Common Council Proceedings

At the meeting of the comnion couoci! last Monday night, there wa9 quite a crowd in attendance ; the eleclion of several city officers being the attraction. Immediately after calling the roll, Mayor Kapp announced the standing comiuittees for the year, with tho remarka that some might be disappointed in their formation, but that he thought they would be fully satisfied afoer a time, when they found OUt how much work had been accompüshed by thein, and they were selected with a view eo work, and nothing else. He then read the list, as follows : Finance- Alds.KtwIi, Bamaer and Fleming. General Fund- Aids. HuUel, MatthewBou and McOmber. Slreets- Aid. Besinier.Dow.Flemlng.Wrlglit, sumner and Thompson. sidewalks- Aids. Lulek, MeOmber and Wrlght. Flre Department- Aids. Dow. Luk'k, Hutzel. Pólice- Aids. Fleming, Dow, Kltredge. Llcense- The Mayor, Recorder, and Aid Hutzel. By scanning the above list the full force of Mayor Kapp's words will be appreciated. The appointments show very plainly who are tlifgBurking members ot' the council, in his opinión. They are abo very complimentary to the republican six who stood stalwartly against the democratie seveo or eight. (One demoorat seemed to be a little off according to the ballots, ao it leaves the exact number in doubt. ) It will be noticed that the chairmanship of tho Finance and General Fund committees - the two most important in the list -are given to republicana, while the latter is composed entirely of republicans and the former of two republicana and one democrat. The only regular business done was the presentatioo of a petition by John Keek for the use of the sidewalk in front of the iot on 8. Main street, where he is erecting a new building, which wa3 referred to Street committee with power to act. The fun commenced when a ballot was ordered for city marshal. Only one candidate was formally presented, Aid. Hutzel presenting the name of the present incunibent, John Q. Johnson. Aids. Hutzel and Dow were appointed tellers. The following is the first vote : John G. Johnson 7 Wm. Merrltbew, 4 l'lu.s. (.Harken :i The second informal gave Johnson 7, Merrithew 5, and Clarken 2. The first formal, gave Johnson 7, Merrithew 6, aud Clarken 1. Then followed six ballots, the vote in each instance standing 7 and 7. The balloting for this office was then postponed until thenext meeting of the council. At tlii.s jioint a iDOtion to adjourn was lost and an amendment to proceed to ballot for city treasurer was carried ; at least euoh was the assumption, though in putting the original niotion the vote was all " aye" and no "nay," but the chair didn't notice it. The first informal ballot for city treasurer resulted : J. F. Schuh 3 J. O. Kiiuwltou _.. 1 11. llut.cl 1 Z. P. Klug „.. . 8 E. B. Pond 2 Blank 1 The second ballot concentrated the forcea a little, and J. F. Schuh received 7, Z, P. King 3, and E. B. Pond 4. On the first formal ballot Schuh and Pond each received 7. Here was another dead lock, and after taking three more ballots, a " switch off" was made, and this elect ion also postponed until the next meeting. A ballot was then ordered for city attorney, with this result : D. Cramer... „ ....¦.. 5 J. C. Knowlton 5 E. B. Pond 1 Howard Qranger 1 J. F. Lawrence _ 1 F. PlatorluM, 1 Before taking another ballot Aid. Besimer presented the name of J. C. Knowlton. This was a bait to the republican whale. The whale bit, and Knowlton was chosen by 11 votes to 2 forCramerand 1 for Lawrence. Then, withouteven reconsidering the previou8 action by which the election of marshal was postpoued to tbe next meeting of the eouncil, they went back to the first deadlock and took another vote for marshal. This resulted substantially as had the others, one democrat getting his ballot mixed, the same as he did on the first ballot for attorney. The figures were : Johnson 7 ; Merrithew 6; Schuh 1. The 11 th and 12th ballots resulted in the old 7 and 7. Aid. Hutzul suggested that the only way out was for the council to get the 4th ward retuming board to uiake a re-count of the votes ; by so doing he