Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-04-17
AT THE HELM.
Democrats Assume Control of the
Santa Fe City Admins
tratiOn.
Plaza Improvements-Oft Bonds
Chief of Police and Others
Named Last Night.

The first meeting of the new city coun-
Gil was held last night. The meeting was
full of interest and the council chamber
was crowded to its utmost capacity.
An interesting feature of the meeting
was the presence of a number of ladies
composing committee from the W. B.
7. and consisting of Mesdames. Bartlett,
Bishop, Day, Rivenburg and Gable.
When the mayor called the meeting to
order every councilman was in his place
an unusual occurrence.
The first business transacted was the
reading of the oaths of Office fled by the
different councilmen. At the conclusion
of the reading Councilman Bartlett
moved that inasmuch as the oath had
been filed, those named in the oaths
should be declared the regularly elected
members of the council. The motion
prevailed.
The bond of w. L. Jones as city treas
urer was read and approved. The bond
is for $4,000 and is signed by Sol. Spieg-
elberg, G. W. Dudrow, c. H. Gildersleeve
and j. G. Schumann.
The bond of Adoph Hill for $1,000 as
city clerk was also read and approved.
The sureties are Fred Mueller and II.
Lindheim.
LISTENED TO THE LADIES.
Councilman Bartlett said there was
delegation of ladies present from the W.
B. 7. to learn the position of the council
in reference to the plaza improvement
fund. He explained that $3.50 had been
appropriated by the last council for the
purpose of improving the plaza, the
money to be spent under the direction OF
the W. B. Il. On the strength of this the
ladies had gone to the. expense of con-
tracing for stone coping to be built
around the plaza and had also hired a
custodian. He therefore moved that the
ladies be heard. The motion was carried
and Mrs. Bartlett proceeded to address
the council.
The lady exhibited the plans accepted
for the Improvements and asked that the
city clerk be instructed to draw war
rant for the appropriation of $3.50 so
that the money may be placed to the
credit of the W. B. T. and used as needed.
| Mrs. Bartlett made quite an exhaustive
explanation of the work of the ladies in
which the council evinced great interest.
| Councilman Victory said he thought
the ladies should wait awhile. He thought
that the money appropriated for the
plaza could be put to better use in
defending the Santa Fe grant case. He
spoke of the Importance of the grant
case, said that the titles to property in
this city were in danger and in considera
ton of this he moved that the matter be
deferred for a month.
THE LPwYERs.
Councilman Bartlett replied to Coun
Gilman Victory. He said that Mr.. Vic
tory's declaration that the Santa Fe
grant was in imminent danger was not
true. He said that the committee ap-
pointed by the recent citizens meeting
had hired counsel and that he was one of
the attorneys employed. The lawyers
would not look to the city for their pay
but to the citizens committee. He
thought that as matter of law, honesty
and common Justice the appropriation
|
was appropriated. He concluded his re-
marks by the emphatic statement that
the attorneys employed to defend the
grant did not want the plaza money and
would not accept it under any circum-
stance.
Councilman Easley asked, as new
member, whether or not matters per
tanning to the paying out of money could
be acted upon without reference to the
finance committee. He was in favor of
the ladies proposition, but was opposed
to drawing warrants when there was no
money in the treasury. He was DESTROYS
of acting for the best interests of the
city and wanted to go slow for the time
being.
The councilman assured the ladies that
he was heartily in accord with them, but
inasmuch as it was the first meeting OF
the new council, he thought the members
should be allowed to look into the matter
SO that when they voted they might do SC
intelligently. He therefore moved that
the matter be laid over until the next
meeting, at the same time assuring the
ladies that their interests would in nowise
be jeopardized by the delay. The motion
carried and the matter went over.
NEW ORDINANCE.
The ladies then presented to the coun'
Gil an ordinance which they asked the
councilmen to pass. It provides pen
atty of from IS to $50 for damaging the
plaza and also provides for the appoint
ment of a special custodian with full
police power, to be paid by the W. B. I
out of the money appropriated by thu
council. The ordinance was unanimousl,
passed to it's third reading and adopted
Councilman Andrews moved that {
president of the council be elected to act
in the absence of the mayor. Council
man Easley was unanimously elected.
Councilman Victory introduced reso
luton reducing the police force to two
members and the city marshal. Council
man Easley said that the new member.
of the council were having good man,
important matters sprung upon them be