The Lake County times., 1907-01-29
COUNCIL GOES
On 4 STRIKE
East Chicago City Fathers
Put Up a Plaintive
Wall.
ARE NOT PAID ENOUGH
Put in Bills for Extra Work-More
Money and Shorter Hours
Their Slogan.

The East Chicago council is on a
strike. Better pay and shorter hours
are demanded and if there is not some
thing done towards lettering the con-
ditions of the long suffering aldermen
several of them have declared they will
refuse to do anything but the duties
that are clearly required by them by
law.
There was foreboding of trouble in
the heavy atmosphere of the council
chambers last night and soon there
were rumblings emanating from the
throats of several Of the city dads.
Finally Councilman E. V. Walton was
asked for report on a certain matter
and was compelled to inform the other
members of the council that he was a
working man and did not have time to
devote every afternoon to the business
of the council. lie said that a second
consideration was "the question OF sup
porting his wife and family" and that
he did not believe that they could Tive
on snowbails"
Expects Everything for IS Per.
Mr. Walton said that the pay of a
councilman in East Chicago is only IS
month, and yet he is expected to at
tend the council meetings at least
once a week and then do committee
work, such exploring the lake front
in search of park site. on Sundays.
This protest of Councilman Waltons
was acquiesced to by smiles, mods of the
head and various other demons trations
of joy on the part of the other coun-
Gil men who were surprised and de-
lighted that one OF their number should
have the courage to give expression to
their convictions in such decided
manner.
Then the Explosion.
- Walton lighted the fuse and the ex-
plosion came later. Alderman George
w. Lewis, representing himself and (
Andy O'Girr. saw that Walton's speech /
had made a strong impression on the
little assemblage of business men, who
were present at the meeting, so when
the bills and claims were read it in
cIuded a bill for So from both Lewis
and O'Girr.
In defense Of his action Lewis said
that he and O'Girr had made several
trips to Chicago and had spent CON
siderable money out Of their own
pocket for car fare and other expenses
that he did not itemize. He admitted
that the bill would not total So, after
one Of the other councilmen had ques-
toned the probability of Lewis and
O'Girr had each spent IS without in
vesting in liquid refreshments How
ever. he said that his time was some
thing and he thought he should be paid
for it.
''Pny Him, Pay Me-"
Then Walton complicated things
when he declared that he had spent a
whole summer chasing all over the
cities of East Chicago and Indiana Har-
Dor in the interests of the city and that
If Lewis and O'Girr's bill was paid he
would present one for his summers
work.
The rebellion OF the members of the
council became more pronounced when
Lewis, exasperated at Walton's sug-
gestion declared that the council could
90 as it liked about the matter, but so
far as he was concerned he would posi-
lively refuse to do this outside work for
the city If he was not paid for his
time and trouble
Just at this time when the situation
was becoming critical and there ap-
peared to be danger of a walkout,
Mayor DeBria deftly called the atten-
ton OF the members of the council to
another matter and the question was
left in a state of suspended animation.