Atcilison, Leaven-
worth. Wichita and Fort Scott Mayor
Hesser of Fort Scott, president of the as
ISOLATION, presided at the opening session.
After the appointment of the commit
tees, ten proposed new laws governing
cities OF the first class were proposed and
referred. Among them was a law author
ling cities 10 condemn water light and
! gas plants, for municipal control whether
their franchise has expired or not; a law
aIbolishing the Office Of election commits
sioner. and not requiring annual regis
tration; a law providing that city cleo
tons shall be held in November; a law
authorizing a two-mill levy for macadam-
izins country roads, and a law creating
state board of embalmers and requiring
every embalmer TO pass an examination.
Prominent among the delegates are
Mayors Fellows Of Topeka, Ross of Wich-
tia, Marshman of Kansas City and Act
ing Mayor Kievslead of Leavenworth.
The Kansas Municipal association was
organized to improve the laws governing
IF ha in,
and during the four years OF its exist
ence it has secured a revision in the law
which governs the distribution of the
taxes by the county treasurers so that
the cities get what is entitled to them.
1t secured the law which enables the lire
companies of the cities to receive annual
allowances through the superintendent OF
insurance.
The present meeting is said to be red
hot one and plans are being laid to sYcop
down on the legislature this winter and
give the cities of Kansas a new deal.
The Topeka representatives will request
the passage of a resolution demanding the
abolition of the office of commissioner Of
elections. but as Kansas City and Topeka
are the only cities which have this useless
excrescence there will be no opposition
to the passage of the resolution.
There is disposition on the part OF
many city. officials to change the paving
law and the law governing the construc-
ton of sewers. Some of the Wichita
delegation favor having a paving law
passed which viii assess only half the
pavement of the abutting property; the
rest of the cost to be paid by general
taxation. As the law now stands the
improvement of cities IS greatly ham
pered because of the expense of paving.
Unless a majority Of the people living
along a street petition Cor paving the
street cannot be paved. There is an al
most endless amount of routine bust
ness connected with paving that Il IS
weary process at best to get a street
paved. \ change may be proposed chat
viii shorten tne time for advertisement
aud curtail the preliminary resolutions.
The sewer question is in much the
same condition as the paving. A few
people are able 90 effectually block the
construction of sewers.
The meeting at Fort Scott will take I'd
for special discussion the sidewalk propo-
sition. AS the law now stands. in order
TO replace an old sidewalk with a new
one, the council must first pass a rasoiu-
ton condemning the old sidewalk. Then
a petition must be presented 10 the coun-
ell signed by twenty-five OF she resident
tax payers Of the ward in which the new
is to he built. After the pre-
sentation OF this, the owner Of the prop
erty along which the new sidewalk is 10
be run. has ninety days in which 10 build
The plan which Mr.. McFadden proposes
is to give the council power 20 order the
replacing Of the old walk with a new one
in thirty days time, without going through
the Formally OF a petition. This would
greatly expedite rebuilding walks. The
proposed ordinance does not affect new
walks.
The cities Of the first-class want some
kind of a work house law passed. such /
a bill has been before the legislature /
but It has not been pushed and this year
an effort viii be made to secure some leg /
iSIatfon along this line