The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-01-10
Lcng Traction Fight Ended When
Council Passes Extension 0rdi.
nance BY Vote Of IA to 2
ASHLAND AVENUE DIES CAME
Opponents to the Ordinance Make a
Great But Losing Fight on the
Floor of the Council Geneva
Company is Turned Down

The City Council put an end to the
traction fight in Kenosha last night
or this morning when the ordinance
providing for the extension Of the Ke-
nosha Electric Railway on Ashland
and Grand avenues. Caledonia and
Elizabeth streets was passed by a
vote of fourteen to two. Aldermen
Knudsen and Willems voted against
the measure.
Ashland avenue died game and the
final scenes of the traction war
brought one Of the biggest fights ever
seen on the floor of the Council in Ke-
nosha. The men from Ashland ave-
nue. who had opposed the line turned
out in force and they evidently de-
cided before the meeting that the
battle was one to the death and they
fought to the last trench. 1t was a
personal victory for A. C. Frost, the
president of the company, and the
special railway committee. In pass
ing the ordinance the Council
blighted the budding hopes of the
Chicago, Kenosha, Milwaukee and
Lake Geneva road as the proposed
amendment to the ordinance proposed
by the secretary of the Geneva COM
~ was voted down by the council by
unanimous vote and when this
action had been taken Secretary
Grover, Of the defeated company,
left thesCouncil chamber certain that
nothing would stop the passage Of the
ordinance.
1t was Ashland avenue, however,
that made the final stand and it was
the orators Of Ashland avenue that
put bitterness and personalities in
the final round Of the battle for the
streets. Twenty of the leading
property owners of the avenue we're
on hand and while it was admitted
that many of them wanted the road
all of them wanted to get all that was
possible from the company. Two
petitions we're presented to the Coun-
Gil, one from the property owners on
the north end of the street and one
from those on the south. Both had
the same purport. They protested
against the passage of the ordinance
without the property owners being
given the full pavement of the street
and demanded that the street be safe
guarded against the coming of street
cars. One of the petitions was pre-.
sented by John Hegeman and he
spoke at length in favor of the
remonstrance declaring, however,
tl,at he would be satisfied with any
action that the Council woulditake. O.
L. Trenary made a great speech before
the Council showing up figures in re-
gard to the railway companies and
declaring that the Council had no
right to give away Ashland avenue
for so small a consideration. Then
came Grover who spoke for the Geneva
company and told what that company
planned to do and gave the Council
assurance that the road would be
started as soon as the Kenosha fran
chise was secured.
This ended the big guns for the
opposition but the smaller line of
musketry was kept firing up to the
time that the ordinance was pulled
from the pigeon hole and started on
its final reading. Mr.. Frost spoke for
his ordinance and while he engaged
a little in personalities he declared
that he did not want to make fight
on any one man but that he was of the
opinion that the fight on Ashland
avenue was the result of agitation.
He stated that his company was plan
ming to build z line from Kenosha to
Lake Geneva, and that the surveyors
would go to work on the line during
the coming summer and that as soon
as the Chicago & Milwaukee was COM
pleted to the north he would start
work on the line from this city west.
He declared that it would be absurd
for him to accept the proposed amend
ment Of the Geneva company. z. G.
Simmons, Jr. and G.. Fl. Curtis spoke
ia support of the ordinance and Fred
5Ddle OF ASulduu dfCuA0 dASO uS S1dA 81
that he was in favor Of the passage Of
the measure as it was now before the
Council.
Men from Ashland avenue who had
not been counted among the orators
spoke briefly and declared that ASH
land avenue people had not offered
their street to the Electric Railway
company but that they had set price
on ii and they insisted that the COM
pany pay the price or let the street
alone.
In the closing minutes Of the argn-
ments Mr.. Frost sprung the petitions
for the line that had been signed year
ago and at this time there was q real