The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1900-06-15
TIE EMERGENCY
in STREET PAYING
Earnestly Considered in the spe-
cial Session Of the City Council
MondayNight.
A New Idea In City Affairs
Important Matters are not to be
Recorded but are to be Un.
derstood, so the Public
Will not Make Like
Demands, etc.

/ Liz u6HGNi0A LhSSS
ing Of council was issued Friday last:
"a meeting OF the council of the
city Of Clarksburg is hereby called tt
meet at the council chamber in said
city on Monday, June IL, 1900, at u
O'Clock p. M, TO consider all and any
matters pertaining to sewering and
paving the streets of the city and es.
pecially matters relating to the work
on the streets already ordered paved"
The call was signed by all the coun.
Gil body except Mr.. Redman who Is
absent from the city.
All who heard OF the call issued for
this special meeting concluded the
paving question had reached the crit.
ical stage and had become an urgent
matter with the council. The people
had persuaded themselves to believe
that something was going TO be done.
The urgent call for street paving &c.
tion, however, resolved itself into
mere prctext for affordlrg the council
an opportunity to grant an ordinary
building permit; to establish a curb
line SO that private parties might sink
well on city property unbeknown to
the council; and to conclude that per
mission to a gas company to lay its
lines included permits to private par.
ties to lay sewersin the gus company's
excavations. These last mentioned
proceedings, however. were of such
nature that there is To be no Official
record OF the matter, lest the public
may know what the council is really
doing. Any tax payer, you know, has
a right tosee the books, and, of course,
IL 1t Is not on the books or minutes,
there was no such action and that
could not be used as an argument
when some one else wants something
of like nature done. This thing of
councils doing things Of Importance
and not making record Of the same is
new idea, possibly great one, but
it remains to be seen whether or not
it will work to perfection. We sus-
pect it is just a little irregular.
In order that the council might pro-
coed to do these things Of which there
is to be no official record an amend
ment to the call was necessary and
upon motion these wordswere inserted
in 1t, ''and any other business prop
erly before the council"
The amendment to the call being
made, the council then proceeded TO
consider the emergency In the street
paving proceedings by granting j. |.
Alexander permit to build a = story
frame dwelling on Main street. They
considered street paving still further
by passing an order instructing the
city engineer to establish the curb
line on Clark street east of North
Fourth, that private parties might
proceed to drill a well on public prop
erty without the knowledge of the
council. The one who asked that
the curb be established insisted that
no permission had been given to drill
the well. The council sagely consid'
cred that that b dy ought not To know
officially anything about the sinking
of the well and, Of course, it doesn't.
Street paving was further earnestly
considered by the councils agreeing
that it be understood that parties on
Lee street had the right, without
permission Of the council, to run
sewer along in the West Fork Oil &
Natural Gas company's excavation.
1t was deemed necessary that lit be
understood" and not be recorded, SO
that parties living beyond might not
say. ''you granted so and so permits to
lay sewer, now grant US the same
privilege" This consideration of the
crisis in street paving was important
aud eminently satisfactory.
The emergency for which the call
was ordered having been thus
duly considered and properly met, the
council adjourned.