The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-04-20
MAYOR GORMAN ACTS
DECLARES THE RAILWAY FRAN
CHISE NULL AND VOID.
WILL NOT BE RECOGNIZED
The Official Notice From the Mayor was
Served upon the Company Today
Police are Guarding the Proposed
Route for Fear of Trickery.

signature of Mayor German was issued
this morning and it is one for the de-
fence of the rights of the people against
the action of the old Council in grant
ing a franchise to the M, r. & z.
Electric railway company.
The order of the mayor marks the
opening of hostilities between the city
and the railway company, and while it
is not in the form Of an injunction, it
will practically serve the same purpose.
The order, as prepared by City Attor
ney Fisher and signed by Mayor Cor
man and City Clerk Jacob is as follows:
To the Milwaukee, Racine & Kenosha
Electric Railway Company:
You are hereby notified that the City
Council of the City of Kenosha will not
recognize the pretended franchise and
ordinance passed by the Common
Council of said city at it's adjourned
meeting held on the 18th day of April,
A. D. 1899, attempting to grant to the
Milwaukee, Racine & Kenosha Electric
Street Railway company the right to
construct and operate street railway
in said city of Kenosha: Nor will the
present Council of said city recognize
any of the privileges attempted to be
granted by said pretended ordinance.
You are further notified that said city
of Kenosha, through it's proper officers,
declares said pretended ordinance and
all rights attempted to be granted
thereby or therein, void and of no force
and effect; that the present city gov.
eminent will not permit the same to be
published; that the mayor of said city
will not give permission to said COM
pany or assigns to exercise any of the
rights attempted to.be granted thereby,
that the check left by said company
with the Clerk Of said city will not be
accepted, and that no bond attempted
to be furnished under the provisions of
said pretended ordinance will be re
ceived or recognized. The present
Council of said city holds said pretend
ed ordinance to be wholly void.
Dated at Kenosha this 18th day of
April, A. D. 1885,,
JAMES GoRMAN, Mayor
Gus JACOB, City Clerk.
The order was given into the hands
of the Chief of Police, who went to
Racine for the purpose of serving it on
the head officials of the company this
morning.
In pursuance to the attitude of the
Council toward the company as laid
down by the Mayor, the proposed right
of way for the new line will be closely
watched to see that no efforts of the
company to trick the city by building
the road with rush, may succeed.
For this purpose members of the police
force of the city have been detailed to
watch night and day, and the company
will have a hard time Guiding these
sleuth- hounds of the law. The action
of the Mayor is backed by public
opinion, and his action has been very
favorably commented on. AS to the
legal force of the order of the new
Mayor, there is some DOUBT as to its
having any great effect 10 defeating
the ultimate plans of the company, but
it will cause long delay, and in the
meantime the opponents OF the road
will have a chance to make a more
strictly legal form of attack.