The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-04-22
Councilman Newman Wants
to Find Out What is
What.
Tee. FRICK HAS A COMPLAINT
Mayor Lawrence Beeker's Absence
From Council Meeting Causes
Merry Time.

when the mayor is away the coun-
ell will play is the revised version of
the old saw as applicable to the Ham
mond city council. according to it's be-
havior last night. Parliamentary
rules and Mayor Becker were absent,
Thomas Swanton and William Newman
were in fighting mood and the bal
ance of the council with the exception
of Richard Schaaf and Harry Eastwood,
who were absent, were in favor of
passing an appropriation ordinance
amounting to $4,5S3.10 with which to
repay claimants who had secured title
to submerged lands in Wolf Lake and
Lake George by buying the tax titles
At the last meeting Messrs. A. F.
Knots and W. F. Bridge presented
their claims and their claims having
been considerably less than the amount
TO be appropriated number of the
councilmen were at sea why the ap-
preparation should be very much
larger. Councilman Newman was i'm
mediately on his feet to demand an
explanation and also a reason. If there
are additional claimants, they had not
been mentioned at the former meeting
since it must have been known to the
city attorney Mayor Becker and at
least a few of the councilmen
L don't mean to vote any money
from the general fund into the treas
urer's fund, without knowing exactly
how much each claimant is entitled
to and make motion that this mat
ter be referred to the finance commit
tee. the city attorney and the city con-
trolIer."
His motion was seconded by Alder
man Swanton. This drew the lines be-
tween majority and the minority in
the council and started things going
with motions that were not seconded,
with amendments to the original mo-
fion. a withdrawal of the original mo-
tion and discussions far beyond the
number permitted by the parliamentary
laws until the appropriation had been
lost sight Of.
City Attorney John A. Gavit was
called on for an explanation of the
ordinance to be passed and said:
The case of John A Dillon against
the city is pending in the circuit court
now and will in all probability be dis
posed of next week when court ad-
journs at Crown Point. Similar cases
have been tried and there is in my
mind no question as to the validity of
the claims. We will have to return
the money and this appropriation ordi-
nance is drawn up to cover the claims
the exact amounts and bills, however,
having not been presented to us as
yet
Since we must pay the claims we
save ourselves a lot of court costs by
paying them out of court and if our
appropriation is a little above the
amount needed the balance goes back
into the general fund. You may take
whatever course you choose, however,
as far as I am concerned"
a motion was made to pass the ordi-
nance, Swanton and Newman voting
against it on the first vote On the
second reading Newman voted for it
and was joined by Swanton's vote on
the third reading.
It was the first scene of the COM
edy in which the actors on one side
seemingly acted innocently and in good
faith while the minority took an atti-
tude of questioning the purpose of
passing the appropriation.
In the second scene E. E Fricke
teller at the Commercial bank, ap-
peared for himself and in behalf of
his neighbors living in the vicinity of
the city dumping grounds which is
west of Calumet avenue north of Mich
dsan avenue and south of the river.
Mr.. Fricke asked the councils assis-
tance in prohibiting the promiscuous
dumping of garbage, rubbish and offal
and was listened to with sympathy by
the council
After he had finished, Councilman
Swanton rose and said that that por-
tion of the city was entitled to some
consideration, and made a motion that
the city attorney instruct the board
of health and the police to stop the
nuisance by prohibiting the dumping
of refuse on the grounds anywhere ex-
cepting in the same places where the
street department dumps in order to
have the offal from the butcher shops
covered with the street dirt. Council
man Schultz seconded the motion when
Councilman Schroeder added an amend
ment to the motion by prohibiting the
promiscuous dumping of old rubbish
through the entire city Swanton
argued that such instructions would
not bring the immediate relief to the
affected district near the city and after
the council had gone through the same
farce Of arguing as in the appropria-
tion ordinance, Swanton withdrew his
motion.
Councilman Turner acted as chair
man pro tenn of the meeting and toward
The close Of the meeting remarked on
the unparliamentary behavior of the