The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-19
Opponents of the North Topeka
Sewer Again Defeated.
Their Remonstrance Found to
Be, Short the Necessary Names.
WORK WILL BEGIN
Last Obstacle to Public I'm
prOvement Removed.
North Topeka Will No Longer
Be a Diphtheria Center.

Another impeachment has been rolled
out of the way of the North Topeka
sewer The city engineer and city clerk
have spent three weeks trying to find
out whether the remonstrance against
the building of the sewer contained the
names of a majority of the resident pro-
perty owners and their report has been
completed and will be formally present.
ed at the next meeting of the city coun-
Gil
The officers have found that the re-
monStrance does not contain the names
of a majority of the property owners.
This means that the last thing in the
way of the sewer is removed and that
it can be built. It may be that the ever
present court injunction will bob up
now but so far as the council is con-
cerned the legal complications are
Strengthened out and North Topeka can
get ready for a system of sewerage
The fight over the proposed sewer has
become famous. For years the matter
mas been discussed. Progressive citizens
threatened to move over to the south
Slde unless sewers were built and some
or them did move away. Every spring
the sewer agitation required and each
time it was turned down. The state
board Of health finally reported that a
sewer was necessary to the health of
the people of North Topeka People
who thought that the building of a sew
er would be so expensive as to practi-
caIly confiscate their property found
when the engineer made an estimate
that the cost would be small In fact it
has been found that the proposed sewer
will cost only about $25 per lot.
A remOnStrance against the construc-
ton of the sewer was on file and when
it was found that the cost of the pro-
posed Improvement would be so much
smaller than anticipated, 81 people who
had signed the remonstrance sent a
communication to the city council ask
ing to have their names taken Off The
city attorney decided that they had no
right to withdraw their names after Of
fetal action on the remOnStrance had
been taken.
Then came the most serious task of
all-finding out whether a majority of
the resident property owners had signed
the remonstrance. That has now been
done and at the regular meeting of the
council the fact will be reported and
steps will be taken to let the contract
for the sewer SO that work can be COM
menced early in the spring.
The report Of the city officers who
have made the investigation will show
that of the 262 people who signed the
remonstrance only 205 names were en-
titled to conSideration-57 were dupli-
Gates or the names of people who did
not own property as required. 1t would
| require the names of 265 people on the
remonstrance to make q. majority of the
property owners on the anti-Sewer side
so that from any standpoint the sewer
advocates are ahead.
The plans for the sewer provide for
an outlet east of North Topeka in the
Kansas river. The district drained is
/ that between the Union Pacific railroad
| tracks and Kious street though the la
| teralS may be extended farther north.
| Unless an injunction suit should be
commenced the people of North Topeka
| will have a sewer of their own before
next summer is over and the diphtheria
| season arrives.