Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-26
INSTRUCTIONS TO GO.
Main Street Must be Cleared in 90
Days.
AT LEAST COUNCIL 50 RECOMMENDS
Result of the Phillip., From. con,ro-
versy-Another acknowledgements.
IN Council-A Star Cham.
Der Session.
[From Saturdays Daily.l

[From Saturdays Daily.1
The city council at an adjourned
meeting last evening recommended
that the mayor and city solicitor serve
legal notice on all property owners on
Main street to have all distractions in
violation of the ordinance removed
within ninety days. Alderman B. r..
Hyatt was the only member of the
council who voted adversely to the
measure, and although he did not have
an opportunity to express himself in
the council, said afterwards that he
did not believe in making the order eff
fective on Main street, and not on 9TH
er streets in the city. The action of
the council last evening was the OUT
come of a star chamber session. which
was called at 1880 and lasted until 8
o'clock.
AS was announced in the Courier
yesterday, the, council had several
matters on which it was the intention
to caucus, but owing to the absence of
the city solicitor, the liquor ordinance
and the other questions We're postpon-
ed, The Phillips front controversy
proved sufficient, however, for one ey-
ening, and when the councilmen filed
into the regular council chamber and
took their respective places, their was
determined look upon their faces,
which told that the matter had been
disposed of once and for all.
After the meeting had been called to
order by Mayor Phillips, petition was
read in which the council was request
ed to either make a general application
of the ordinance in case Mr.. Phillips
was ordered to remove his front, and
also setting forth the fact that Mr..
Phillips had not intruded on the rights
of the public to any great extent, es-
peciallyfas compared with similar i'm
provements in other cities. Following
the readin~ of the petition, Attorney
j. w. Lewis, representing the first pc
titioners who requested that
Mr.. Phillips be required to re-
move the 'front.' appeared before the
council for the purpose of showing
that, according to the opposition to
Mr.. Phillips, he had been notified be-
fore he began his new building that a
protest would be made against the ex-
tended front. Mr.. Lewis said Capt. w.
H. c. Jaques, the city solicitor, had as
sured him that Mr.. Phillips could not
do that legally. Mr.. Lewis made a
lengthy address, thoroughly reviewing
the matter from beginning to end.
Judge w. d. Tisdale, representing
Nh. Phillips, replied to the statements
made by Mr.. Lewis, and assured the
council that Mr.. Phillips did not. have
the slightest desire or intention to
run counter to the council, but when
he began the work on his new build
ing, even when he conceived the plan
for the same, it was his desire to give
Ottumwa something modern. He Wis
tied Chicago, Des Moines and other
cities, and found buildings similarly
constructed. Judge TisdaIe closed by
saying that the whole controversy had
grown out of little business COMPETE
ton, and had come to be personal
matter.
AS soon as the arguments by the at
torneys were concluded, Mayor Phil
lips asked if the council was ready to
report on the matter, whereupon. Al
derman Keefe, chairman of the ;coun-
Gil, made the recommendation above
referred to. When the roll was called
there was found to be but one dissent
forwards explained he opposed the
against property owners on other
streets. He is of the opinion that if
Main street is to be cleared, the other
streets of the city should be included.
The ordinance relating to such matters
embraces only front street. 1t is an
old ordinance, and as one of the alder
men said last evening after the council,
"If the order is issued and complied
with, and Main street property own
ers are compelled to go to the expense
which such an order will mean, it is
an assured fact that the city council
will very soon have to amend that or
dinance and make it include all other
streets of the city,"
There being no further business to
come before the council, a motion pre-
vailed to adjourn until Monday even
ing Jan. ], 1900, and in view of the
fact that the above date is holiday,
the city clerk was instructed to adj
journ the meeting until the following
Tuesday evening.
The Phillips Petition.
The following is copy OF the petit
ton. together with the signatures
thereto, protesting against what is
termed discrimination against Mr..
Phillips, and asking that all others
occupying the streets should be order
ed out of them If Mr.. Phillips is ordered
out:
'.To the Honorable AIavor and Mem
bers of the City Council of the City
of Ottumwa, Iowa:
"We, the undersigned, respectfully