Evening journal., 1910-12-23
Councilman sppOSeS Being "Sat
Upon" ana Another Invites
Attack; Neither happens
Pc. .SONALITIES IN WAKE
OF SkMER ORDINANCE

~
up BY the decision OF the Court IA
banc on the question OF the legality Of
the present city administration.
Neither measure was passed, however,
until after the Democratic members
Of Council bad their customary cx-
change of personalities. In this re-
spect the proceedings of the night be-
fore when the special meeting was
held We're oclipsed.
BY the passage Of the measure
amending the ordinance passed in
1871 providing for a monthly payroll,
President of Council Banning will
not be called upon to give his person
al check TO city employees to tide them
over holidays.
A substitute ordinance IN lieu of
the one which was referred to the law
committee several months ago on
which no report was made because
the chairman of the committee, John
J. McGovern was Of the opinion that
Council had no legal authority TO
pass any ordinance. Mayor Spru-
ance was present at the meeting and
Immediately approved the measure and
after Council adjourned City Auditor
urtz who all along insisted that such
an ordinance would have to be passed
before he would sign the payroll
checks appeared and tok the papers
and checks home with him to sign.
as result the city employees will
receive their money before Christmas
and everything is now serene.
This substitute ordinance provides
that the payrolls be submitted 20 the
finance committee Of Council on the
third Thursday night Of each month
TO be passed the following meeting
night. excepting I'm the month Of De-
cember when the finance committee
will pass upon the payrolls on tho
second Thursday night 10 be passed
at The next meeting night.
The vote on the adoption Of tho
payroll ordinance was as follows:
Ayes-Mcssrs. Rash, Higgins. Kane.
/ Taylor, Benson. Downes, Dilderback
Conway and McMullin. Nayes-Dcmp-
sey, DuRoss and McG0vern. President
OF Council Banning did not vote. he
having made the oifer 10 pay the city
employees their money with his per-
s0nal check which proposition had
been accepted, he said. by the mem
bers Of Council at a conference on
Wednesday night.
The vote on the Street and Sewer
Z loan ordinance met with practically
the same opposition as the other orli-
nance did, with the exception that Mr.
! Conway voted with the opposition as
he wanted a pOstponement OF action
/ on the measure for ono month. presi-
dent Banning voted also with the op-
/ position. Mr.. DuRoss voted YES be-
J 10 Il. ll. INN tfsa
necessary. Tho vote resulted as fol-
lows: Ayes-Aessrs. Rash. Higgins,
Kane, Taylor, DOwnes, Bildcrback,
DuRoss. Benson and McMullin. Nayes
-Messrs. Dcmpey, Conway, McGoy-
crn and Banning.
MCGONern Would Resign Committee
The discussions preceding the adop-
ton Of the two ordinances were anus
ng to the Republicans who did not
participate in them.
Personalities were exchanged be-
tween Mossrs. Kane. McGOvern and
Dempsey, who led the discussion at
all times. MIR. McGovern, I'm speaking
/ on the payroll ordinance claimed that
/ the proceedings We're q reflection on
tho law committee of which he was
chairman and if the present council
method of doing business continued
( his resignation both as chairman and
a member of the committee was at the
disposal Of Council. He also made the
/ charge that the legal department Of
/ the city was assisting to discredit the
law committee. claiming that opinions
! Chairman Kane received from that de-
partment were diffe ent than the one
4 McGovern got from the same source.
I Mr.. DuRoss said he favored the or
( dinance but he thought It should be
passed at some other time and for
/ Council 10 accept Mr. Banning'a offer
{ lie brought UP the question whether
/ Auditor Kurtz would sign the checks
even after the ordinance was passed
and Mr.. Kane called upon Assistant
City Solicitor Chaytor 10 explain. The
latter said Mr. Kurtz said he would
sign the checks in the event Of Coun-
ell giving hiru the proper power 10 do
50 and he would oven come 10 Council
at once to get them to sign so that the
city employees could get their money
to-day.
Mr. Dempsey thought Il was ridicu-
lous that Council should first learn
whether the auditor would sign the
checks before passing the ordinance.
He favored waiting until the present
]
ministration was settled and then pass
an ordinance which the auditor would
have TO obey.
The discussion on the payroll ordi-
nance was only a forerunner Of what
happened i'm the discussion on the
Street aud Sewer loan measure. When
II was presented Mr. Conway immedi-
ately moved that action be postponed
for one month. Mr.. Kane thought the
Tenth ward member was joking. At
any rate the motion was lost after il
was changed 10 a postponement Of
four weeks as a months delay would
have brought the matter up on a Sun
day.
After some discussion Mr.. Kane.
plainly vexed at the delay, said he was
getting tired of It all and that he would
shortly say something that might hurt
somebody's feelings
Mr. McGovern. thinking that the re-
mark was directed at him invited the
Fourth ward member to go on as Mr.
Kane could mot hurt his feelings"
Mr.. DuRoss felt that the money to
be given 10 the Street and Sewer De-
partmont was a necessity and he
would vote for It.
Mr.. Dempsey claimed that the ordin-
ance was not legally drawn at any
event, and suggested that it be re-
'erred back TO the law and finance
committees.
Mr.. Kane thought that some of the
members OF Council were dilly-dally-
ing with the city business. and con-
sidercd It high time TO get down TO
/ work.
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