The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-10-19
FIRE AND POLITICS,
Council Have a Rare Exhibition oil
Partisan Feeling in Regard to
Fire Department.
AID. p1RsoH's STRONG WORDS

| Jobs Political Plumbs-No Action Taken
on the Ordinance to Provide Against
Tearing up Streets-NorthwesternR r. r.
| Co. to Put in Gates-No welcome for Nc
Kinley From the City as Corporation.
''Fire and Politics. was the watch
word of the questions of interest in
vo1ved in the deliberations of the
Common Council at their meeting at
the City Hall Monday night and the
display of partisanship shown by the
Mayor and some members of the Coun-
Gil was certainly worthy of the most
caustiC comment.
The fight, for such it was, arose over
the appointment of men to fill the
vacancies caused by the resignation of
Rice and Eif1er from the fire depart
ment. Aid. Tarbe11 offered reso1u-
ton, granting to Chief Barr the priv
i1ege of filling the vacancies, as well
as giving him future power in regard
to the operation of the department.
The motion was vigorously opposed
and when it reached vote it was lost.
It was then moved to refer the matter
to the committee on FIRE department.
| At this stage of the game the parti-
san spirit of the Council was brought
to view. One of the Democrats moved
to amend the motion and allow the
| Council to vote on the men.
The amendment was duly seconded
and Aid. Tarbe11 arose to speak on the
sub iect. Then came dramatic scene.
With the policy of a car the Mayor
refused to even listen to the voice of
Tarbe1l, but glued his eyes to the front
and demanded vote. Tarbe11 cried
out in vain. The Mayor had forgotten
himself and was apparently deaf to all
appeals for justice and after the vote
declared the motion carried.
Tarbe11 sat down disguised, but out
of the ranks of partisan Democrats
arose a new Moses in the person of Aid.
Pirsch. He arraigned the Council in
scathing manner for this attempt, as
he styled it, to allow politics to come
into the fire department. III closing
he declared that Kenosha was the only
city in the world in which such action
could be taken.
The action of Aid. Pirsch, in turnin 6
directly against his colleagues called a
halt and the latter refused to show
their hands, but laid the matter over
till a special meeting Wednesday eve
ming.
An effort was then made to reinstate
Rice, but was lost by decisive vote.
The feeling between the Mayor and
Aid. Tarbe11 was expressed in looks,
not words, and it appeared that words
were not strong enough to express it.
A conflict between the two men seems
imminent at the next meeting.
After the action of the Council on
the fire question all other business was
of an exceedingly tame nature. The
new ordinance for the purpose of tear
ing up the streets was brought up and
Attorney Bohn1rich was present and
stated that it was not valid. His
opinion was that the ordinance, if it
stood, must stand as a whole, exempt
ing none, whether they be gas COM
pany or heating plant. He said that
these companies had ample resources
in the courts, but that the state had
granted to the city a full and perfect
right to regulate the enforcement of all
ordinances passed by it's Council. He
recommended that the ordinance be
allowed to stand as originally passed.
| While speaking Attorney Bohmr1ch
made report in regard to the railway
trouble He stated that the company
had agreed to place gates at Strong
street at once. In regard to the Main
| 11n 1~aTlnr4n6 that
company did all switching on this line
free of charge and that a Waterman
would be hired by the factories using
the line as soon as they could fix the
manner of paying the man employed.
The Sieg Manufacturing Co. asked
permission to- put in switch on Strong
street and the matter was referred to
the committee on streets and alleys,
with power to act.
A remonstrance against the building
of a sewer on Garden street was re-
| ferred to the sewer committee.
The liquor license of F. E. McCordy
was transferred to Schultz & AREN'T.
The sewer committee reported favor
ably on the construction of several
sewers, but all were postponed until
the city's strong box had something in
it. The paving of Park street from
Main to Exchange street, was laid over
| for similar reasons.
The bids for paving around the park
were opened, the lowest being present
ed by James Cape & Sons, of Racine.
They were referred.
The matter of the employment of a
garbage collector was referred to the
| health committee.
| Several residents of South Main
street appeared before the Council and
asked that the grade of the street be
lowered ten inches. The matter was
referred to the committee on streets,
to report on at an adjourned meeting
to be held Wednesday evening.
The Council refused to take any
action in regard to the visit of Presi-
dent Mckinley.