The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-03-15
CITY DADS LOCKED HORNS.
PAVEMENT AND POOL ROOMS
WERE KNoTTY QUESTIONS
TO SETTLE.
Petition Of East Main Street Property
Owners Will Be Ignored for
the Time.

BY a vote Of four to two the council,
in a heated session last night, decided
to ignore the petition of property own
ers of East Main street to pave that
thoroughfare with bithulithic pavement
until such time as a thorough test of
asphalt and the Warren pavement can
be made. When Councilman Glasford.
as chairman of the street committee,
submitted a report recommending ia
vorable action on the petition the dogs
of war were turned loose and before
the question could be brought to a
vote every one of the six councilmen
present mad had his say.
Smith headed the opposition to btu
lithic pavement in a Fourth of July
Grafton that fairly teemed with orator
ical effect and intensity. He urged that
further time be taken to ascertain the
true value of both asphalt and btu
lithic. The council, he said, would be
held responsible for any mistake that
might be made by nasty action. AS
member of the street committee he
said he had asked representatives of
the two competing pavement COM
panies to submit camp1es, not
small ones, but big ones that
porperty owners and members of
the council might submit the two pave
that he expected these samples would
be ready for inspection within a very
few days.
Glasford was emphatic in the state
ment that as long as property owners
of East Main had petitioned for btu
lithic pavement and were footing the
bill they should be given what
they wanted, irrespective of what any
particular member of the council
thought or wanted.
Cox expressed the same opinion and
stated that it was not doing justice to
| the property owners of that street to
delay matters. Unless work was COM
menced soon the street would be torn
up at a time when summer and l1ar-
vest trade would be on in full blast
and it would work great hardship to
merchants of the street. He cited, as
an instance last summer when his
own place of business at Alder and
First streets was practically closed to
| trade.
Martin in short speech stated that
year ago when the council was first
talking pavement the Warren people,
although they had man on the
ground, failed to put in a bid. He was
in favor however of giving the East
Main street property owners whatever
they wanted as long as they were pay
| ing the bill. The vote stood: Ayes:
Martin Bridges, Mexican and Smith;
nays, Glasford, Cox.
Deadlock on Pool Selling License.
The council locked horns when the
question of raising the quarterly Ii
cense Of pool rooms was brought up.
Glasford and Bridges, as members of
the special committee appointed to In
vestigate pool rooms in Wa1la Walla
brought in report recommending
that the license be raised to $500
quarter. Mexican brought in minor
ity report recommending license the
same as saloons are now required to
pay, $685. a year. Attorney Blandford
submitted an opinion to the effect that
it was not unlawful to sell pools in the
state or city but that pool selling was
a proper subject for municipal regu-
lation under the law and charter Of the
city of Walla Wa1la.
In the discussion that followed Smith
was of the opinion that $685. was sufh-
cient to start on. He .said if it was
found that the pool rooms were becom-
ing TOO great a nuisance II was WlluiIl
the power of the council to close them
up entirely.
Glasford was extremely bitter in his
denunciatien of pool rooms in general,
declaring that they were simply
gambling proposition and even worse
than gambling with cards. He stated
that many cities were closing them up
and it was right and proper as many
young man and family had been
wrecked.
Smith arose again and said that he
was willing to include bucket shops
with pool rooms making each pay the
same quarterly license. He said the
Coe Commission company had been do
ing big gambling business here and
should be classed the same as pool
room. Martin remarked that more
money was lost by wheat speculation
than by horse racing.