The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-09
STREETS WILL Be PAVED
The Croakers Were Cleverly Cir
cumvented.
NOT A PROTEST WAS MADE
The Mayor Springs Clever Surprise on
the Directors to the Citys Pro-
gress-Strictly in Accord
ance With the Law.

ance With the Law.
| The paving of streets that has been
| contemplated for this season will be
done, but it would not have been had
not Butte had a pretty clever mayor
and city engineer to manage a scheme
| to circumvent the croakers. The hour of
O'Clock last evening had been set and
: duly advertised as the time at which
| objections would be heard to the pro-
| posed paving from the people who will
have it to pay for. That hour came and
| passed. Not a protest in accordance
with the law was heard and before any
of the would have-been objecto.s
knew what happened their opportunity
/ had slipped by and the city had ac-
quired jurisdiction to pave, by the coun-
Gil adopting, without a dissenting vote
| the resolutions providing for the paw
ing. 1t was awfully funny the way it
was done, and the expressions of blank
amazement that We're depicted in the
/ faces of those who would have regis
| tered their objections had they known
where they We're att when Mayor Har-
were adopted and the city had acquired
| jurisdiction to pave would have have
delighted the heart of a Caricature artist
| mad one been present to reproduce them.
1t was the prettiest piece of snap iudg-
ment ever perpetrated to be carried out
in strict observance of the letter of the
| law, and was all due to the fact that
the mayor and his aide de camp, the
| city engineer, knew the law, while those
! who would have nrpVaDfpH tho nf
| progress We're ignorant of it.
When the paving for this season was
| frst talked of the property owners along
| the streets proposed to be paved let it
be known they would object if they
were compelled to pay the full assess
ment in one lump. To obviate this OBJ
| lection the mayor and council found
way to extend the payments over three
years. and, supposing they had met all
| objections, went ahead, and at the last
| council meeting resolutions declaring
| the city's intention to pave were intro
| duced. Conforming to the law, a time
was set for hearing the objections to
the adoption of the resolutions. That
time was last evening" Up to o'clock
last evening the only indication in evil
dence that there would be any protest
| for the paving was the filing of writ
ten protest some days ago by the agent
| of foreign corporation objecting to
the paving of West Broadway. But be-
tween and Z o'clock veritable storm
of written protests poured into the city
| clerks office. There We're protests from
enough property owners to have pre-
vented all the contemplated paving ex-
cept half block on East Granite and
block in West Park alley That Is,
| there We're protests enough had they
been properly made. When Mayor Har-
rington and City Engineer Bickenbach
| saw the storm of protests falling they
saw all their fond hopes going a-glin-
mering unless something could be done
to circumvent the DIRECTORS. After a
| brief conference the mayor and his aide
came to the conclusion that the fact
| that the protests We're all in written
form meant that the DIRECTORS were UNI
| familiar with the law and were laboring
| under the delusion that this was the
| proper manner in which to make their
| objections They thought they saw their
way out and said nothing, but as the
aldermen commenced to arrive at the
city hall they were taken aside and
| posted.
The scheme was this: The law pro-
Vides that when any public improve
ment such as paving, etc, is contem-
plated. resolutions declaring the citys
intention must be introduced in the
| council and time set for hearing Oh
jections when property owners af-
fected, if they wish to protest against
| the improvement, must appear either
in person or by counsel and make an
| objection before the council If the
owners of so per cent. of the property
affected SO protest. the Improvement
| cannot be made, nor can it be under
taken again for six months. The may
or and city engineer banked on the OBJ
| jeotors being ignorant of this provision
| OF the law and figured that if this was
| so. no one would arise to protest when
| objections We're called for, but would
wait for the reading of the written
protests which would not come, there
being no provision in the law requiring
| them to be read. If no protests We're
| heard, a motion would be in order to
adopt the resolutions, and this done,
| there would be no further fear of the
| paving being stopped
The aldermen We're as much in favor
| of paving as the mayor and they fell
| in with the plan. 1t worked like a
| charm, and within five minutes from
| the time the council convened, 1t was
| decided that the city would pave. The
| DIRECTORS were present in full force,
| but sat silent till it was too late, then
one arose and family protested against
| the council taking advantage of lis
powers. but the protest fell on deaf
ears-the thing was done. The pro-
ceedlngs We're enllVened by j. II. Curtis
| making his appearance before the coun-
Gil and delivering himself of warm
| roast of the croakers. as he termed the
| DIRECTORS to the paving. A small
amount of other business was transact
| ed at the meeting.
The council convened promptly at s
| o'clock with all the members in their
seats except Alderman Ljubibratich
| During the roll call an air of suppressed
| merriment and expectancy pervaded
| the chamber. 1t was evident something
was about to drop, but the DIRECTORS
who filled the spectators benches sat
| Stnlid Ii inst aNridett thaN had q