The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-16
CITY'S EXEMPT PROPERTY
 EXCEEDS MA 7IONAL DEBT

 watered capitalization. have been Ios- ing money from the standpoint of those millionaire philanthropists who have been kind enough, to finance them. At present with various separate lines In the hands of different receivers. each Intent on cash earnings. and oblivious to the public need. it Is not only pos- sibIe but necessary in one specific case to pay IS cents for q ride of i've blocks. Formerly this ride cost only 5 cents, but with the abolition of transfers the city has achieved the title, whether un- willingly or not. of having the most ex- pensive street car service in the world. For the ride above mentioned an auto cab would be as cheap, and if present developments continue the title of the street car as the "poor mans carriage" will be a misnomer.
 The most inconselable mourner of the famous Tom Platt, who was re- gently shot back of the city hail. Is
 Marty Reese. the janitor of that fa- nous building. The Tom Piatt in ques- tion. 1t should be understood. is not New York's well known and aged se- nior Senator, but the city hall cat. which for fourteen years has held the rating championship of the Institution. Last summer Tom Platt. together with his co-worker, Theodore Roosevelt was discharged from the city hall because of old age. Such strong objections were raised. however. that the two were reinstated. Theodore Roosevelt. as might have been expected. shortly
 threw up his. job and disappeared Tom
 Platt. as might have been expected.
 stuck to his job tenaciously. although
 almost blind and totally unfit for ser vice. Recently his blindness became complete, and as he had achieved the ripe old age of eighteen years It was Al h fS ct hxy a
 let. In his death the City Hall lost one
 of It's most famous characters, almost
 as well known to local politicians as
 the Senator after whom he was named.
 Since his demise Janitor Reese has
 been oyerrun by persons possessing cats who desire to see them installed
 as Tom Platt's successor. Many prize cats. angoras and the like, have been rejected because of their liability to be stolen. The one which was finally se-
 lected was blind of one eye and minus
 one ear, although champion ratter It was joyfully accepted by Reese,
 both because 1t was unlikely to be
 stoien and on account of the plague of
 rats which has lately beset the City
 Hall. The name of the new feline of-
 flee holder is William T Bryan. for according to Reese 1t was necessary to
 have Democratic representation in the building where Tammany Hall is most powerful.
 At first glance 1t would seem that the great prohibition wave which Is sweeping over the country has at last struck New York, that home Of strong | liquors. where barkeeperssrake in sl,- 00O. .O00 every day in the year At any
 rate citizen here has just been heavs fly fined for. putting Q stick" In bowl of lemonade. The ~stick' in ques-
 tion, however, was q wooden leg, and
 its unlawful use brought up one Of
 the most curious cases which has come
 to the attention of the police courts of
 late years. Recently one Wagner. who I earns a precarious livelihood by dis i pehsing lemonade at penny a glass,
 was aroused from his slumbers on
 dull afternoon by the shouts of small | boy who awoke him by yelling "Der's | guy outside wid his leg In yer lem-
 onade" Investigation proved the as- 1 sertion to be correct. for one-legged
 man was found to be stirring the con-
 coction with his wooden leg. which
 he had unstrapped. Wagner yelled lus- tlly for d policeman but when tho bluecoated emissary of the law arrived he was in doubt as to whether he had l a legal right to make an arrest, since
 the law covered no such point. Event.
 ually he took a chance and did so.
 within five minutes of his arriVaI at the Police Court he was followed by q. health officer with Wagner in tow. The latter had been arrested for "prac- tices injurious tO the public health. | A fine of $10 was imposed in each case
 and Wagner says he will appeal to the Supreme Court. This is the first fine
 on record fin New York for selling l drink with a stick in 1t.
 LonEaere.