Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-12-06
OTTAWA CITY 'OFFICIALS
DECLARED UNFIT By
SPEAKER WEEKS
DUNCAN DEFENDSCO.
STATE PUBLIC UTILITIES NOW
HAS CONTROL OF NORTH SIDE
STREET CAR SITUATION ON
PETITION OF CITY COUNCIL.

NOrtn SlQefS were tfealcu 10 IedI
fesat of wisdom last evening when At-
torney George W. Weeks spoke for
an hour or more upon municipal mat
ters, including public ownership and
special taxation Mr. Weeks has been
giving considerable thought to these
matters lately and last evening gave
his hearers the benefit Of his re
searches.
The meeting was called by the
North Ottawa Progressive Association
and, according TO circulars and no
tices, Ottawa public officials were to
be given a trimming for their connec-
tiOn with street car, electric light,
power and gas plants.
Mr. Weeks called the meeting TO
order and immediately launched into
a discussion Of municipal ownership
OF railway and lighting properties,
He cited the publicly owned electric
light plant at Peru as brilliant ex
ample. The sale of the old Ottawa
city-owned plant was denounced and
every mayor and public official Of OF
tawa since the flood came in for his
share of abuse Finances of Ottawa
have not been properly handled In the
past II $4,000 In saloon license fees
we're set aside each year the North
Side could be paved and severed
Politicians are sponsible and have
no one to answer to. Every public
official elected to Office should write
out his platform, sign it and give a
bond for its performance.
Mr.. Weeks was strong for munici-
pal ownership and special taxation.
He advocated the paving Of North OF
tawa by this me hod, and spreading
the assessment as a general tax over
the city of Ottawa, This would les.
sen the tax for North Side property
owners. The sewers should be built
In samo way.
Mr.. Weeks was not at all sparing
vi tIltlfINII. lOOt ~ liD ltihHth w
sign his petition werc clearly in the
employ Of Roger Sullivan according to
his reasoning Clarence Griggs James
Farrell OF the Chamber of Commerce
and the chamber as whole were
,lambasted for things they had not
done. l.. NJ Lucey who refused TO
sign the petition. got his Even the
Free Trader-Journal, which had been
giving Mr.. Weeks column after col
umn in his publicity campaign, was
bawled out for presnming to send him
IA bin for 60 cents for an ad inserted
over his signature.
Ottawa city cars are but winter
cars. They go into the barn in win.
ter time and come out again when the
birds twitter in spring time.
Mr.. Weeks does not expect any sat.
isfaction from the city council or the
public utilities The only solution OF
the problem being to elect candidates
to office upon written platforms
signed, sealed, acknowledged and
bonded; then something can be ac
complished.
A number present indorsed the sen
timents Expressed by Mr. Weeks
others thought this an opportune time
for Mr. Weeks to announce his can
didacy for mayer. This was not
given out publicly. but was talked OF
the side by friends of Mr. Weeks
Atty. V. j. Duncan, who attended tnt
meeting, asked to be heard on behal
of the Ottawa companies criticized b!
Mr. Weeks.
Mr.. Duncan stated that the people
present were entitled to the truth
and what he sald could be verified.
In reference to the North Sid
street cars, the interruption wa
caused by the city moving the track
from the former location and tn
necessity Of a new switch across tn
Rock Island tracks.
He said it was impossible to orde
special work for crossings during tn
war and that now the matter was /
the hands of the public utilities con
mission on petition of the Ottawa cit
council.
At a time when the De Leon stree
portion OF the line was interrupted b.
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