The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-29
ONE HOUSE Or TWO?
Kloeber's Motion Is Temporal
rily Defeated.
ALDERMEN WANT TO HOLD ON.
Jsfifch 60 Ne Csmm I'D Gre Of the Gar
bags seow-Transfer Of Surplus
Street rmprevsment Funds

The chs-ter revision committee met last
night and considered kioe5er's PROPOSE
t5on TO abolish the present city council
and substitute Il by Q single council 70
consist of eighteen members, two from
each ward. II vas fayorably reported BY
the majority Of the legislative COMMITTEES.
w. G. Armstrong presenting the following
minority report:
AT the general election 70 be held in
March, IS94. thirteen members Of the city
council shall be elected. which thirteen.
together with the five hold-oyer members
Of the board Of aldermen. shall constitute
the city council Of the city. In case Of the
adoption Of this amendment. the aldermen
and delegates elected at said election shall
be abolished. OF the e0uncsimen elected
st the general election OF March. 1894. one
only shall be elected from the wards repre-
sented by the hold-over aldermen. From
each of the other wards two councilmen
shall be elected. The new eouncilmen
elected from those wards entitled TO
bat one councilman each. IS aforesaid,
stall be elected for the term OF two years.
OF the councilmen elected from the other
wards the members from each ward re-
ceiving the highest number OF votes shall
hold Office for two years and the other
member shall hold office for one year. and.
in the event of > tie vote, the two-year
term shall be held by the member who is
senior in age.
"On the Tuesday next following the first
Monday in March of each year. after
the year 1894, there shall be elected in
each ward Of the city a councilman, who
shall hold Office for term Of two years
and until his successor 10 elected and
qualified"
DIR. crlehton raised the point that Ii was
mistake to assume that any great num-
Der of changes were needed in the charter
The trouble has been that there was too
much legislation. He did not believe the
people called for the abolition of one of
the two houses. For his part, he believed
that the legislation Of the past few years
had been perfectly honest, and the mis-
takes were only such as might have been
made by one house. He favored retaining
the two houses.
DR.. Jordan said the preceding speaker
had incidentally admitted that there was
too much legislation, and DIR. Jordan re-
piled that If they had four houses they
would have corresponding quantity of
legislation.
Mr.. Kerr objected to house of nine and
thought eighteen too many. He was in
favor of twelve members.
DIR. Kloeber's report was then voted
down by vote of to . Armstrong;
minority report was then also voted down.
DR.. Jordan then offered the following
provision:
''SEcrToS L The legislative power Of the
city of Seattle shall be vested in mayor
and city council, which shall consist of
one house. viz: A board of aldermen.
sSec. 2. Said board shall consist of as
many members as there are wards in the
city Of Seattle, excepting the aldermen
from the First, Third, Fourth. Fifth and
Sixth wards, which said last named FIVE
aldermen were elected at the general cleo
ton held March 8, 1892, for the period
OF four. years from said date"
Mr.. Armstrong said it was a waste of
time; the committee had voted positively
against having a house of nine members
only. He wanted to know whether they
desired to delay matters.
The amendment was referred TO the leg
islatiye committee. which Immediately re-
ported unfavorably.
The report was not sustained, the vote
standing thus: Ayes-Kioeber, Crichton,
Armstrong. Scott; nays--Jordan, Cram,
then laid upon the table and it is sure TO
be again taken up.
Comptroller Carson's proposition to
transfer the surplus of any street fund to
the general fund was reported favorahly
and referred to the revision committee.
Bardo Jellich's amendment to the char
ter placing the garbage scow in the harbor
department. was read and adopted.
The committee adjourned until Tuesday
night.