The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-04-12
THE aAS FRANCHISE.

4 >" ~-"NN
Saturday night passed the ordinance
mich confers franchise on Henry Wits,
Emil Teitgen, NJ H. Dempsey and Jul
ius Lindstedt, their associates and as
signs. The late John Maggie was also one
OF the applicants.
The regular meeting Of the council
last week Monday did not produce a
quorum, and it was adjourned to Satur-
day. At that time the full board of
fourteen aldermen were present, aud the
regular order of business was taken up.
Wien the consideration of the petition
for special election on the municipal
ownership question was reached, it was
voted to lay the petition on the table for
the reason that it appeared that the pc
tition had been presented to the council
| five days after the time provided by
statute had expired
Alderman Hansen moved that the ordi-
Lance comforting the gas franchise be
passed. and supported his motion by an
extended argument He called atten-
ton to the fact that he and Aldermen
Willert, Naidy and Pohl had for the
past year consistently opposed the grant
ing of franchise to private parties I'M
der the impression that their constitu-
ents preferred municipal ownership of
the gas plant even at the cost of some
delay in getting it; that in the recent
election all except Mr.. Pohl whose term
did not expire, had been retired from
the council; that on the other hand AL
dermen Canright, Windingstad and
Blesch, who were known all along TO
favor the granting of the franchise, were
all returned to the council by substan-
tial majorities in the face of an organic
ed fight made on them by the opponents
of private ownership. From this he
drew the conclusion that the people OF
the city wanted gas at once, and were
impatient at the delay made in the name
of city ownership. Having found that
he had mistaken the sentiment OF his
constituents he felt that it was his duty
to vote for the immediate passage of
the ordinance as published. Each mem
Der of the board rose and briefly express
ed his views, most of them favoring the
measure The vote when taken showed
10 ayes, 2 nays. The negative votes
were cast by Willert and Pohl, and the
latter at once changed his vote to aye,
making the actual vote on the ordinance
10 for to against Mr. Pohl then gave
notice that at the next meeting of the
council he would move reconsideration.
The regular order of business was con-
tinued and several matters ofimportance
were acted on. Harris street between
Michigan avenue and Wisconsin avenue
was ordered improved according to the
petition of the abutting property own
ers. Sewers were ordered for part Of
Chicago street and several claims were
allowed and ordered paid, Just before
adjournment Alderman Kelley moved a
reconsideration Of the vote on the gas
ordinance, and Alderman Hansen sec
onded the motion. Alderman Canright
then moved to lay Kelley's motion on
the table, which was done by vote of
IL to 2, thus foreclosing Alderman Pohl
from his intended effort at reconsider
alton at the following meeting. The
mayor signed the ordinance, and early
gas" became an actually
The concensus of opinion among the
members Of the council, even those who
favored city plant, is that the franchise
granted protects the city completely,
and is in many respects the most advan
tageous to the municipality of any gas
franchise in the state. Its provisions are
principally these;
John Maggie, Henry Wits Michael II.
Dempsey, julius Lindstedt and Emil
Teitgen, their successors and assigns, are
granted the right to build and operate
works for the manufacture, distribution
and sale of coal gas, and to deal in all
| reSluualS resulting lToil SUCH HidluIdC-
ure. They are granted the right to use
and occupy the streets of the city for
period of 25 years after the adoption of
the ordinance, for the purpose of laying
gas pipes, providing that after opening
the streets for laying the pipes they shall
restore same to AZ good condition as be-
fore to the satisfaction of the board of
public works; and provided also that
they save the city harmless by bond
from all damages that may be claimed
by reason of excavating, W by the opera
ton of the plant. The grant is made on
the express condition that the grantees
shall have their pipes and mains laid
under the streets that are to be paved
within 60 days after the frost is out of
the ground; and upon the further con
dition that the grantees shall have in
| full operation on on before Sept. /, 1901,
n coal gas plant of "A capacity of not less