Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-07-12
WILL BUILD LIBRARY.
Who Has Site to Offer the City For
Its Location?

At the regular July meeting of the
city council, held last week, a petition
was presented and read asking that the
city accept the 5000 offered by An
drew Carnegie for library purposes.
The petition was signed by nearly 800
of Wausau's public spirited and educa-
tional loving citizens, and the way it
was disposed of by the council shows
that the cOuncilmen are desirous of ac-
ceding to the wishes of their con-
stituents
The petition read as fellows:
To The Mayor and Common Council of The
city Of Waus,at
/ We, the undersigned electors of the
city of Wausau, hereby petition your
| honorable body To adopt such ordinance
and resolution as may be necessary to
accept the offer of Mr. Andrew Carnegie
of S.5, 900 for a public library for our
city. The acceptance to be such that
the city obtain such library by incurring
| no other obligation than the payment
of $1,000 per year for its maintenance.
A motion was made and car
ried to suspend the rules and act up
on the petition Immediately. Alder
man Ewing then offered the following
resolution, which was adopted with the
full vote of the council, except Alder
man Emil Flatter, who voted nay AL
dermen Lilieqyest and Kruger being
absent:
The common council of the city OF Wa,tsau
do Ordain as tOttOtos:
WHEREAS, Mr. Andrew Carnegie has
offered to donate to the city of Wausau
the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars
(S25, 900 for the erection of a public lib
rary building in said city, on the condi-
tion that a suitable site be furnished,
and the city appropriate the sum of
twenty-five hundred dollars (S2, 500 an
nually for the maintenance thereof.
Now, therefore, it is hereby ordained
and resolved as follows:
SECTION l. The said offer of Mr. An
drew Carnegie is hereby accepted upon
the conditions above stated, and the
city of Wausau in consideration there
for, hereby obligates itself by this ordi-
nance to levy and hereby levies an au
nual tax to be collected in the general
tax roll of the city of Wausau, the sum
of twenty-five hundred dollars (S2, 500
each year, commencing with the year
1904, for the support and maintenance
of such public library, and the proper
officers of said city are directed to in
clude such levy in the tax roll for the
year 1904, and each succeeding year,
and to pay such amount to the library
board of said city each year
SECTION H. This resolution shall not
become effective until a proper site for
such building shall have been donated
and conveyed to the city of Wausau
free of charge and expense to the city
SECTION III. This ordinance shall
take effect and be in full force and eff
feet from and after its passage and pub
llcation, and the acceptance by the
proper city authorities of the site as
provided in the preceding section.
Shortly after the Eastern multi
millionaire made his offer to the citizens
of Wausau the matter was brought up
for discussion in the city, council but
was never allowed to go to a vote, be-
cause those in favor of its acceptance
saw from the sentiment of the council
that it would be killed. At the judic-
ial election in the spring of 1908 it was
voted upon by the people and lost by
margin of about thirty votes, its sup
porters were not over alert in pushing
the question and its opponents circu-
lated all kinds of stories about the con-
ditions imposed and. undoubtedly in
fiuenced many to believe that great
burden would be fastened upon them
if the money was accepted and the
library built.
We understand that an effort will be
made to secure a good, centrally located
site. While it is improbable that any
citizen will donate site, the Ladies
Literary club, we understand, has
nearly 81 900 in fund for that purpose,
and those in position to know, state
that the work of getting site will be
the least of their troubles.