Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-03
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
Lobeck's Resolution for Joint Committee on
Electric Franchise Fails.
ENCOUNTERS OPPOSITION ON BOTH SIDES
zimmn Contends that ounciI should
Not Try to shift Responsibility of
Settling Question at Issue
to other Shoulders.

Councilman Lobeck received a rude shock
last night in the treatment accorded to
the resolution which be believed would fur
nish a satisfactory settlement Of the
power canal franchise controversy and re-
suit In an ordinance that would be salts
factory to all concerned. Instead Of being
received by the council as the only true
solution Of the difficulty the resolution met
with opposition from all sides. Members
OF the council who favor the ordinance as
presented by Andrew R~osevater opposed
the resolution in the belief that It was an
tagonistic to his interests and Councilman
Hascall, who has most prominently con-
tested the acceptance OF Mr.. Rosewater's
ordinance, opposed the Lobeck resolution on
the ground that 1t was framed for the
benefit Of Mr.. Rosewater. And stiH other
members Of the council objected to the reso-
luton on other grounds.
Joint Committee IL Proposed.
This resolution provided for the appoint
ment of a joint committee to consist of
three member Of the Commercial club,
three members Of the Real Estate exchange
and three representative citizens to be APP
pointed by the mayor and the plan proposed
was that this joint committee should frame
an ordinance with due regard for the in
terests of Mr.. Rosewater and the interests
Of the city as well.
AS soon as the resolution made its APP
pearance Mr.. Hascall entered his protest
against It, criticlsing the plan proposed In
most severe terms. He suggested that
whether the resolution had been framed in
the interest Of Mr.. Rosewater or not 1t
would in its operation have the effect Of
furthering Mr.. Rosewater's ends and pur-
poses.
Mr.. Zimman, who has thus far manifested
friendly feeling toward the ordinance as
submitted by Mr.. R~osewater, declared him
self to be opposed to the resolution for
the reason that the people had elected nine
men to the city council to represent their
interests and those men SHOULD take the
responsibility OF deciding such questions as
the one now at issue and should not try
to shift their duty upon the shoulders Of
others.
yts As to Public Sentiment.
Then referring to the meeting of the pre-
vious evening Of which Mr.. Hascall had had
q great deal to say in his remarks, Mr..
zfmman said: This was to be a citizens
meeting and not a Hascall meeting or a
meeting of the judiciary committee Of the
council. AS Il was we had practically no
expression from the citizens. Did any rep
resentative man Of omaha express any OBJ
lection to the proposed franchise or has
any citizen Of this city at any time given
any good reason why this ordinance should
mot be adopted. No, l don't think so, but
we have heard a great deal from resi-
dents of other places as to the impracti-
cability of Mr.. Rosewater's plans. Now, as
to Judge Hascall's proposed amendments,
his restrictions, as he calls them, l want to
say that 1 think we have too many re-
strictions now and too little enforcement.
We have restrictions in the ordinances
governing all, OF the frapchise corpora
u tions, but none of them Is observed and the
p companies are permitted to do practically
as they please in spite of us,
Lobeck Does Not Insist.
St After the resolution had been attacked
from all sides and the discussion had sub
.isided the president asked Mr.. Lobeck IL he
would like to speak. He r~uefully replied
that he did not see much use Of talking
What he could not quite understand waf
that both those in favor OF the ordinance
and those opposed to 1t should object sc
vigorously to. this resolution, but since II
appeared to be so generally unpopular hC
q would not try to force its adoption. He
wished to say, however, that the measure
was introduced by him in good faith.
The resolution, when put to a vote, wa
lost by . 10 z, Mr.. Mount DelnB absent.
The council authorized the city treasure
to sell to Splitter & Co. OF Toledo, at privat,
sale, the prospective issue of 100000 o
% funding bonds at a premium Of $4,000. Thes
bonds, as first framed to draw interest a
35h per cent, were advertised for sale wit
practically no offers. Then on Novembe
81, as 4 per cent bonds, they were agai
offered, and Splitter & Co. and one othe
hrm were the only bidders, the highest pre-
MUM offered being 5000. These bids wer
rejected by the city treasurer, who did no
believe they were in good faith. and sine
then Splitter & Co. have increased thei
offer to $4,000.
~Sustains Mayors Veto.
The mayors veto OF a voucher to pay So
900 TO the clerk OF the district court in sat
i~sfaction OF a judgment in the case of Rich
ardson against the city was sustained. ]
his message the mayor stated that he ur
derstood that there was a case now pendin
that might have some bearing on this mat
Ter, and he would favor waiting at Leaf
until the court should mandamus the cit
officers.
The following funds in the city treasuI
were certified by the comptroller:
Cash In drawer ........"."....... 2,2l.
TH~E1 hA~A~E