The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-02-28
City Council Decides to Withhold De-
ciSi0n on New Route Until
Next Monday Evening
OFFER AN AMENDED ORDINANCE
Company Seek to Lay Tracks OF
West main street.-Prairie Avenue
Sprinkling Tax Revived.

| ing and the one subject that was of
great Importance to the people of the
city was the petition recently proposed
to give the Kenosha street railway a
monopoly of the street railway bust
ness III Kenosha by allowing them to
change it's route so that tracks would
be laid on West Main street, thus cut
ting off all hope of the successful COM
pletion of through line through the
city. The discussion of the question
of change of route at the meeting last
evening was simply the beginning of
long fight and if the request to
change the line is granted it will be
after the most determined opposition.
At the meeting the members of the
council fave ring the granting of the
monopoly won a slight victory, but
the opposition led by Aldermen Green
valid and Sch1enker prevented any de-
cisive action being taken and the mat
| ter of the change will rest in the hands
of special committee consisting of
Aldermen O'Brien, Curtis and Pfen-
Mig, for the next week.
While it was given out that the
street railway company was not behind
the proposed change and that 1T was
being urged wholly by the people re-
siding on Prairie avenue and Fremont
avenue that action of the company
Monday evening in presenting an
amended ordinance seeking the change
asked in the petition goes to show that
the wishes of the petitioners we're
largely the wishes of the people. The
ordinance and application for the
amendment of the ordinance were duly
presented, but the matter raised such
howl of opposition from Alderman
Greenwa1d that no action was taken
on the matter and it was referred to
the committee. Two mem bers of the
committee are known to be in favor of
the proposed change of route and for
this reason it is thought very probable
that they will report in favor of the
proposed amendment of the ordinance.
Alderman Greenwa1d, in speaking of
the matter, stated that the company
had good and sufficient reason for
changing the route laid down in the
ordinance and it was wholly for the
people of West Main street to say what
the company should do and not in the
province of the council. The commit
tee, to whom the petition had been re-
ferred, were in favor of asking the
company to present an amended ordi-
nance, and it was evident that the
whole action had been cut and dried,
as before the committees report had
been adopted the amendments to the or
dinance were prepared and ready to be
handed to the city clerk.
During the next week seven of the
aldermen, at least, will do everything
in their power to defeat the proposed
ordinance. They state that the action
is simply the action of the "dog in the
manger,' and the whole purpose of the
change is to give the Kenosha street
railway company perpetual monopoly
of street railway. business in Kenosha.
The value of such a change to the
company cannot be overestimated. 1t
will place them in a position to dictate
terms on which any part of the. line
may be leased to a company seeking
way through the city. Besides the OPP
position in the council there will be de-
termined opposition among the people
of the city who are in favor of every
company being given fair chance in
Kenosha. The general opinion, out
side of interested parties, seems to be
that the city has granted a franchise
to the Kenosha street railway COM
pany and be the conditions easy or
+ ~
up to their ordinance, and if changes
in route are to be made let them be
made by the plan laid down in the or
dinance so passed by the council.
The rem aiming business of the meet
ing was of a very tame order. The
old question of the payment of sprink-
ling on Prairie avenue was brought up
by a petition from Mrs. Catherine
Kelley for rebate Of sprink1ing taxes.
Mrs. Kelley resides on the avenue west
of Rowland avenue and in her petition
she stated that certain property owners
had been relieved from the tax, stating
among others Alderman Curtis, Will
liam Upton and the Chicag o-Rockford
Hosiery works. She alleged that she
had protested against the sprinkling
and that it had been of no value to her.
The matter was referred to a commit
tee and if settlement is not reached
it is probable that the matter will be
taken into the courts for test.
The Brick1ayers' union of the city
presented petition to the council ask
ing that in the future all work for the
city should be done as far as possible