The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-23

lieve that four-fifths of the people of
my ward are in favor of. the road.
have come to the conclusion that we
viii have to trust to this ordinance as
we have adopted it, and to the city at
torney to help US out. Therefore
waive all my personal feelings, ana
vote for my constituents in the Sixth
ward. / vote aye"
When Mr.. Tincher voted, the big
crowd of VineWood park supporters,
which had been packed into the back
applaud at every opportunity, almost
went wild with delight.
G. c. CLEMENS SPEECH.
most strong and impressive appeal
was made by G. c. Clemens to the
council, in behalf of a slight delay in
the final passage of the ordinance, 50
that it might be again gone over, and
so that he might point out some weak
spots in it. The council gave Mr.
Clemens a hearing just before the final
vote was taken. Mr. Clemens said:
For two evenings these gentlemen Of
the legal profession here (referring to
the NinewOod park attorneys) have en-
1oyed all the privileges of cOuncilmen.
They have been allowed to discuss this
matter as they pleased. No one has
/ been heard on the other side That this
] is cunnIngly devised ordinance is
/ shown by the numerous amendments
which have been presented I want to
take forty minutes to present the other
| side Of the case to you
There were cries of no. no. and At
! tOrney Tom Doran said.
This is scheme to delay US"
The council, however gave consent
/ for Mr.. Clemens TO speak
want TO speak on three things.
/ continued Mr. Clements. First. organ
lied labor. Second. the people. Third,
/ railroads
ROASTs LABOR AGITATORs.
Organized labor has power. For
/ eighteen years I have fought for or
ganized labor. But / have often been
1 Obliged tn
| bearance to withhold my supreme con-
| tempt for some Of those who claim to
| represent union labor. Resolutions are
! the means by which labor OrganiZa tons
/ speak If any gentleman in this audience
/ can show me copy of any resolutions
sealed with a union seal, favoring this
/ NineWOOd park road would like to see
] them. / say there are none rOared
| Mr.. Clemens.
Here W. J. Lucy jumped up and said.
| The Trades and Labor Assembly pass
! ed resolutions
Aha I understand that" Numbered
! Mr.. Clemens IN fine scOrn, I know all
/ about that Trades and Labor Council.
| Two or three men get together and pre-
| tend to represent union labor. DO you
think you can fool meH Do YOU think /
| don't know the way you do things
| There is not a single organization of
union labor in this city which has passed
resolutions in favor of the Ninewood
! park road"
NJ. Clemens then called attention to
the fact that there is nothing in the
+ proposed franchise which helps union
labor. He declared that street railways
are opponents of union labor. and cited
the Topeka city railway to prove that
union labor can not exist among street
car men.
IF it were not that I stand upon prin-
ciple," asserted Mr.. Clemens, Z would
have been a despiser of organized labor
long ago Some Of you union men get
up and tell me, if you can, where there
-T-Te~ IL.
cause union labor to clap its hands"
FRANCHISE IS ROTTEN.
! Then Mr. Clemens talked about s'the
people" a while. He said. Our exper-
fence is that when you folks grant a
| franchise you grant it with so many
holes in it the company can do anything
! il pleaSes. Here is our city railway with
eighteenth century cast off iron rails
with cars brought here from other cities
and the incest job lot of cast off ma
terial you ever saw. You can t do thing
about it, because your predecessors did
as you are doing tonight You are act
ing in haste as they did. The franchise
which you are granting is a franchise
to Kansas City. Once you grant it, you
7 cant help yourselves. If I was al attOr-
ney for the VineWOOd park road I would
let you put anything you wanted to In
the franchise about Kansas City, be-
cause 1t wouldn't be worth the paper
it is written on. Every provision in
favor Of the city is void Every prOVis-
/ clad. Is this franchise to build to Kan
sas City worth nothing? We are giving
1t away. For twenty years we are Civ
! ing il away. Here we sit dickerine
with these gentlemen, allowing them tC
dictate terms to US, when we could gel
$40 900 for the franchise, and put the
money in your city treasury.
Now as to the railroad. What cOntrO
has the city over the railroad If you
/ pass this ordinance even as amended
I beg of you to give this more time
Twenty years ago the waterworks fran.
/ chiSe was granted in hurry. A little
more time and you could have got Wha-
you wanted. Today you can't get posses
sion of the waterworks, which are abso
| lutely yours
IF you give me more time, with {
committee Of your Own-your own, no
OF these attorneys can show you tha
this ordinance is full Of holes. It i.
rotten.
IT have been sitting here all this even
| ing to tell you this. ] have been patient
" waiting. without hope of compensa
/ ton. I beg of you. don't pass that or
dinance tonight. Refer it to a commit
tee. I have warned you. I have beer
at the bar for % years. think know
something about law and about corpora
tons, and [ say to you that this or
! dinance is rotten
Mr. Clemens speech was one long t,
be remembered, but it was unavailing
The members of the council were al
ready convinced of the truth of Mr.
Clemens remarks and assertions, bu
they were afraid to vote according t
their convictions for fear of displeasinl
their constituents.
PROTEST IS MISSING.
A protest from the people living on Mad
ison street against the construction of tn
/ proposed Vinewood park railway on tina
; street which was filed with the city CLERK
is missing and has never been presente
, to the council. City Attorney Spencer, q
the request Of City Clerk Souires, state
to the council that this petition had bee
put into the hands of the judiciary com
mittee and has not been seen since TIL
petition was with other papers at the tim
2 of the last meeting of the committee an
was living openly on the table. many out
/; sders being present at the meeting Some
one no doubt accidentally put the petitio
in his pocket. It has never been presente
to the council
2 MADE LOCO EASY
] The council last night voted to declar
T the $1,000 cash bond of the Topeka Fec
7 eral Light. Heat and Power company fol
feited. 1t has been on deposit with tn
city treasurer for three years. The S1.0
r was ordered transferred to the genera