The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-09
ORDINANCE ALLOWING THE
STREET CAR COMPANY TO
USE CEDAR STREET
FOR THE SALTWATER LOOP
THE LAYING OF THE TRACK IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE
STREET
INFLUENCED THE EXECUTIVE

ne says III the Company Can Oc-
cupy One Street as 1t Sees Fit.
Why Should There Be Any Need
of Applying to the Council for
Permission to Do SO-May Be
Passed Over the Veto.
After having the ordinance granting
the street railway company the use of
CEDAR street between Seventh and
Elgnth streets under consideration for
-FOUR days, Mayor Kiefer decided that he
could not approve of the measure, and
accordingly vetoed 1t. The veto message
which the mayor refused to give out for
pupncatlon before it reached the council,
was enclosed in letter and handed tn
the city clerk late yesterday afternoon.
Ihe action of the mayor places the
company in a rather peculiar position
having succeeded in pushing the meas
through both bodies, after a deal of work.
the company concluded that everything
was all right, and without waiting for
the chief executive to approve the ordi
nance proceeded to lay a single track
on CEDAR street, and to connect it with
the necessary curves and switches. The
track Is all down and yesterday the War
ren-Scharn company, which has the con-
tract for paving the street, had the con-
crete foundation for the asphalt paving
between Seventh and Eighth streets
nearly completed
The ordinance in one section provides
that the track should be located five feet
west OF the center line of Cedar street.
and In order to insure that this would be
done 1T was further provided that the city
engineer should locate the track. This
provision was made In order that If
at any future time the council should
wish to grant another company the right
to operate on the street there would be
room to put down an additional track
UNoFFICIALLY LOCATED.
The company did not wait to have the
city engineer locate the track or to have
the ordinance duly signed, published and
OF erect, but proceeded to lay the track
In the center Of the street. City Engineer
Rudiett, when questioned about the
locating of the track, said he knew moth
ing about 1T. No copy Of the ordinance
nad been filed in his office and neither
mao @ the street railway company request
ed his services in locating the track.
&; The vote by which the ordinance pass
ed the board OF aldermen and the assem-
sDly was such that there Is but little doubt
'out that II the company insists the ordi-
nance Will be passed over the veto of
the mayor. The ordinance passed the
BOARD by vote of 8 to 2, Messrs. San
porn and Kenny voting in the negative.
IN the assembly the vote was to
Messrs. Albrecht and Thompson voting
against it. AS it takes but a two-thirds
vote In each body to override the veto.
the chances are the mayor will be turn
ed down. The next regular meeting of
the assembly will be held June IL. and
the board of aldermen will not meet
until June 20, although a special meet
ing OF both bodies hmay be called to take
action on the veto.
WHAT THE MAYOR SAYS.
Mayor Kiefer asked last evening as to
his reasons for vetoing the ordinance said
he did not care to discuss the veto mes
sage in advance Of it's being read before
the council. In the course Of a CONVEX
sation he said:
1t is possible and quite probable that
the ordinance may be passed over my
head, but, as chief executive of the city.
/ could not allow this possibility to in
Huence me in the discharge Of my duty
as the executive officer. The ordinance
directly provides that the track shall be
laid five feet west of the center line of
the street. From information received as
we'll as from personal observation / am
convinced that this section of the ordi-
nance has not been complied with.
If any corporation can preempt the
streets of the city in direct violation to
an ordinance passed by the city council
what need is there of having an ordi-
nance passed and why should there be
any need of making application to the
council for permission to use tho
streets?"
If there were other reasons for the
mayor availing himself of the preroga-
tive of his Office and vetoing the ordi-
nance they will not be made public until
the veto message Is read as his honor
declines to discuss the matter, politely
turning the conversation whenever direct
questions are put to him regarding the
message.
CAN THEY PASS ITo
Those who have followed closely the
action Of the council In the consideration
and passage of the ordinance claim that
there is no question but that it will be
passed over the veto in the board of al
dermen, but in the assembly there is a
possibility that not enough votes can be
secured to do the trick The section
locating the track west Of the center line
of the street was inserted in the ordi-
nance by the assembly as an amendment
and agreed to by the car company in
order to secure the requisite votes need
ed to pass it, Should those members of
the assembly who insisted on the amend
ment join with the two members who
voted against the measure on its final
passage the ordinance cannot be passed
f1ao