The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-19
NO PAVING LIMIT.
Council Votes Down the 20
Block Proposition.
All to Be Left to a Committee of
Six.
LICENSE WILL STAND.
Move Of the Insurance Men Falls
Short.
Big Agents Objected to the
License Feature.
LICENSE WILL STAND.

There was a bewildering tangIe of
parliamentary technicalities at the
council meeting last night about the
paving question. Part of the council
wanted to limit the amount of paving
to twenty blocks. A few more wanted
to raise the limit to thirty blocks. others
were in favor of leaving it to the Judg-
ment of a special committee of six TO
determine what petitions shall be re-
jected, and how many blocks allowed
Still Others wanted to grant every petit
ton legally presented, signed by the re-
quired number of property holders. And
before they We're out of the woods, the
council had voted on each of these prop
ositions separately, had voted on them
in pairs, in battalions and in open and
closed order, to say nothing of a lot of
amendments and substitutes which
Mayor Parker lost track of in the
shuttle.
The result was that a special commit
tee, composed of six members, three
from the ways and means committee,
three from the streets and walks com
mlttee, with Mayor Parker as member
eA-oHleiO, was appointed to go through
the sheaf of paving petitions and win
now out as many as their consciences
would let them.
4iilS 1nOtiOn MADE the members of the
streets and walks committee very mad,
FOR in the course of the debate it was
stated by one councilman that the
streets and walks committee was in
competent to do the work. The streets
ana walks committee had tried to
soft the petitions and had failed, be-
cause their various constituents who
want paving went after them so hard
that they were afraid to throw out any
Of the petitions TO which there was no
legal objection.
Councilman Wolf said that he
wouldn't attend any more meetings of
the streets and walks committee and
Councilman Nichols asserted that the
streets and walks committee had ceased
to exist.
The fight was precipitated by the fol-
lowing resolution introduced by Coun-
Gilman Samuel r Howe:
Nv hereas, There have been presented
70 the council petitions asking that dur
ing the year 1903 streets and alleys be
paved equalling in length 40 blocks. to-
gether with street crossings and inter-
sections: and
Whereas. The public interest requires
that the expenditure for paving during
the year 1903 be limited to an amount
approximately equal to the amount paid
curing the yeal of the bonds of the city
heretofore issued in payment of general
improvements; therefore
ResolVed, That the grading of petit
ions Tor paving to be done in 1903 be
limited to 20 blocks; that for the pur-
be paved. committee of six mem bers !
of the council shall be appointed by the
mayor, of whom there shall be selected
from the streets and walks committee
including the chairman thereof and the
other three from the ways and means
committee. The mayor shall be ex-of-
hcio a member of the committee thus
appointed. The committee shall imme-
dlately proceed to designate the blocks
TO be paved within the above limitation
The paving shall be distributed as near
~ equal among the six wards of the
city as Is possible, and in all cases pre-
ference shall be given to the paving of
blocks against which there Is no protest !
The report Of the committee shall be
presented at a meeting of the council
to be held on Monday, February % at
80 y. M
The storm broke as soon as the read
ing of the resolution ceased. Amend /
ments and substitutes were hurled at
the chair from all sides of the municipal
semi circle. Each councilman had chip
on his shoulder, and somebody was al |
ways ready to knock it off.
When they came to vote on Howe's |
resolution it was defeated by vote of 1
to g. Councilman Griley then made
motion that embodied most of the fea-
lures of Mr. HOWe's resolution, except |
that the 20 block limit was taken off
After this motion had been showed (
through the gauntlet of amendments +
and debate, it was passed by vote of
to &, and Mayor Parker appointed the
mttee From the streets and walks
committee, Weber, Bergundthal and
Snyder; from the committee on ways
and means, Howe, Neil and Swendson. I
The following is list of the paving
petitions which viii come before the
committee to undergo the Sitting" pro
cess:
Taylor Fourth to Sixth. 30 feet wide.
Fourth. Topeka to Western. 40 feet
Western. Huntoon to Douthitt. 40 feet
Madison. Second to Third. 80 feet wide.
Jackson, Tenth to HuntoOn. so feet
Topeka, Douthitt to Huntoon. 80 feet
Tyler. Second to Third. 90 feet wide.
Huntoon, Jackson to Van Buren,. so
Fillmore, Thirteenth to Douthitt. 80
+ feet wide.
Eighth, Buchanan to Lincoln, SO feet
Kansas avenue. Thirteenth to Euclid.
so feet wide
Van Buren,, Thirteenth to Huntoon. 80
Eleventh, Quincy to Van Buren,, 80
/ feet wide.
Jefferson. Eighth to Tenth. 80 feet
wide.
LICENSE ORDINANCE SUSTAINED.
The effort which the proprietors of the
larger fire insurance agencies have been
making to have the insurance license iii
the new license ordinance raised so that
the rcurbStOne" insurance brokers would
be crowded out Of business failed again
last night and the struggle on this
proposition is probably now over, until
a new lot OF councilmen come into Office
When the ordinance was first adopted
there was a hard fight on the fire insur~
ance license clause. which the small
agents finally Won. Two weeks ago the /
big agents sprung a surprise by intro
dueing an amendment to the ordinance /
and strong effort was made to railroad
it through without being referred to a +
committee. But the friends of the /
amendment lacked one vote Of enough +
to SUSPEND the rules. and the amend, /
mani went to The license ..r.-.-,,l1taa ]