The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-02-03
NO MONEY FOR WORK NOW
Mayor insists That Men Will be Put
on and Attorney Orders Commission
er to Follow the Orders Of the Coun-
Gil Committee.

Mayor Scholey and the members OF
the committee on streets and alleys
and it promises to be fought to the
bitter end. The fight is on over the
cleaning out of the cutters and the
members of the committee insist that
the mayor has undertaken to assume
the functions Of the committee and d.
rect the work of street cleaning. The
mayor has insisted that a large force
Of men be put to work to clean the
snow from the cutters and the COM
mittee has declared against such a
plan declaring that it would be a
worthless waste Of large amount Of
the money of the taxpayers. The
mayor and the committee have held a
number Of conferences at which no
time was lost in useless discussion and
the members Of the committee, Alder
men O'Brien, Hegeman and Saftig,
have declared that they will not order
the work done. In direct violation
of the orders Of the committee the
mayor has ordered Street Commissioner
Charles Hollister to put large force
of men at work. Hollister has appeal
ed TO the city attorney and the attor-
ney has notified him that it is his duty
to follow the orders of the committee
and that the mayor has no right to
give orders to him except where emer-
gencies demand interference. The may
or has declared that he will put the men
on himself and depend upon the coun-
Gil paying them. He declared ac-
cording to members of the committee
that this work will be done even If
it cost the city $4,000. The members
of the committee are of one mind and
it is declared that they will stick to
the stand that they have taken. The
members Of the committee see in the
action Of the mayor an attempt to play
politics and they insist that the only
reason the mayor has for the action
is to put lot of men to work in order
to have these men as boosters for his
campaign for denomination.
Chairman o 'Brien of the committee
when seen on Monday afternoon said:
"The mayor is insisting on putting
on large force of men at the streets
about the Hosiery and Jeffrey plants
and as members of the committee we
are convinced that the doing Of this
work at this time will simply be throw
ing money away. In short time
when the sun thaws out the cutters
we will be perfectly willing to put on
men enough to keep the catch basins
open, but if all the cutters were opened
today they would freeze again this
evening and the work would be wasted
as they would be just as bad tomorrow
as they were today. II does not seem
to the committee that this work is in
any way needed and when men are out
on it, if they are put put on, they will
be notified that the committee will not
recommend the payment of bills for
their services. -
Street Commissioner HOLSTER has re-
ceived orders from the committee
which are not liable to be misunder-
stood and he has been directed to put
on no men for street work without the
orders of the chairman of the com
mittee.
The committee action in this case is
in keeping with the order for retrench.
ment in the work Of the city. At the
present time the street fund is badly
overdrawn and in fact nearly all the
money appropriated to the fund from
the present tax levy has already been
spent. The street committee of the
new council will enter on It's duties
with absolutely nothing to work with
This condition is due largely to the
large sums that have been apent in the
removing of the heavy SHOWS from
Main street.
The committee declares that should
the plan Of the mayor to clean the
cutters be carried out at this time ii
would cost the city the full estimate
of $4,000 made by the mayor. Such
work has never been done in Kenosha
before.
The fight is still on and it is be-
ginning to look as if the mayor will
have to pay the men himself if they
are put on.
The mayor it is claimed will bring
the matter before the council in re.
quest for the removal of the street
commissioner if he refuses to follow
his orders, but backed by the opinion
of the city attorney it is expected that
the commissioner will stand firm and
let the committee continue to direct
+ho c}raat rart