The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-02
PLAN TO IMPROVE, STREETS N. <.
 DEFEATED BY THE ALDERMEN

ceived from a private contractor .an es- timate of the work, which fixed, the. cost at $4.13L Even a better bid than that. he said. he had received from responsi- ble party for whom he vouched but whose name he was not; at liberty to .di- vulge. This person offered to, do ali the | work including the excavation, and the removal of the dirt, at g. total cost Of A02.70. i
 Tt is not my purpose to reflect on the City Engineer" said Mir. Roerner. T hold him in high esteem, but peculiar condition confronts us. When we1 ars sick and in danger sometimes, although We may have ample confidence in our | family physician, we call in a consulting physician to assist in the case. The city fig sick and ailing in this matter, and the l time has come to call in a consulting physician. We should have some, out side help from engineering experts. "{ te He read a petition from all the property | owners whose property would be affected by the improvements, except two, asking | that the work be done and promising that | there would be no suit for damage. on its account. MT. Roemer closed by saying l that in his opinion. from the figures. l which he had at hand. that the improve l ments could be made at a cost of but | little more than $500.
 | Opposed by Teague. Alderman w. M. Teague opposed the ordinance. He said that the discrepancy between the estimates furnished him by the City Engineer and the estimates fur nished Alderman Roemen could be easily explained. The City Engineer had told l him that Alderman Roemer had said 1 that he did not want full and complete estimates, and that the cost of the re- | taining walls and other items had been left out of the estimates given to Mir. | Roemer. sT
 Mir Teague said that Mir Roemer lived in the neighborhoodS that would be bene- 1 fted by the Improvements.
 He favored street Improvements and per manent improvements but he said the money should be carefully and judicially expended. 4 -t Alderman Strauss said that he favored l the. ordinance at the last meeting of the Council, but he doubted the wisdom of 1 the improvements in view of the esti- mates by the City Engineer whose state- ments the Council should accept. MT. Strauss later said that he favored the or- dinance when 1t had been So amended that the cost was limited to $4Oo0. Alderman J. P. Kohn stood for, the ordi- nance. The members of the Council he said. certainly had the right to differ from the City Engineer and he exercised the right to differ from the City Engineer on the estimates which had been made. He declared that Alderman Roemer had done a greatN and unselfish work for the improvements and the Council should give 1t to him if 1t could.
 Alderman Forbes favoraf the improve ments. but he thought the cost should be limited as much as possible. He offered the amendment placing the cost at S4.0C0 -.. ..-......-- --.----s...-- .-.. -.. Gunter Adtnires Roemer. H'-'
 Alderman Gaston Gunter said, that he | admired and commended the spirit of All derman Roemer in the conduct of the movement for the improvement, but he doubted the propriety of the attack on the City Engineer. The Council, he said, could not afford to discredit the City En- Rineer on the estimate of an anonymous person. In justice to the City Council | and to the City Engineer, he said, that Alderman Roemer should give the name of the anonymous contractor.
 MT. Roemer said that he had meant no reflection on the City Engineer. He said that he would rather lose his fight for the ordinance than to have his motives oues- toned He would rather be defeated. he said, than have the Aldermen believe that there was personal interest in his fight
 Alderman J. J. Sullivan said that he saw no reason why $10,O00 should be expended on cutting down one of Montgomery S many hills when so many of the citys de- partmentS were in need of a larger apprO- oriation. Part of the money, he said, could be very prohtably employed in the dre department
 Alderman c. L. Ruth wanted the City Engineer invited before the Council to give a statement as to the work, but President Mcintyre objected
 The Forbes amendment to the ordinance uniting the cost of the work to 5000 was adopted.
 The Final Vote.
 A motion to postpone action on the or dinance was lost and the final vote taken was as follows:
 | Ayes-McIntyre, Forbes Griffith. Kohn. Roemer and Ryan-6.
 Nays-Gunter, Jackson Maddox. Ruth Jackson, Teague, Strauss and Sullivan-s
 Later in the meeting Alderman Kohn rose to a question of personal privilege He said that he had perhaps made a re- mark to neighboring alderman that was oHensiVe to Alderman Strauss He wished 10 WlthdraW the remark, he said if it was taken to be offensive, and to say to me council that he meant nothing disre- spectful or offensive to any member of the body. To this time the Council did not know to whom Alderman Kohn had alluded
 resolution was adopted directing the contractors to carry on the work of nav. ing the sidewalks on Adams street. Tho work had been suspended pending the &C., ton of the Council on the other proposed improvements.