News From This Week’s Past: Petitions! Petitions! And More Petitions!

All items are from the Door County Library’s newspaper archives, and they appear in the same form as they were first published, including misspellings and grammatical errors.

The Expositor

November 21, 1873

The Advocate says the Canal has been pushed into the bank five hundred feet this season and at that rate of progress “it will take three years and six months more to complete it.” Somebody should present that editor with an Arithmetic. There is a mile and a quarter yet to dig, and the Advocate says five hundred feet a year will complete it in three years and six months.

Will some school boy correct the Advocate’s figures.

Weekly Expositor Independent

November 23, 1883

Suicide.–Our people will remember Joseph Kozischeck, for a time a partner of Mr. Shimmel in the bank here, but who left, and after various wanderings and the loss of his money through drinking, play and robbery, brought up at St. Paul, Minn. There he found employment through the summer as waiter in a restaurant. On the 8th instant his lifeless body was found on Fort Street in that city. He had committed suicide by shooting himself through the temple. Mr. Kozischeck, had an unusually promising start in life, being heir to property for his mother and for a time increasing it by his own endeavors. But frivolity and drink soon destroyed his business habits and led him swiftly to penury and finally to self-murder.

Door County Democrat

November 18, 1893

On Monday the fishing tug Knapp made the largest gill net lift of the season. From one gang of nets she got 3074 lbs. of trout. This is the largest gill net lift reported here for the season of 1893.

Door County Democrat

November 17, 1906

HUNTERS KILLED FIFTEEN WOLVES

Three Hundred Dollars Paid In Bounty

Money Since Spring.

There have been fifteen wolves killed in Door county since last spring, on which a bounty of $300 has been paid. A bounty of $20 is paid on each wolf, the county paying $10 and the state $10.

John Weber, Jr., of Sawyer, has killed the greatest number, he having secured five. John Weber, Sr., of Forestville, has killed two and one was killed by each of the following gentlemen:  John P. Modier, Egg Harbor; Osmand Osmandson and Otto Hanson of Clay Banks; Joe Mardin, of Sevastopol; W. Brickaby, of Sawyer; Herbert Wobser, of Nasewaupee; and Wm. O’Neill and Jacob Zettle, of this city.

Door County News

November 21, 1918

SUSTAINED BY SUPREME COURT

Decision of Judge Graass Upheld In

Highest Court in the Country – A

Celebrated Case

The United States Supreme Court has sustained the decision of Judge Henry Graass in the case of O’Connor vs. C. M. & S. P. Railway Co.

One of the largest and most bitterly contested railroad cases tried in this circuit in years is what was known as the O’Connor case. A hurricane in 1916 leveled a tract of forest in northern Michigan, twisting off oaks and green pines two feet in diameter. A pine 133 feet long was carried across the railroad track in the path of the storm. It wrecked the engine, and O’Connor, the engineer, was killed. The case involved many new and novel and disputed law points.

Judge Graas gave the widow a $10,000 verdict. The case was carried to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and Judge Graass was affirmed in his decision. The railroad company then appealed to the United States Supreme Court, and that Court on Monday affirmed the decision originally rendered by Judge Graass.

Door County News

November 22, 1928

WAVE OF PETITIONS SWEEP CITY COUNCIL

Stricter Enforcement of Laws Asked

Petitions! Petitions! And more petitions. That was what faced the city council at their regular meeting Tuesday evening.

The first petition presented was from the Fourth ward signed by over 150 residents of that ward requesting that the proposed action to change the name of the Fourth ward from Sawyer to West Sturgeon Bay or Sturgeon Bay Station A be dropped. No action was taken Tuesday evening in regard to the change of the name and the petition was placed on the table until a future date.

Another petition signed by a large number of residents from the First Ward requesting that the county garage be moved from its present location to a place not so thickly populated. A resolution was adopted by the council and the county board was petitioned to move the garage to a different location.

Would Abolish Parlors.

Rev. G. D. Yoakum of the Hope Congregational church appeared before the council and spoke of the betterment of the conditions in this city. A petition signed by Rev. Yoakum and about 25 others was presented to the council requesting a stricter enforcement of the prohibition law and also of the pool hall ordinance. A suggestion was made in the petition that all soft drink parlors in the city, not connected with any other business, be abolished. After a lengthy discussion the petition was accepted and filed, but no action was taken on the matter by the council.

Door County News

November 17, 1938

VOTES OF PROTEST

Few elections have registered such a widespread vote of protest against present administrations as did the general election last Tuesday when the Republican landslide cleaned house with state Progressive office holders. It was gratifying that Wisconsin went Republican, but that the large number of other states should go Republican was more than gratifying. Not only did the Progressives feel the will of the public, but the New Dealers realized their waning favor with the public that has been steadily diminishing for the past two years.

Obviously there is something radically wrong with a political administration that can carry all but two states in a presidential election and within so short a time harvest such a crop of protest votes. That the people can’t stand the present state and national tactics any longer is obvious. The public gave the New Dealers two more years when they endorsed them in 1936 and have been bitterly disappointed in the results toward regaining national recovery. As the public debt continues to climb higher and higher each successive day with the outlook for the future growing darker all the time, it is only natural that there should be a revolt against present administrations.

There is reason now to believe that general business conditions will improve with the increasing number of businessmen that have been elected to office in place of the politicians who were apparently living up to the popular standards attributed to politicians.

The revolt at this election is only a sample of what will happen two years from now. It is a matter of giving the fullest cooperation to the newly elected office holders and the New Dealers can be given the bum’s rush and business-like Republicans can take hold.