The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-04-06
City Council Orders Street Com
missioner to Remove Switch
Tracks From Rowland Ave.
REPEAL THEATRE LICENSE LAW
There is No Action Taken on the Sewer
Problem but Special Meeting
Will be Held Friday Evening
to Take Up the Matter.

The city council has decided to take
the bull by the horns in its dealings
with the North Western railway COM
pany, and at the meeting of the coun-
Gil Monday night a resolution was
passed instructing the street commits
sioners to tear up and remove certain
switch tracks belonging to the COM
pany now on Rowland avenue.
It is expected that the action will
precipitate fight between the city
and the company. The old switch
track in question was laid some twelve
years ago and it has long since been
abandoned. It has been nuisance to
people residing in the district for
some time and repeated appeals have
been made to the officers of the com
pany for its removal. However, follow
ing the usual plan of delay the com"
pany has never taken any steps to re-
move the old track.
It is possible that the council NAV
meet with difficulties in removing the
track as it is asserted that the track
was laid before Rowland avenue be-
came part of the limits of the city
and the council had nothing to do
with the granting of the franchise
under which the track was laid How
ever, it is asserted that the company
cannot claim damages against the
city, and the street commissioner has
been ordered to proceed with the rip
ping up of the,track. If the company
should make forcible objection clash
between the employees of the city and
the railroad company is eminent.
While the council was working over
the railway matters they also took up
the question of railway crossings on
streets IN the city and the clerk was
ordered to notify the North Western
company to rebuild it's crossings in
the city according to plans furnished
by the city engineer and under the
direction of this official. The council
also took shot at the Kenosha Elec-
trio railway company and that COM
pany will probably be ordered to
make some changes in the tracks on
Elizabeth street.
May Repeal License Act.
Manager Joseph g. Rhode of the
Rhode opera house appeared before
the council and made a strenuous
protest against the demand of the
council for the payment of a license
by theatres of the city. He cited the
fact that in other cities in Wisconsin
license is not required, and insisted
that the theatre left as large a portion
of it's receipts in the city as did any
mercantile house. He also cited the
fact that he had expended large sums
to make the Kenosha theatre the
safest in the state and all of this had
been done at the suggestion of the
council. The matter was discussed
at length and finally was referred to
the judiciary committee. A majority
of the council seemed to favor the re-
peal of the law.
OppOSG COTTONWOOD ordnance
Alderman Anderson sounded a word
of opposition against the ordinance
for the destruction of the cottonwood
trees in the city and asked that in
stead of destroying the trees now in
the city the ordinance provide that no
more trees of this class shall be
planted. The law as proposed to the
council Monday night provides that
only female species of the tree shall
be destroyed, and it is expected that
the street commissioners will have
some great students in sex determine
ton during the months succeeding the
passage of the ordinance. The ordi-
nance provides that the owner must
be given FIVE days notice after which
the tree is to be destroyed by the com
missioner. The owner may then be
arrested and fined $40 and the costs Of
the action. There is a strong proba-
bility that the ordinance will be
pigeonho1ed as there is considerable
opposition to it among the aldermen.
Seminary Street Protest.
A large number of the residents of
Durkee avenue appeared 1t the coun-
Gil meeting for the purpose of pro-
testing against the vacation of Semi
nary street to Kemper Hall. These
people declare that the street is used
a great deal by residents of the neigh
borhood and their protest was a
strenuous one. The council seemed
to favor the vacation and a resolution
was passed to receive an ordinance to
this end. The ordinance will be acted
on at the next meeting of the council.
To Act on Sewer Friday.
The council took no action on the
plans for new sewer, but laid the,