The Daily Missoulian., 1912-09-11
RAILROADS PL Ans
CAUSE ATTLE
MAYOR RHoApEs coMeATs The
GRANTING OF MiLWAuKEE,s
PETITION.

The last two council meetings have
been really enjoyable. Something do
Ing every minute. Full of life and ac-
ton are the sessions these days Or
atory Is there with both feet siut Mr..
Harmony hasn't been present fot two
whole days. He may be at this morn
1ngs session. but urgent business has
Kept him away from Mondays and
Tuesdays meetings. Mondays meet
ing was none too serene. hut yester-
days coagu1ation Of commissioners re-
suited in a beautiful talk by the may
or some very good arguments by III.
G. Stiff and some real action by Com
1nlssioners Price and Houston.
The whole thing was started when.
Attorney Stiff of the milwaukee asked
the council to take action on the ordi-
nance presented to it some time ago.
This ordinance provides for the clos
Ing of the alley between Gerald and
South Higgins avenue on South Fourth
street. The railroad offered to donate
another alley to the city, which would
serve the Smons and Smith prop
erty better than the present one The
railroad also asks the right to let
teams drive up to the freighthouse and
load and unload directly into it. This
necessitates the paving of part of
South Fourth street and means that
the sidewalk will be blocked part of
the time
Attorney Stiff stated that the mat
ter of changing the plans had been
0jScnEEn6 Inv N "A 40, b,,%
that nothing could be found which
would not prove more objectionable
than the pan presented. He said that
the railroad company would be re-
sponsible for all damages and would
try to keep these damages down to a
minimum. He showed how the new al
ley would be more convenient for the
people who own property in the
block than is the present alley. When
he stopped the mayor commenced
7 am unalterably opposed to it,
said the mayor. "You might take an
easement and be satisfied with that
don't want to accept the gift of an
alley. If we took it, we would have
TO take care of 1T. / am opposed to
giving you our streets and alleys. We
are giving away the rights of our con-
stituents Besides I don't think we
have the right to vacate an alley or
street"
Then" said Mr.. Stiff, 'if it isn't
legal and you haven't this power, go
ahead and pass this ordinance If it
isn't legal you will have given us
nothing The mayor countered then
with a description of Missoula so years
from now when it would want another
bridge across the Missoula river. Mr..
Still made a few remarks about the
new station being big help to the
business men of the city in the trans
action of their business. The mayor
referred to the trouble the city is hav-
ing a subway under the Northern Pa
cific tracks and said that if the rail-
road had not been given everything it
asked for the north side people would
have a. convenient way of getting over
to the main part of the city. He then
again demanded that the railroad
should accept an easement Commits
sioner Price asked Mr. Stiff if the
railroad would be willing to grant the
city an easement across its right Of
way at Ronald street in case 1t was
houhu lAOSCSSdly " Du1lua announcer
bridge at any time in the future Mr..
Stiff retired for a. few minutes and
soon reported that this would be en-
tirely satisfactory to the railroad
company The ordinance was put to
vote during Mr.. Stiff's absence and
the mayor voted mo" hut the coun-
cilmen voted YES and the battle was
over. Then Mr.. Stiff came back with
the railroad company's consent to the
Ronald-street easement and the whole
matter was put over until this morn
ing. BY the time the council meets
again, the city attorney will have the
ordinance amended and then it will be
placed -again on It's first reading.
Practically all that was done was to
reach a compromise as far as the two
councilmen were concerned However,
it will probably be passed at today's
meeting, as both councilmen are
strongly in favor of it.
An Edict
Commissioner Houston was instruct
ed by, the council to issue orders to
his police and fire departments not to
render any service whatever to dis
trlcts lying outside of the city linn
its What do you know about such
condition as we have existing here ?'