New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-03-01
ON CHARTER LEGISLATION:
The City Attorney, Mr.. Eokstein, Reports
to thu Council, the Results of his
Visit to tho Commission. ~
He Points ou:. the Necessity Of Watching
the Legislation that is Apt to Grow
Ont of the Recent Amendment.

Last week, City Attorney Jos. A. Eek
stein was commissioned by the council
to attend the session of the charter COM
mission appointed by the legislature and
here is his communication to the mayor
upon his return:
Pursuant to your direct1ons,I proceed
ell to St. Paul on the 23d inst. for the
purpose Of ascertaining the status Of pro
posed municipal legislation. Owing to
! r. 'ie adoption Of the amendment to the
constitution at the last general election,
|.prohibi1ing special legislation, nearly all
the cities find themselves in need of some
legislation to alleviate their wants, which
now must be reached by general law
anu not by amendment to the city char
ters as formerly. The standing COM
mittce on municipal legislation have
seen fit to appoint a commission Of
twelve, mostly city attorneys and eX-city
attorneys from different parts Of the
state, to prepare a general law Tor the
government of all cities, for the reason
that the work on such q bill was felt
to be more than the committees themsel-
yes could reasonably expect to accomp-
llsh as we'll as the fact that the interests
to be served were too diversified.
Although the aforesaid commission is
undoubtedly composed ofmen we'll quail
fed to prepare bill for that purpose,
vet am constrained to remark that the
members thereof come only from the
large cities. Four of them are from St.
! PAM fou4 from Minneapolis, two fron:..
Duluth, one from Saltwater and one
from Winona. Cities of 5000 inhabi-
tants and under have no representation
whatever on that commission. The in
tcrest OF these smaller cities are in many
respects entirely different from the larger
ones, and although the commission
gladly receives any suggestions present
Ell I'y tE:' city attorneys Or representa-
ti',cs Il such other cities, yet I believe
;,s:.t ,',r prorriety as well as justice de-
man'is t':*t these smaller cities should
represented on this commission.
have attended the meetings of the
commission for two days aid made such
suggestions to thin as deemed worthy
Of consideration and necessary for the
protection Of our interests.
Work on this bill is progressing slow
lg aa,1 Il will be some time before it is
ready for submission to Che legislature
for action. Attached hereto is the copy
of letter, I have addressed to the Hon.
J. A. Tawney, chairman of the commit
tee on municipal legislation Of the SEN
ate. Its purpose is apparent to you and
it explains itself. By the middle of the
next week, the work of the commission
will have advanced far enough, so that
further attendance at their meetings will
be of value and will again go down fo'
few days unless advised to the con.
traryt
Then follows the letter to Senator
Tawney in which the City Attorney
points out the injustice of the Legislature
in the selection Of the commission. It is
attached herewith:
1 have the honor to call your attention
to the following, relative to- municipal
Legislation. AS am informed, the joint
committee of the senate and the house
have appointed the commission of twelve
gentlemen, now preparing general Ill
; for the government of all cities. Whilf
it is undoubtedly true that no better S.
lection could have been made of the
members composing the commission, Je,
it must be admitted, that cities of O,0OO
inhabitants and 500Oinhabitants and in.
der, have no representation thereon. The
wants and necessities Of those smaller
cities are in many respects entirely. diff
| ferent from the larger ones, and I am
forced to suggest that the interests OF
| these smaller cities might be better
served if they had such representation,
The commission gladly receives and in
vites suggestions from city attorneys and
representatives of these small cities, but
the vital point is this: As yet there is
no arrangement made by which this
commission is to be compensated fol
their labors; but understand that such is
expected. Now if such is the case,
Isubnlit that the. gentle lemen now com
posing the commission, coming from the
large cities only, as they do, wall be
fcompensated for their labors from the
state while the smaller cities IA v.3;ch