The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-02-09
Is COUNCIL ON
SPENDING SPREE?
Election Seems to Have
Loosened Hold on City
Purse Strings.
EVEN TO BUILD GARAGE
Alderman Stein Gets E1plana-
ton When He Shows Sur
prise at Readiness to Build.

What has happened to the city coun-
ell of Kenosha?
That was the thought uppermost IN
the minds of all who heard the cog1ta-
tions of the city fathers on Monday
evening at the regular meeting OF the
city council.
Honestly, you would not know the
old place now!
The time was when the aldermen ap-
parently spent no little time IN de-
liberating on how they should hold
firm leash on the dollars of the tax
payers. Even once in while this hold
became so strong that some one init
mated that the administration was
squeezing the eagle until it squealed,"
But that was in the days before
special election had decreed. that city
manager form of government should
take the place of the present one on the
third Monday in April next.
Not so now. From appearances on
Monday evening there may be wild
spending orgy to make certain that the
present aldermen will get the credit of
spending the money now in the city
treasury. At any rate there has been
perceptible change in front. In the
old days the mayor constantly held be-
fore the council the need of keeping
down that tax levy; it didn't seem to
bother him any on Monday night
Stein Calls the Turn.
Alderman Stein was somewhat be-
wildered by the change. He stood it
calmly while they voted to build the
Balm avenue sewer, to buy a site for
new fire station, to make improvements
in the poor farm, all of which have
gone begging for years because of lack
of finances; he heard plans talked of
glibly regarding the new streets which
were to be paved and the building of
the Middle street bridge and then
reached the question of building
city garage.
In the olden days Alderman Stein
has stood up time and again and
fought in vain for garage. Each
time the administration trotted out the
financial problem and cautioned delay.
Stein on the garage question, he baked.
"Say, what's the idea 2" he demanded.
"How does it happen we've got so much
money to spend? I've talked this ga
rage building before until l was black
in the face and always been told that
we had no money. Now all at once
dozen jump on me to get the garage
built. What's the idea ?"
Cat Out of the Bag.
Mayor Joachim himself let the cat
out Of the bag.
eve might as well have the game
as the name," he told the aldermen.
"We've got 100000 in the box and
we might as well have the credit Of
spending it as some one else. We're
going to be out of here before very
long and we may want to show our
friends what improvements we help
ed make while we were here. That's
the whole thing"
With this explanation, Alderman
Stein was satisfied and he agreed at
the next meeting of the council to
bring in a report which will probably
give the council an opportunity to
spend some of the dollars which appear
to be burning holes in their pockets.
Evidenced at the Start.
This change in front was evidenced
from the first of the session. A re-
quest for a badly needed automobile
for the police department was pre-
Of hn oil a1nY
mediately suggested high priced cars
with an aIacrity that was surprising.
Alderman Wachs, not so easily wean-
ed away from the past, wanted to
know if they planned to buy "a Rolls
Royce" and the question was left for
the committee to decide.
With the same unwillingness to
launch on an unlimited granting of re-
quests, he opposed the hiring of addi-
tional nurses as requested in the
annual report Of the board of health.
This document recounted how due to
the excellent work of the department,
Kenosha had kept the death rate at a
minimum and showed that two extra
nurses were needed to keep the work
up to this high standard.
Wachs Up in Arms.
Alderman Wachs :"I move this re-
port De received and placed on file."
Alderman Palmgreen: at seems to
me as if this council tries to make a
poke out of the matter of health; we
should give this our serious attention
since it is a question which vitality
affects the city. l for one do not be-
lieye this report should be pigeon
holed this way"
Wachs: "They're pulling off enough
of this foolish expense; I'm not in
favor of burdening the taxpayers for
two more nurses. If there was an
epidemic I'd say put on twenty, but
not now"
DR.. Windesheim: "It is disgusting
to hear men talk about thing which
they know nothing about. The mem
bers of the board have investigated
this and made a report and they know
what is needed So far as an epidemic
is concerned, we have had one; proven
i ton is now our health gospel not wait
ing uitil we get into an epidemic and
then try in vain to halt it." He show
ed how the report demonstrated the
good work of the department and the
4 n IL L y