The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-03-11
CITY ELECTION.

h CITY ELECTION.
G Our city election occurs one week from mex
Y Monday-Mar arch 20th--when there will be
+ mayor, police magistrate and an alderman TO
each ward to elect In addition In pursuance o
5 an ordinance of the city council, the people
5 will be called upon to vote whether the city
government shall hereafter, as heretofore, b'
; conducted under the present city charter, OF
whether our city government shall DC reorgan
lied and hereafter conducted under the gener
al law of this state for the incorporation Of
cities and villages.
Il On that question, as our readers are aware
the FREE TRADER a week or two ago ex.
pressed doubts, scing certain Inconvenience
that would result from the change, while I'M
able to sec any great advantages. Our remarks
were predlcated on the assumption, however,
that, by the action OF the city In 1873, In
adopting the general law in reference TO assess
mcnts, taxation, revenue, etc, we were already
IN possession of the best part of the general
that our adoption of that portion Of the gener
al law in 1873 was in reality not valid, and
consequently that our whole action in the rs
sessment and collection OF taxes since then
has been invalid, or at least ut such loose ends
as to leave the whole business IN hopelessly
uncertain and muddled condition. Under
such circumstances obviously there Is nothing
to do but to emerge from our present sea OF
uncertainty and adopt the general law. 1t
would be the height of folly-absolute wick
edness--to do anything else.
Another vote will he taken at the same time
on the question whether our aldermen here
after shall be elected on the present system of
voting, or on the cumulative system, rs we
elect representatives to the state legislature.
That Is, in electng two aldermen from each
ward, shall the voter DC allowed to cast two
votes for one candidate, or shall he, as now, be
allowed to cast but one vote for a candidate.
The intention of the system is to divide the al
dermen equally between the two parties In
each ward, and thus equally IN the city coun-
cll, instead of letting one or the other party
as now, have controlling majority in the
CDuHtIi, Hc clltCl NouI' NC " mdhC tut
casting vote of the mayor omnlpotent on all
party questions, state OF affairs which in a
city whose party preferences should happen
to differ widely from those of mayor, might
not always be found agreeable Upon the
whole, we don't fancy the system and shall
vote no. on it.
Meantime taking ittor granted that the vote
on The 20lh will be in favor of the general law,
what will be the effect on the new mayor and
Icounclmen then elected? The general law
fixes the regular election for aldermen and
certain other city officers on the third Monday
IN April each year, and of mayor on the same
Monday In April IN alternate or odd years
that is, in 1881, 1888. 1885, etc. So we take it,
that the mayor elected on the Goth inst. will
hold Office until the next regular election for
mayor ON the third Monday of April, 1888, but
that the present aldermen and those elected "A
week from next Monday, will hold Office until
the third Monday in April next the city coun-
cll, IN the interim between the Goth inst. and
said third Monday in April, having no other
function to perform than TO re district the city |
INTO five wards and to prepare for the new
election. This, at least, after looking into the
law and talking the matter over with certain
legal pundits, is the way it looks to us We
should be very happy, If any local attorney
has gwen the matter attention, to have him
correct us if we are mistaken, and lay down,
for the public enlightenment, what the law
really is on the subject.