CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1874 Abstracts 800 - 803 CIRCUSES (Cont'd) 800 L July 6:7/5 The Great Eastern combination did a big business in The tent was packed, and the performances were up The tareback riding of James Robinson was alone worth this city yesterday. to the standard. the price of admission. (2) See also Immigration & Emigration; Foreign Population CITY DIRECTORY. See Printing & Publishing CITY GOVERNMENT 801 L Feb. 2; ed: 4/3 It is generally reported that the city has been paving heavy counsel fees during the term of the late city solicitor. It appears from a letter from Auditor Jones that the extra fees were less than $2.000 for extra services rendered on canals and viaducts. Any private litigant would have done the same. Captain Bunts was a hard working man, and his official record is his vindication and monument. Kain, his legal partner and associate in office took the burden from the hands of the dying man and has borne it ably and with credit. The people of the city should make him in the name what he has been in fact since death first laid its hand upon his associate. (6) 802 L Feb. 26:7/1- In a letter to the editor, Kelly says: We would inquire through the LEADER whether the city government can take possession of the north end of the Ohio canal and destroy its usefulness for navigation and water power to the public and individuals. I suggest that the people be invited to vote for or against said park, city hall, viaduct, bridge, and as many other appropriations requiring additional taxes as the city government thinks proper, on Apr. 6. (6) 803 L Apr. 16; ed: 4/4,5 - Fully appreciating the value of great public improvements, Mayor Otis firmly inveighs against unrestrained expidentures. He has placed the subject before the people and has suggested remedies. Every councilman understands the situation, and if a reform is not made, it will not be the fault of the mayor. The Walworth bridge appropriation should have been derived from special assessments, but it came instead from the general fund of the city. As the department now stands Otis thinks a prompt levy would be an anomaly. Mayor Otis alludes to the "important departments managed by boards or commissioners of citizens who serve without compensation." As a business man Otis believes that gratuitous service is most expensive, and as a measure of economy he suggests that the city pay them for their services. Mayor Otis bas shown that he knows exactly what reforms are needed. The people of Cleveland will expect him to use his constant influence to secure their enforcement. (25) CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1874 Abstracts 804 - 810 CITY GOVERNMENT (Cont'd) 804 L May 7:7/1 Appointment of a board of fire commissioners under the new law has been made by the mayor. Those appointed are: H. W. Luetkemeyer, for three years; W. H. Hayward, for two years; and James M. Coffinberry, for one year. Drs. N. B. Prentice and F. J. Weed were appointed members of the board of health. (2) 805 L Dec. 16; ed: 4/4 Mr. McArthur, the Philadelphia architect, was selected to succeed Supervising Architect Mullet, but he declined because of business reasons. Secretary Bristow will set a good example if he lets the National Association of Architects recommend a candidate for that position. While the matter is under consideration, it would be a good thing to know that a man cannot afford to leave a lucrative business to accept a position at a salary less than a first class assistant receives. "The one thing the people cannot afford is incompetence in such a position." 806 L Dec. 21; ed: 4/1 "The appointment of a successor to Supervising Architect Mullet continues to hang fire, and the contest over the matter has become quite exciting." Since the architect has control over contracts, the office is of great political importance. "At last accounts chances seem in favor of Mr. Hill, and there is every prospect that the question will be finally settled within a day or two. (10) (2) Council 807 - L Feb. 17; ed:4/3 - A resolution has been introduced in city council to sell the land purchased for the lake shore park and with the proceeds of such sale erect a city hall. The lake shore park is one of the necessities of the future. The ground should have been purchased ten years earlier. Parsons is trying to secure, by special act of Congress, the use of the Marine hospital grounds as an extension for the park. "To sell the land now will only postpone a public necessity until its costs shall be doubled. True we need the city hall. The success of one does not depend upon the sacrifice of the other. The city needs them both and can have them if the council manages rightly." (11) 808 L Feb. 25:7/2 - The regular meeting of city council was held last night. The attendance of spectators was larger than that of members. The session was long and animated by several debates. (3) 809 L Mar. 4:7/2 City council last night passed a resolution defining It also (2) 810 L Apr. 2:8/2-4 The meeting of the city council was called to order last evening by Frank Kelly. Kelly made a few remarks referring to his election as president on Apr. 4. He said he didn't want the position if he was not entitled to it. Mr. Cain, city solicitor, said that in his opinion Kelly was duly elected president of the council. There were 33 CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1874 Abstracts 811 - 815 CITY GOVERNMENT - Council (Cont'd) votes cast. Mr Kelly received a majority of the votes cast and this gives him his election. The mayor sent in the following nominations: For superintendent of markets, John G. Vetter; for Mr. Vetter's assistant, William Backus; for assistant city clerk, Philip Hutchings. 811 L Apr. 5:4/5,6;8/4 - After a few moments of commotion by the old vacating members and the new council members, Mayor Otis took the chair and called the new council to order. Messrs. Hodge and Kelly were nominated for president. Kelly was elected by a vote of 17 to 15. Messrs. Horton and Higgins were nominated for vice president. Higgins moved that the nomination of Horton be made unanimous. The motion was carried. A clerk, reading clerk, page, and janitress were also elected. (41) Mr. Farley moved that the rules under which the preceding council had worked should be adopted for the use of the present council. The motion was carried. During the entire meeting the hall was jammed with spectators. (26) 812 L Apr. 15:8/4 City council last night passed a resolution providing that the town hall formerly owned by the township of Newburgh and now within the corporate limits of Cleveland be placed under the control of the trustees of the 18th ward until further action by the city council of Cleveland. (1) The new president of the city council has appointed members to 28 council committees. (6) 813 L Apr. 23:7/1 814 L May 6:8/1,2 City council last night debated a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. H. C. Ford stated they were not correct and charged that names were changed and substituted in the printing committee's report, depriving Mr. North of the appointment given him. Mr. Gaylord debated in opposition to Ford. Mr. North said the minutes were correct. It is to be determined whether the change is legal. 