The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-07-09


for an opinion declared that there was
no limit for a protest against taking
property into the saloon district. This
was the point desired by some Of the
aldermen and when after a long lot
OF pickering the ordinance was put up
on its passage it was lost by vote of
ten to FIVE Alderman Pirsch, Tulley,
Simons, Swift, Thomassen, Disch, Will
lens, George Wade, Mayer and John w.
Wade, voting for the ordinance while
Alderman O'Brien, Timme, Marlatt,
Higley and Schultz voted against it.
The mayor declared that the ordinance
was lost and there was a CHATTER of APP
plause from the crowd of property
owners in the lobby who had come to
witness the fight.
Then the Council took up the rather
humdrum matter Of listening to the
reading Of petitions, but, there was an
air Of subdued excitement during the
reading of these minor matters. It was
evident ali the time that something
was up and was going to- be pulled off
and most of the people in the lobby
were standing on their toes to get in on
the first outbreak of the trouble
The mayor defeated in the saloon
district ordinance made bitter attack
on the former Council in regard to
the contract for the resurfacing Of Dur
kee avenue, the contract for which had
been let by the former Council.
In an impassioned speech brought on
by petition from the Kenosha Home
Telephone Company asking for the
right to lay conduit in Deming street
from Park avenue to Durkee avenue,
the mayor declared that he had some
thing to say. He said it. He declared
that he had been looking into a little
deal in the previous Council and had
discovered that the contract for the
resurfacing Of this street had been let
by the former Council by a viva voce
vote and that as it carried an appro-
priation Of $4,000 it should have been
voted with the ayes and noes. 'EWhy
should we allow committee to expend
$4,000 Of the poor tax payers money
to improve a street for those million
aires down ON Durkee avenue,'' shouted
the mayor and his appeal to class hatred
brought instant results from some of
the people in the lobby. He had a lot
more to say in regard to the spending
of the money for the improving Of the
streets and declared that it was impos-
sible for the people living out in the
suburbs to get even a load of cinders
while the committee by a viva voce
vote had arranged to spend $4,000 of
the city's money. The speech was one
Of the most passionate ever heard on
the floor of the Council and in conclud-
ing the mayor declared that he would
serve notice on the contractors that
the contract was void
This action seemed a little revolu-
tionary to some of the members Of the
Council who were aware of the fact
that the contract for the work had been
signed by former Mayor German and
attested by the city clerk and that the
contractor had given surety bond
which had been approved. by the Coun-
Gil Lawyers consulted declared that
the contractor could collect from the
city regardless of any action that the
present Council could take. None of
the members Of the Council save Alder
man 0 'Brien took any special notice of
the statements Of the mayor and the
alderman from the First ward inquired
anxiously in regard to the contract and
contested the right of the mayor or the
Council to make any change in that
contract now.
This being over the petition of the
telephone company was referred to a
special committee composed of Mayer,
George R. Wade and Thomassen.
Before the trouble started again the
telephone company was ordered to- put
in underground wires on Church street
between Market Square and Park
street. 1t was somewhere along here
that the storm broke over the meeting.
The clerk resumed the monotonous read
ing of petitions and the first was from
Anton Pecnic, one Of ehe saloon keepers
who had recently got his second papers
from the Circuit Court. This license
was granted without comment and then
petition was presented from Petullia
and Mottilio for the withdrawal Of the
license for a saloon on Rowland
avenue. This was one of the saloons
that had caused the contest and the pc
tition was granted without debate. At
the same time an application was pre-
sented for saloon license for Lamachia
and Mottilio at the same place and
quick as flash some one moved that it
be granted and the motion was being
put when some of the Aldermen dis
covered the effort to nullify the action
of the Council in refusing to admit this
territory into the saloon district. There
had been no discussion; but it is thought
that the proprietors Of the saloon and
their friends on the Council had plan
ned to have this license granted and
then run tne~ risk of doing business