Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-28
COUNCIL ACTS UNDER LASH
Democratic City officials Driven to
Duty by Grand Jury.
SUMMONS SENT TO M'GovERN
Grand Jury Demands that Council
Prosecute Corporations Occupy
ing streets without Pay
ing Rentals.

Forced by the grand jury to attend to
the city's business for which each member
is paid 1880 a year and fearing official
investigation. the democratic city council
will proceed at once to prosecute corpora
tons and individuals occupying city prop
erty free of cost and to collect equitable
rental therefor.
This information comes from Thomas
McGovern. councilman from the Ninth
ward and chairman OF the committee on
street improvements. And Mr.. McGovern
ought to know, because he was summoned
before the grand jury Monday, though he
refused to go because the summons was
not served, as he thought, the right way.
and also because no court order was given
compelling him to take before the grand
jury the report Of City Abstracter Wood
Hartley on the wrongful occupancy Of city
lands.
The city abstracter made his report May
70, 1903. 1t was first referred to the COM
mtttee Of tine whole, but nothing was done
with 1t there. In a couple Of weeks it was
referred to the committee on street i'm
p~rovements, composed of Councilman Nc
Govern. Lee Bridges, councilman from the
Second ward, and Peter Elsasser. council
man from the Tenth ward. Though this
was over five months ago. nothing has
been done toward collecting rentals or
forcing the vacation of city property. the
report being allowed to remain in the
pockets of some member of the committed.
McGOvern IA Ready Now.
Monday Chairman McGovern was sum-
moned before the grand jury to explain,
and Tuesday Chairman McGovern an
nounced that a resolution will be intro
duced and passed in the council instructing
the city attorney to begin legal actions to
Gust or collect at once.
Abstracter Hartley's report is a volum-
lnous document and aside from showing
that many pieces Of land are occupied by
corporations and individuals free of all
rent cites other pieces where leases have
been given TOR out nominal sums. OF the
latter NJ. A. Disbrow & Co. paid but 81
a year for the occupancy of Twelfth street
from lizard to Nicholas street in 1906 and
1907. The firm continues to occupy the
land free. sixth street north from Doug
las is occupied by II. F. Cady free, though
for five years he paid S25 a year for the
large tract. .. N. Dietz paid 81 a year up
to two years ago for the occupancy of Cal
ifornia street between Twelfth and Thir-
teenth streets. Since January l, 1906, he
has paid nothing. w. Farnam Smith paid
81 a year from 1896 to 1901 Gree since them
for the occupancy OF land on Twelfth
street.
List of Cases.
No rent is received or has been received
for the occupancy of the following vacated
streets and many others not mentioned:
Nicholas and Fifteenth streets, occupied
by railroad tracks, freight depot and
Knapp grain office; Nicholas street be-
tween Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets,
occupied by grain and hay office and
yards; Thirteenth street between Nicholas
and lizard streets. occupied by Rosenblatt
coal sheds, furniture warehouse and rail-
road tracks; Cass street between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth streets and Chicago street
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets,
occupied by Chicago & Northwestern
freight depot; Chicago street between
Tenth and Eleventh streets. occupied by
Illinois Central freight depot; Fourteenth
street between Mason and William streets,
occupied by Chicago Lumber company
Second and Pine streets, occupied by
Omaha Tile company; Second, Third, Fifth
and Pierce streets and Poppleton avenue.
occupied by Her distillery; vacated street
in O'Bernes & Hoosick's addition, occupied
by grain terminals and railroad tracks;
Hickory street east of Second street, &C.
cupied by Hosklns Soap company; Forty
fifth street and Forty-fifth avenue between
Cunning and California streets, occupied by
Omaha Belt Llne company; Marcy street
between Tenth and Thirteenth streets and
Eleventh and Twelfth streets between
Marcy and Leavenworth streets, occupied
by railroad tracks; land az. the levee oc.
cupied by squatters, Omaha Water COM
pany and the smelter.