The Daily Missoulian., 1912-08-07
COUNCILS SESSION
IS warm !.
vgxlNo AND PGKplExiNo PRoD
LEMs coNeAoNr the Al.
oERMANlc ooov.

Hamilton. Au6. 0.--( Specially Inter
ested spectators. At the meeting ~ the
city council last evening were fur
nished with o. series Of bristlins in
cidents. provided they were content to
keep their seats until routine business
matters were disposed OF. Not a r1f-
fle appeared on the surface OF the
meeting to mar It's well-oiled move-
,'ments until the police question was
uncovered. The resignation OF Chief
Dave Bishop left vacancy 10 be
filled. This brought up the question
Of just what was needed In Hamilton
In the way Of police protection. AS
sisted by the argument that strenu-
Gus effort must be made by the coun-
ell to curtail the expenses Of rum
ming, the municipal machinery, some
OF the cOuncilmen maintained that one
police officer was all that Hamilton
had coming. Just when ehis officer
should be on his beat ana when he
should sleep were questions caliing
for long argument The matter wns
finally amicabiy settled by allowing
two officers. making the day man the
collector Of the dog and road taxes
and overseer OF all street work. BY
his move the cost of maintaining a
regular street Improvement man was
eliminated. The present officers hold
their positions. Jack Howay doing the
day stunt with Clarence Hoag on the
night beat.
The Reen,ins Houses.
!. No sooner was the police matter
settled than orat6ry broke out along
other and more exciting lines. The
rooming house ordinance, which was
passed to the third reading at the
last meeting and took the final bar
rier last night, was the bone Of CON
tentiOn. and bouquets for certain peace
officers Of, the city and council. Using
the rooming house ordinance az his
subject. Andrew Peterson, proprietor
Of the European hotel. had prepared a
communication to the council which
read AZ follows:
AS I have Just had the occasion
TO read the ordinance with the pen
atty affixed. governing rooming
houses In the city OF Hamilton, I
would make this suggestion: That
the mayor and city council make an
ordinance fixing q penalty for the
gentlemen officers. OF both the sher-
IFS office and the local police de-
partinent for violating the law in at
tempting to enforce the rooming
house ordinance. am informed that
the city IL not responsible for the acts
Of the police officers. so we are COM
PEELED to submit without nurmur to
any act they might commit: that
these gentlemen are within thelr
rights In sneaking around our places
OF business in the night time looking
for tips, and by the way, taking tips,
and imposing upon respectable people
by bolting into their rooms after they
have retired for the night; also are
perfectly justified In using insulting
and abusive language to the proprle-
tors Of the rooming houses and %
others Just because they are officers
Of the law"
Before the communication was read
its author had left the council cham
Der, but he was recalled when a
member of the council advised that
there were things inferred In the COM
munication that called for an explana- :
tion. Mr.. Peterson soon appeared and
went into detail. but was not able to
shQw to the councils satisfaction that
any officer Of recent date had been
guilty Of q misuse of his official po-
sitioh. Mr.. Peterson's accusations
paved the way for a rigid cross-ex-
animation by the councilmen, and ev-
erybody present sat up and took no.
tice until the storm had subsided. The
dissertations proved one thing with a
vengeance. namely: That every mem.
her Of the council Is behind the po-
lice officers with a. strong push when
1t comes to seeing that the ordinance
Is strictly enforced.
Attention was next turned to the
restricted district. Ono member ol
the council stated that he had beer
informed that liquor was being sold
within the districts confines Thit
started another string of debates In