The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-25
Signs the Remonstrance Against
Second Ward Sewer.
Probably Means Defeat Of the
Project.
ACTION A SURPRISE.
Sewer Advocates Pinned Their
Faith to Santa Fe.
Company Is Usually Neutral in
City Matters.

A. z. Sweet, assistant general mana
ger of the Santa F'e railway, acting I'M
der authority from General Manager
H. U. Nudge, this morning signed the
remonstrance against the proposed
Second ward sewer. This undoubtedly
kills the sewer project, as the Santa Fe
owns LOIS lots, comprising over 100000
square feet, in the proposed sewer dis
trict.
James Mullins, representing the COM
Tnittee appointed by the people of the
Second ward who are fighting the sew
er, called upon Mr.. Sweet this morning
and closed up the deal, which has been
pending for some days. The remon-
STRANGE against the sewer will not be
filed until Monday morning. The conf
mittee which has the matter in charge
claims that two-thirds of the property
owned by residents is represented on
the remonstrance. The law requires
that a majority of the resident square
feet of the property be signed to re-
1nonstrance. Had the Santa Fe refus-
ed to sign the remOnstrance, the sewer
would probably have been built.
The friends of the sewer have been
pinning their faith to the Santa Fe.
They thought that the officials of the
company would refuse to mix up in the
controversy. Usually the Santa e
takes a neutral attitude in matters OF
such nature. 1t will not sign paving
petitions or paving remonstrances, its
theory being that people living as pri-
vate citizens should settle such mat
tiers for themselves. In this sewer mat
ter however, the case IS a little dlnef-
ent. BY requiring that q majority OIL
the resident square feet be represent
ed on a remonstrance, the law in Ell
feet makes every one pot on the. re-
n1onstrance appear to be in favor OF the
sewer. This would put the Santa Fe
in wrong attitude because it is radi-
cally opposed to the construction of a
sewer. 1t has a private sewer system
of it's own, and SO far as can be ascer-
tanned, it never signed any agreement
to not oppose the construction of city
sewer system embracing its territory
The committee appointed by the
people of the Second ward who had
meeting at the hor9e of Hub McNee-
ley a few days ago, made 1t its bust
ness to interview the Santa Fe ofn-
Gals here and lay the matter before
them. The Santa Fe was interested IN
the matter not only because of its own
large property interests in the pro-
posed district, covering the whole
great majority of the Santa Fe en-
ployes live in the proposed sewer dis
trict.
Some have held that the Santa Fe
would refuse to sign the reT2 onstrance.
because it would thereby acknowledge
the right of the city to include the
Santa Fe shop tract in a sewer dis
trict. This has been a point in dis
Inc CITY mas udQ SOIiG 0OuOl
as to its right to force the Santa F'e
to help pay for a city sewer when it
already has a sewer system of its own
adequate to its needs. As it turns out,
however, the Santa Fe has not paid
serious attention to this consideration
1t practically admits the right of the
city to include it in the proposed dis
trict but by throwing its influence
against the sewer it expects to be able
to block the deal for as long a time
as it desires.
1t is now regarded as settled that
the Second ward does not want a
vast number of names, and represent
a great amount of resident property.
H McNeeley, one of the committee,
said this morning:
81 have the remonstrance in my
pocket. 1t is ready to file except for
a few more names which will be at
tached. We have decided, however,
not to file the papers until Monday.
I don't care to say what has been the
result of our work, but you can say in
the Journal that all the members of
the committee looked happy this
morning"
James Mullins, formerly council
man from the Second ward, who has
been chairman of the anti-sewer com
mittee, said this morning:
"A. E. Sweet, representing the
Santa Fe, has signed the remon-
STRANGE against the sewer this morn
ing, and we feel confident that we
have an overwhelming majority of
the remonstrance. We have made
hard fight against the sewer, and we
feel that we have done a great deal