815 L May 7; ed: 4/4,5 - After a document becomes a part of the city archives, it belongs to the city and no city officer has any legal right to efface any part of it, or to substitute one name for another. Yet President Kelly erased the name of North from the committee on printing and substituted the name of Angel. (18) At the meeting on May 5, Mr. Ford's motion not to approve the minutes of the meeting was voted down by a large majority. Later Mr. Ford introduced a resolution to have the question referred to the judiciary committee, to report whether the action of the president was legal. This was also voted down. "The refusal to refer the question looks as if some members feared the result and preferred to remain ignorant of the law than submit to our investigation which would probably disclose an illegal act, and break up a scheme of plunder. It is hoped that Ford's motion will be reconsidered." CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1874 Abstracts 816 - 818 CITY GOVERNMENT - Council (Cont'd) 816 L May 8; ed: 4/3,4 Mr. North proposed a plan by which the city would save from $10,000 to $13,000 on advertising. This was the real cause of North's removal from the printing committee. "It must be thoroughly understood that our new council begins work by ostracizing men who speak of economy. If he, through manipulations of wire pullers, is to be degraded for this, it is proper that the people of Cleveland should know it." (10) 817 L. May 11; ed: 4/1 - A resolution will be offered in the council to create a new office that of superintendent of bridges. It is for the express benefit of Councilman Purcell, who will in that event resign for the purpose of receiving the appointment. He will receive $2,000 a year. (2) 818 L May 12; ed: 4/4,5 - In a former article it was described how Mr. North offered a resolution at the first meeting of the new council proposing that the city printing and advertising should be offered to the lowest bidder. That resolution was prefaced by a speech showing the wasteful and extravagant character of certain items for advertising the grading and sprinkling of streets and alleys. The attention of Mr. Kelly, president of the council, was called to this and it was recommended that he appoint Mr. North on the committee on printing, thus securing a saving for the coming year of at least $10,000 in the cost of the city printing. Mr. North was appointed to the committee. When the publishers of the HERALD found North's name on the committee, consternation reigned in that establishment. They influenced Jack Hornsey to see Mr. Kelly and explain how much Mr. K. was indebted to him for the one vote which elected him president of the council and demand that he strike off the name North and substitute a tool of the HERALD, Councilman Angel. The president of the council made the change. At the next meeting of the council the committee on printing made a report on Mr. North's resolution objecting to letting the city printing to the lowest bidder and suggesting that one English paper of each political party, which meant the PLAIN DEALER and HERALD and one German paper, all be appointed official papers of the city and that the committee be authorized to call on all the newspapers for verbal proposals for doing the work. This report was blindly accepted by the council. The committee called at the LEADER office under the pretense of seeing what arrangement could be made for doing the city printing; they called as a mere form. The LEADER was willing to make a proposition but demanded fair play and no chicanery. It demanded that all proposals be sealed; that the contract be awarded to the lowest bidder and that each bidder accompany its bid with a statement of its circulation within the city limits. The HERALD objected most strenuously to giving a sworn statement of circulation. "Of course the LEADER company had no time to waste in making estimates for bids in a case where all fairness of competition was precluded in advance, and thus the negotiation ended." Now in place of two official papers, we shall have three, increasing the cost of city printing $5,000. (22) CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1874 819 L June 3; ed: 4/5 At the city council meeting last night the committee on printing reported a printing contract. Hornsey led off in an attempt to approve it without debate. When North endeavored to express his views on the subject, a persistent effort was made by Hornsey and others to choke him down. At last Ford gained the floor and in the midst of frequent interruptions he expressed his views in opposition to the contract. Farley then took it upon himself to annoy Ford. After speaking down the shallow schemers who attempted to interrupt him, Ford was followed by Hughes. If Hughes ever made a mistake in his life, it was when he consented to become a member of the city council. Mr. Russell took advantage of the strong Democratic tendencies of the session to propose a repeal of the Sunday ordinance. The same men who made themselves conspicuous in the throttling debate on the printing question sought to rush the ordinance through. It was laid over for one week in the midst of a disgraceful uproar made by the saloonkeepers, who had gathered with the expectation of seeing the Sunday ordinance repealed. 820 - L June 3:8/3 - City council met last night and appointed Z. S. Richardson inspector of lumber and stone. (14) (1) 821 L June 3:8/4 City council last night passed a resolution authorizing the mayor and the committee on finance to retain Judge Ranney as counsel for the city in ascertaining and determining the rights the city has acquired in the grant of canal lands by the state and the purchase of the interests in the leases of the same. (1) 822 - L June 4; ed: 4/1 - The three members of the city council now engaged in investigating one of the departments of our city government have gone to work in earnest. They meet in secret session daily, with no person present except a shorthand reporter. "Do the work well, gentlemen, and if you can find any frauds the public will be grateful. (2) 823 L June 10:5/2 City council last night passed a resolution authoring the board of improvements to enforce all contracts made by the city and to collect all penalties that are in such contracts as are not filed on time. (1) 824 - L June 10:8/4 - City council last night received an invitation from the board of infirmary directors for the councilmen and their wives to visit the infirmary, and also an invitation to attend the national Saengerfest. 825 L June 20:5/2 City council last night passed a resolution directing the city printer to send the printed proceedings of the council to the clerk's officer every week. (5) (1) 826 L July 29; ed: 4/3 The LEADER was made to occupy a rather conspicuous position in the city council last evening for which we are indebted |