Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-06-02
CITY COUNCIL
LAST NIGHT

night.
/ The committee to which the bill
was referred at the last meeting re-
ported, asking that the measure be
voted down, and In connection with
their report presented a remons-
trance signed by about 100 property
owners strongly urging that the COM
pany be compelled to place their Us
and switches on their own property.
The remonstrance stated that the
company already had property OF
their own, and that the placing of
switches and turn tables on High
and Mill streets would be an ever
lasting damage to the property In
that section.
Another petition signed by like
number of citizens, urged the city
fathers In equally strong terms TO
reconsider their action In rejecting
the franchise bill. One peculiar feat
ure of the petitions was that several
signatures by the same persons APP
peared on both OF them. The latter
paper stated that many of the sign-
ers of the original petition, which
was responsible for the squelching
of the bill, had labored mnder the de-
lusion that High and Mill streets
were to be used for aide tracks,
where freight and passenger cars
were to stand for an Indefinite per-
iod when not In use, and that turn
tables would be placed on them. and
that these signers had come to see
the error of their ways. The petit
tion also stated that on account Of
the action OF the council In this mat
ter, statements had been made In
the public press pointing to our lack
of enterprise and progress. The
paper declared that no possible dam
age would accrue to the property
owners by the passage of the bill,
and advised that the council recon-
slider and repeal It's action.
This petition was backed up by
petition from the Board of Trade,
which read as follows:
"The undersigned committee ap-
pointed by the Board OF Trade repre-
sents that We have carefully examin-
ed the improvements of the Oregon
Electric Railroad company on Mill
and High streets, as prayed for in
the petition and embodied in the or
dlnance recently rejected by your
honorable body, and are OF the opin-
jury wcslld result to the adjacent
property or to the owners thereof.
We therefore respectfully request
your honorable body TO reconsider
the ordinance which was lost, and TO
enact the same in the form requested
by the Oregon Electric Railroad
company."
with these two conflicting petl-
tlons before them. the council was
between the Devil and the deep sea,
and the discussion which followed
almost equaled In intensity that OF
week ago, when Galvani made his
reputation as an orator. AS before.
the majority OF the council indicated
that they were not ready. on the
spur OF the moment, to decide so
weighty a question. and the matter
was postponed by referring the re-
port OF the committee to the commit
tee on ordinances, which will report
at tho next meeting OF the council.
The meeting last night opened In
rather sensational manner, when
Councilman Stoltz called his honor,
the mayor, 10 task for interfering
with the work OF the street commit
tee. and ordering the workmen on
State street 10 haul the eXcavated
dirt TO the South Commercial street
All instead OF IN front of the private
pronerty on Winter street. Stoltz
said that the dirt was placed on the
street bounding the pronerty OF Will
lamette university. and that this was
not nrivate property.
"The university property is not
private property," said StoltZ. at
f. public property, and has been so
dealt with by the street committee.
We are amply repaid for the little
favor we have granted them. Many
of us have subscribed for the univer-
sity fund. | subscribed for IL.
considered II public proDerty when
7 did so. IL Il Is not public property
then | will withdraw my subscrip-
tion at once. Not one yard OF dirt
has been given TO private property
owners. The committee had a right
10 dlspove of the dirt In the manner
they did"
ono one questions the gentle
mans right to give his money to
whom he pleases," retorted the
mayor, "but the chair seriously
questions his RIGHT to give city prop
erty to any Institution"
Councilman Stockton therelpon
moved that the street committee
have charge OF all work pertaining
to the streets. The chair informed
him that there was already an or
dlnance TO that effect, and the ar
gument closed.
A motion by Stoltz that the street
committee be instructed to put in all
the necessary catch basins on State
street as fast as possible. that the
having may proceed at once, was
passed.
The report by the Warren Con-
-'~"ct'on comnanv ~ the work COM
pleted TO date on State street was
referred to the committee on re-
ports.
A linuor license was granted 70
F. g. Fish and August Schreib.