The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-23

Plans for redistricting the city wenS
a glimmering at the meeting of the COM
mon council on Monday night when five
of the aldermen refused to vote for the
report of the committee. These alder
men objected to the changes made in
the lines. Two of them, Alderman Tul-
ly of the third and Alderman Burt of
the fifth, would be legislated out of
their present wards by the change.
With five members of the council OBJ
posed to the redistricting it would be
impossible to pass an ordinance carry
ing out the plan of the committee as
under the state law three-fourths of
the members of the council must vote
for the ordinance before ward lines may
be changed. The discussion of the prob
lem brought bitter argument in which
personalities were pretty freely ex-
changed. The report of the committee
as it was first brought to the council
and as it was finally adopted provided
for new numbering of the wards 1t
looked like bad tumble but a close
examination showed that the commit
tee had simply placed the wards in the
proper rotation. The second ward be-
came the first, the present territory OF
the first ward went into the second md
thsse bloody third was 5aoyed from
way out in the Brassville neighborhood
over to where the old sixth had beer in
force since the last redistricting of the
city. The ninth ward was the only one
that had the same territory as it had
today. The eighth was made up of ter
ritory which had been in tie third. At
once the hold-over aldermen raised the
question of just what standing they
would have if the ward lines were
changed and the new numbers adopted.
City Attorney Slater at first declared
that he would serve the same territory
in a new numbered ward and then he
expressed a doubt. That doubt caused
the committee to bring in a second re-
port. This report provided for the
changing of the ward lines to the teEri@
tory shown in a published report some
time ago but gave to the wards the old
numbers This plan would have legis-
lated just Alderman Barr out of Office
as he would be moved from the third
to the second ward. This report was
adopted by the council and Alderman
Barr voted for it. However, Aldermen
Tully, Martin, Burt, Rauen and Willems
voted against it. Then the council res
considered its action and after the re-
consideration and lot of bitter argu-
ment in which some of the aldermen
were accused Of having "cold feet"
and "being afraid of taking their
chances of being returned to office" the
original report providing for change in
the numbers as well as the ward lines
was brought to the council. This re- .
port was adopted and the five aldermen
with the addition of Alderman Donahue
the chairman of the committee voted
against the adoption. This left redis-
tricting about as high in the air as it
had been before the committee started
work to outline the new wards. How
ever some of the aldermen declared that
they were hopeful that when the ordi-
nance came in some of the protesting
aldermen would change their votes and
the city attorney under the report OF
the committee was directed to go ahead
and draw the ordinance. Alderman
Smith was not present at the meeting
but even with his vote the ordinance
would not have voted enough for pas!
sage Some of the aldermen expressed
the belief that the present ward lines
were very satisfactory.
With redistricting pretty well injured
if not killed some of the aldermen talk
ed of the possibilities of new wards and
before the next meeting of the council
it is understood that the plan for two
or possibly three new wards will be
taken up with the property owners in
the fourth, fifth and ninth wards.
There is still plenty of time to pass
the redistrieting ordinance before the
next city election but there is certain
to be lot of confusion among the cam
didates. There is also plenty Of time
for property owners to get out petitions
and demand the setting off of new
words before the next city election.
Men who have strongly urged redis4