thought perhaps they might count somebody - or out, at least. This sally brought down the house, and Aids. Flemingand Keech perceptibly blushed ! ! It's truth. We saw the blush. llecognizinii the impossibility of breakiog the 7 and 7, tlie body proceeded to take a ballot for city treasurer, in the same manner as they did for marshal, without reconaidering the previous action to postpone until the oext meeting. The 5th ballot for treasurer stood as did the last one on the former balloting : Sohuh 7 ; Pond 7- all the republicana but one voting for Pond ; all the democrats but two voting for Schuh. (At least that's what a wire pulier toldus). Both of these candidates were democrats it must be remembered. The next or 6th ballot, brought a choice, one of the Pond democrats weakening and changing his vote to Schuh, gave him the election by 8 votes to 6 for his opponent. So ended the show. The republicana, with two adverse majoritv against them, succeeded in electing city attorney, tied their opponents on city marshal ; and also scared them badly with a temperance democrat for city treasurer. Republicana certainly ought to feel well satbfied considering the circumstances. UN-COMMON COVNCIL FROCEEDINGS. The scared democratie counciimen, last Wednesday, ascertaining that one republican aldcruian was out of towo, thought it would be a good time to niake sure of their marshal and fasten their claws upon the Mahone in their ranks, by having a special meeting that evening. So Maypr Kapp was hunted up and induced to cali a special meeting. Tbis was done about noon, and it was by the iuerest accident that some of the aldermen heard of the meeting, and tli re was no time to get word to an absent nienibcr. Kut the party iuen said it must be done - evidently taking a lesson from their Detroit brothers, who are more notejj for their tharjt dodges, than for anything else- and so it was done. The meeting was called to order at the usual hour, all present but Aldderman Sumner. On motion of Aid. Besimer, acommittee consisting of Aids. Keech, Hutzel, Besimer and the recorder, was appointed to settle with City Treasurer Webster. Aid. Besimer offered the following: Whkheas, Tbe present condltlon of Bldewalks throughout a greater purtlon of tbe city Is a perpetual reproach to uur clvlllzatlon, llKTefore, Retolved. That the stdewalk commlttee aro respectfully urged togivethls important raatut Uu-ir f niTtt atlentlon. Should the ordlnances be found insumclent to correct tblg evil, tbe commlttee wlll, by the ald and counsel of the city attoruey, recommend auch changes as wlll furntsb suffletent power, lf necessary , to coinply with at least soiiih of Um re qulreraenls of an lnteltlgeut communlty. Carried. Ald. Flenuing then moved that the council nroceed to tbe election of a marshal, which was opposed by Ald. Hutzel, on account of the absence of Ald. Sumner. Ald. Besimer, who was as flowery as usual, thought, as tbe council was democratie, they ought to have the marshal, and did not consider the absence of the alderman any reason for postponing the election. The ayes and nays being called for, the motion was carried, 8 to 5, as follows : Ayes- Lulck, Besimer. Kltredge, Dow, Fleming, W rlght, the Mayor and Recorder- X. Nays- Thompson, Hutzel, Keech, Matthewson, McOmber- 6. At this stage of the proceedings Alderman Hutzel became disgusted and left. Aids. Besimer and McOmber, having been appointed tellers, the first ballot was taken, which resulted as follows : Johnson „ 4 Merrithew B IIIIM 4 Ctarken „ ... 4-12 KOND, Johnson 3 Merrithew 4 Clarken 5- 12 TUIRD. Clarken 9 Merrithew , ".'. .!- 12 rOBHAL. Clarken _ 11 Merllhew 1-12 Ald. Besimer moved that Clarken be declared elected, and that èhe present marshal be instruoted to turn over all property in his hands belonging to the city. Carried. The board of health not being present - probably not aware of the meeting extraordinary - the membera thereof could not present their report, so the election of a new board was very graciously postponed until another time, when a republican councilman could be found absent from the city.