The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-03-19
ARMY OF MEN EMPLOYED
Men Are Making the Streets AS Clean
AS Possible and the Tax Papers
Will Have Big Bill To
Pay AS Result
(From Thursdays Daily

and worship that same law as it is
found that the workings Of the creature
OF the Wisconsin legislature threatens
to prove panacea for all ills in Keno
sha. 1t promises to remove the germ
producing dirt Of the street, clean side
! walks and streets so as to make acct
dents impossible and to remove the eff
fects of proverty by putting bread in
the cupboards Of the worthy poor. The
workings of the law were made appar-
ent IN Kenosha yesterday afternoon
when an army Of men were put to work
cleaning the streets. Far be it from
any one to believe that this work was
done at this time on account of the
approaching selection of candidate
for mayor by the Democrats Of the city
and Danish the thought that the pres
ent administration named this army of
men TO work for the public with an
idea OF gaining their votes at the pri-
mary election. The whole thing was
simply a happy thought born in the
breasts of the mayor and the street COM
missioners by the happy songs of the
birds who are tempting awful fate by
believing that few warm days in
March are warrant for spring.
However the streets are looking bet
ter today than they have since the last
city election and while the people will
have to dig deep to settle the bills there
is one thing certain, they are getting
just little return for the money and
for two weeks at least Kenosha will
shine as in purple and fine linen. It is
/ aimed to make this as an object lesson
to the Republican candidates for mayor
and to instruct the fortunate one in the
way the thing should be done when a
grateful bunch Of fellow citizens shall
have elected him to Office next month.
His Honor Street Commissioner John
Mcconnell of the South Division, was
the general in charge of the army of
aliens who started to clean up Kenosha
yesterday and in short space of less
than two hours he had enlisted a full
quota of sixty men. They were ar
ranged in spectacular places. Twelve
on Prairie avenue, eleven on West Main
street, IL on Park street in the heart
Of the down town district, seven on
Market street, seven on Wisconsin
street, six at the Main street bridge and
while it was claimed that Barney Her
mann Of the north side had got into the
game with three on Milwaukee avenue
they could not be located Wednesday
afternoon.
The faithful Mcconnell was moved
almost to tears by his sympathy for the
unemployed and when asked how many
| OF the men he had put at work he de-
clared that he had not as yet had time
to count them up but all of the names
were down in his book. The army was
nohilized at point just west of the
Northwestern Railway on Market street
and from this point they started to
work. They fought with the commits
sloner for the shovels which were pur-
chased at a cut rate of seventy-fve
cents apiece and when the men in
charge Of the job found that there were
mere men than shovels more shovels
were provided.
The men declared that they were not
given the ballot with the shovel but it
was noticeable that every man s name
and address was taken so that the Of.
ticlals of the city will be able to find
them it they fail to come for their
money when the work is done. General
Mcconnell marched boldly up the street
with his amy Of men dropping them
about in important positions with all
the precision of Napoleon or a Togo.
lie was seen late in the afternoon and
a. suggestion was made that it might
have been better to have waited until
couple OF days before the primary to
put the men on, but with the tears
coursing down his cheeks and with a
great love for fellow men causing his
throat to fill up, General Mcconnell de-
clared, "The men need the bread now
and they have to have it. "
AS the Council does not meet for
another fortnight the men will probab-
~ have to get that bread on credit and
assign the orders to the baker.
The new men on the street will I'M
doubtedly aid materially in the adj
vancement Of the candidacy of Mayor
German. One Of them put it this way,
= [ have not agreed to vote for any one,
but then German is good fellow and
he is just as good as the other any
way" The anyway" seemed to in
dicate that the desire to vote for Cor
man might have followed the job.
Incidentally the cost of this little
flight into high street cleaning will be
hill for the taxpayers 10 pay. The
summary Of it per day is as follows:
Sixty laborers at $1.75 per day. $l05.00
Ten teams and men at $780,. 1000
Sixty shovels at rs cents each $500
Tofo1 ,,ar low S1Q0 M