The Mayor Won't Sign, the Railroad Can't Build, and a Saloonkeeper Sues the Town

The town council held a long-drawn-out but rather uninteresting meeting Tuesday evening. Present: Mayor Appel, Councilmen Hynes, Bennett, Caldwell and McInnis. J. C. McDonald appeared and was sworn in to serve as councilman to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. Eckerson.

A communication was read from R. F. Blackwell, general manager of the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad, confirming the statements made by Mr. J. C. H. Reynolds at the time the ordinance granting street vacations was passed, and binding the company to throw open to the public the streets now vacated at any time that the Great Northern Railroad would do the same.

This communication brought on considerable discussion and developed the fact that the mayor's signature is not yet attached to the ordinance in question. The discussion was fruitless, except to bring out that there is still opposition to the granting of such privileges to the company, and that in the meantime the company is unable to provide proper crossings over its tracks, because the ordinance has not come into effect, and that various crossings are a menace to public safety. The company's work on its terminals in this city is held up by this inaction.

The petition of A. L. Reis for a license to retail liquors coming up, a reconsideration of the subject was voted. A special committee, which had been appointed to treat with Mr. Reis concerning his suit against the town, stated that he was willing to drop any suit for damages if the council would grant his license. Thereupon a license was voted Mr. Reis without opposition, conditional on his signing a stipulation dismissing his suit against the town.

A plat showing monuments set by Engineers Fleming & Randolph at the intersections of Washington and Fourth, Washington and First, Warren and Fourth and Warren and First, was presented to the council by the street committee, which had been empowered to have this work done. A long-drawn-out discussion of the location of these monuments and their relation to the originally recorded plat of the town followed, which ended in referring the plat to the next meeting for action, and requesting property holders within the territory to appear at that time and inspect the plat before the council approves it.

Ordinance No. 81, providing for grading Union avenue from Fourth street to Pine, was given first and second readings and referred to the committee on streets.

Bills for guarding against forest fires, and for $40 in favor of Engineers Fleming & Randolph for locating and setting monuments as mentioned above, were allowed.