Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-12-31
THIRD CLASS CHARTER.
Some of the Advantages to be Derived
by Its Adoption.

Some of the Advantages to be Derived
by its Adoption.
The advantages to he derived by
the citizens of Mexico from the adop-
ton of the charter provided for cities
Of the third class chat is cities con-
tanning over five thousand and under
twenty thousand inhabitants) are
numerous and valuable, some of
which may he noted at this time.
Other advantages will be noticed in
the future.
Should the new charter. be adopted
all city officers viii be elected for a
term of two years instead of one.
The city will have to be divided into
not less than four wards, two coun-
cilmen being elected from each ward.
At the first election the candidate re-
ceiving the highest number of votes
will hold for two years, and the can
didate receiving the next highest
number of votes will become officially
dead at the end of one year. There
after one councilman will be elected
annually from each ward to serve for
a term of two years; consequently
every year one-half of the members
of the city council will hold over
Three years since our city council
had a bill prepared and submitted to
the Legislature having this object in
view. Ex-Mayor Pollock and others
of our citizens went to jefferson City
in the interest of the measure, which
found with senator's and members of
the legislature almost a unanimous
support. The bill was passed by the
house but reached the senate too
late for action thereon by that body
hence it failed to become a law.
Experience has fully demonstrated
that this is a change in the direction
of efficient government that is greatly
needed. In the next place the city
marshal will cease to be collector of
revenue, which duty would be per-
formed by a separate officer. That
the average man possessing the
necessary qualifications to make an
efficient marshal is wholly unfit to
properly discharge the duties of the
collectors office is a fact so fully un-
derstood that no matter how much
our present or former marshals may
have appreciated the extra income
derived by reason of their double
duties, yet one and all will say that it
is impossible for one man to properly
discharge the duties of both offices.
He will be certain to neglect the
or the other Besides his ordinary
duties the city marshal under the
new charter would have the same
jurisdiction and powers in all cases as
are now possessed by township con-
stables. The recorder would be an
ex-oficio justice of the peace, and N
addition to being public justice would
have the same jurisdiction in all cases
that is now possessed by any other
township justice. The Offices of re-
corder and city clerk would be effect
ually divorced, the recorder being
elected by the people and the city
clerk appointed by the council; that
body would thus have a much more
complete and direct control over
their clerk than is possible at present.
Past experience, at times very
costly, has taught US that it would
have been much better for the public
good had it always been thus az
ranged. The type Of man that is
generally elected to discharge the
duties of the Office of police justice,
or justice of the peace, is, as a rule,
very deficient in the qualifications
necessary for clerk and accountant of
a city having the amount of business
to transact and the valuable interest
at stake that now belong to the city
of Mexico.
The water-works contract will nee
essarily absorb a considerable part of
the city revenue, and the question,
what shall be done to replenish the
treasury? presents itself with consid-
cradle force at this time. Under a
third class charter the powers Of the
city would be greatly enlarged and
Its sources of revenue largely in
creased. Many occupations, callings
and agencies that now virtually es-
cape taxation would become tributary
to the city treasury. The expense OF
opening streets and alleys and bring
ipr fbou RI uro1o mould H. ,,,;lod