Evening journal., 1899-08-08
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
FRANcHIsEs Given AwAY.
TO the Bditor OF the Evening Journal.

To the Hditor OF the Evening Journal.
Sir: Citizens ask the question: rs
the ordinance of our city a nullity or
dead letter." II appears so. A short
time ago the question arose about the
stands on the streets being contrary to
the city ordinances. Il was referred
to Council and Council referred it to
Henry c. Conrad, city solicitor He in
turn gave it as his opinion that the
stands on the streets were a violation
of the city ordinances and the question
has stood in that position since before
the city election. The storekeepers,
thinking they had a Moses. turned in
and rallied to the standard of Henry
c. Conrad and landed him in the lu-
crative Office Of 81 800 per year. think
ing this long-vexed question would be
solved at last, but the election is over
and the street robbing game goes on,
and this high-salaried officer allows
the question to go where the woodbine
tWineth The same old state of affairs
exists that Judge Cummins inaugu-
rated. The Municipal Courts first
judge would fine these foreign
street robbers; they would appeal to
court and the case would be pidgeon-
holed and that would be the last of
the case, as the city solicitor, the late
Henry G. Turner, had other duties to
perform than carry out the ends of
justice. The Municipal Court was in
augurated for the benefit of our city
and in the interests OF progression. 1t
never was intended that the most i'm
portant cases coming before it should
be ignored and the legitimate taxpay-
ers made to pay tribute to a coterie of
high-salaried officers 10 bankrupt
them for want of protection. This
thing has gone far enough and ought
TO be stopped. If in no other way,
then by injunction. There is no ex-
cuse for q fair to be held on our streets
four days In the week, and stands on
all the main business corners all the
year round. Second street market is
empty and Council had to reduce the
rent from $1,000 to $500 for want of
patronage; Third street market is not
half occupied; Eighth street market is
the same. The stores all over the city
are idle, while these street robbers ply
their occupation till IL o'clock Satur-
day night, selling their rotten trash,
giving short weight and measure, and
collecting spot cash, when our store
keepers have to pay commercial tax on
all the goods they buy, whether they
sell them or not, high license and rent
and If they are not punctual they re-
ceive a penny postal from the clerk oi
the court that If they do not pay on {
certain day they will be presented t
the grand jury. When they do pay, tn,
postal card is put in the expenses at 81
cents. This clerk of the courts tim,
must be precious. charging 40 cents foi
one notice. If the officers of the Mu
nicipal Court are to administer law
governing the municipality, why don
they do it2 They have all the force
at their command in the city. The
business Of our city ought to be con
Quoted on business principles.
This city has outgrown street mar
kets, but If we must have street mar
kets, let II be a bona-fide rmers
market and nothing else. Le OLE
town of New Castle is clamoring for
street market through its newspaper
If its editor persuades the people int
such a scheme / consider the town vii
be finished and they might as well ge
ready to fence 1t in. There are SOM
things we do in this world that mus
, puzzle the devil to account for. VIII.
not let the truckers and farmers com
into New Castle and supply then
from house to house with fresh farm
products? II they open a marke
house it will be occupied by foreigl
hucksters who will be competitors L
storekeepers. the same as in Whining
ton, which fact has caused so mucl
dissatisfaction. II is to be hoped tina
this Municipal Court and its officer
I will carry out our municipal laws il
? the future and not give all their tim
} to prosecuting tramps and bums-th
majority of which come from the stear
= railroads entering our city. The tax
7 payers have not only to pay the oil
GERS Of the court for prosecuting then
but also pay their expenses for feedin
them in serving out their term in jat
to pay their fine. Let business be don
e on business principles and not on tn
+ baby act such as allowing a fakir {
e collect two or three hundred peopl
around him to sell corn cures tina
I will not cure. If few men stop o
. the street a few minutes. order theI
on or arrest them if they do not q
What we want is a peoples govern
ment. JUSTICE.
Y xvf1,,,t.,.~to.. k..r~,,rt o