The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-01-13
CHARGE POLITICS IN MOVE
Aldermen Go On Record as Being I'm
willing to Expend Any City Funds to
Secure the Banishment Of the grade
Crossing Evil-No Action Taken.

Members Of the common council
held wake over the dead hopes of
track elevation in Kenosha at the city
council chamber on Monday evening.
There were a few oratorical tears shed
over the deceased hope and some of
the aldermen declared that they were
tickled to death that elevation was
dead. No movement was taken to re-
vive the plan or to make any effort to
reach an agreement between the Of
fcials Of the North Western road and
the city. The meeting indicated clear
ly that so far as the present council
is concerned elevation Of railway
tracks and the elimination of danger
GUS grade crossings was a thing of no
interest. Alderman Donahue, who had
been instrumental in having the special
meeting of the council held, fought
hard to have something done to at
least give the members Of the council
some more light on the question of ele-
walton, but the meeting adjourned
without even single motion being
made and the plans for elevation were
packed away in a special envelop and
filed away in the vaults of the city
clerk until some time when the
people of the city get a more pro-
gressive council.
During the two hours and a half
that the council was in session no new
suggestion was made to bring about
elevation. The members of the coun-
Gil seemed to be pretty well agreed
that the city had no money to bear
any part of the cost of the elevation
program and several of the members
of the council expressed themselves
vigorously as being opposed to paying
any part of the cost even if the city
had the money. Alderman Sullivan
brought a diagnosis Of the case when
he vigorously declared that elevation
had been revived at this time with
view of making a political issue for
the coming city campaign. He declar-
ed that the present council had waited
whole year to take up the matter and
that it was worse than useless to take
it up now within a few weeks of
spring election. His suggestion was to
let the new council of a re-districted
city start with the elevation plan
as the first real movement for the
coming year.
All the documents on hand in re-
gard to the elevation plans were read
to the council members by CITY At
torney Slater. It was shown that the
petition for the elevation was made
by the city of Kenosha and not bv the
North Western Railway company.
The city attorney also read the ans
Wer of the company to the city's petit
ton for elevation and showed that
the company had shown an unwilling
ness to meet all the demands of the
city. The ordinance providing for the
right of way for the industrial tracks
passed by the council two years ago
was also read. None Of these docu-
ments showed what the city would be
expected to pay in connection with
elevation. This was shown in an
indefinite way by the tentative order
which the North Western company had
filed with the city at the time of the
passage of the ordinance. This order
was read, but it failed to give the all
dermen any further information.
This ended the reading and the al
dermen showed little desire to discuss
the matter. Alderman Goodman held
that the city needed lot more things
and needed them worse than they did
elevated tracks. Aldermen Anderson
and Sullivan were mild advocates of
elevation, but the remainder of the
members of the council had little or
nothing to say on the matter.
There was small number of prom
erty owners present at the meeting
and those present appeared to be op-
posed to the plan.
Even the suggestion that a commit
tee be named to confer with the Of
fcials of the North Western met with
no response. The aldermen let it be
understood that they did not care 70
waste any more time over elevation.
When adjournment was taken lust
after ten O'Clock 10 plans had been
made for the revival of the matter
10 for IN