Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-01-04
MIR. SMITH AND THE COUNCIL.

Sam1 ii. Smiths little article in last
weeks paper and the further fact that
the council OH Friday evening last
passed resolutions asking for his i'm
mediate resignation as city attorney
have caused no little comment and
more or less i'll feeling among our peo-
pie the past week. Members of the
council accuse Mr.. Smith Of working in
the interest of Mr.. Willard and not at all
times for the city, but he says and we
believe he can prove he has not been
engaged as an attorney by Mr.. Willard
since the middle of last May, long be-
fore he was made city attorney. We
believe that since his appointment as
attorney for the city Mr.. Smith has
been diligently studying into the al
fairs, past and present, of the city and
endeavoring to work for the hest in
terests of the city as he believed was
his duty to do. In looking over the
records of affairs here for few years
past he found where many mistakes
had been made and where the council
had in many instances exceeded its
authority in the appropriation of pub
lie money. Anyone who will take tho
trouble to look the matter up may as
certain these facts also.
When he began to point out these
discrepancies and suggest that the ac-
ton of the council had better be made
thus and so in strict accordance with
the intent and purpose of the law a
feeling against him was aroused in
some members of the council who al
most hooted at some of his sugges-
tions because the council had for years
done differently and nobody had seri-
ously objected. We do not mean to-
accuse the council of Intentionally ex-
ceeding the limits of their powers, but
unless we are very much mistaken
Mr.. Smith has the best of the argu-
ment.
The council accuse Smith Of disre-
garding their instructions. Suppose
he did. Is he bound to obey the in-
structions of the council if the things
instructed to be done are not for the
best interests of the city and contrary
to law and his opinion as an attorney
in the matter? If so why have a city
counsellor? Why not give the MEM
bers of the council the law book and
allow them TO put their own cOnstruc-
ton upon it-expand it or contract it
as they may desire-regardless of the
holdings or opinions handed down
from the higher courts upon the ques-
tions at issue?
The manner in which the council
treated Mr.. Smith last Friday evening
was simply brutal. We thought this
to be free country, but from the ac-
ton of the council in not allowing
Smith to say word in his own behalf
we see il is not.
ublic sentiment seems TO be some
what divided on the matter aud an i'll
dignation meeting has been talked of
by those opposed to Smith and many
things have been said about it that
would have been as well unsai1. A
public meeting and full and free ex-
preston of opinion in the matter
would undoubtedly be q good thing
and we are certain Mr.. Smith would
not object to it. Probably if we
should all get together in mass meet
ing once more, as we used to two or
three years ago, and fight this thing to
finish we would all learn something
that would do us good. In our opin-
ion this is just the thing to do. Many
of our people either do not understand
the situation or are afraid to give ex-
nrnecion IN fhair thonUhts aud this
thing of backbiting and maligning
each other on the street corners is sim
ply wearing off the soles Of our shoes
and our elbows out for no good what
ever. As long as we fight amongst
ourselves in this way no public enter
prise can be carried through and the
sooner we settle it the better, let it be
which way or t'other.
Semi-Annual Statement of the Condition