St. Paul daily globe., 1894-08-17
Mayor Smith in a Legal
Way.
CITY ATTORNEYS OPINION.
The Reducing Committee
Will Commence to Re-
duce Next Monday.
THE CITY'S FAIR NAME
Now Branded as bankrupt"
BY the Preamble Of the
Resolution.
CITY ATTORNEYS OPINION.
THE CITY'S FAIR NAME

The assembly met in regular session
last night, with Messrs. johnson, Aro-
stu, Robb, Reardon, Strouse and Van
Slyke present. Mr.. Lewis came at
later hour, and Mr.. Van Slyke was
chosen to preside.
AS usual, the sedate body furnished
the usual amount of delectable mate
Iial for the entertainment of the spec
tators. Interest centered upon the
possible action of the assembly upon
the veto message sent in by Mayor
Smith. A good deal of oratory was
expected. but in this those present were
doomed to disappointment. However.
the fact remains that members of the
upper legislative branch of the city
government are on record, which was
last night reiterated and confirmed, as
favorlng a resolution practically de-
caring the city Of ST Paul bankrupt.
This may be good politics, but, as some
members expressed themselves, at the
same time poor policy.
Nothing could be palmer or more to
the point of honest purpose than the
communication which Mayor Smith sent
to the assembly, vetolng the resolution
appointing special joint committee to
look to the reduction of sthe salaries of
city officers and employees. Verbatim
it read:
The Mayors Veto.
The President and Members of the
MISUNDERSTANDING Assembly file
NO. 1859 Is hereby returned without nv
approval, and for the following reason:
1t contains certain recitaIs in the form
OF preamble which are without founda-
ton In truth, and which arraign the
good name and financial standing of the
city.
The resolution itself, without it's pref
ace, has my approval and would secure
my signature il presented alone. Yours
very truly. ROBERT A. SMITH,
r., Mayor.
The Republican members did not
seem inclined to meet the issue squarely,
but crept behind the skirts of the cor
poratlon attorney for an excuse by
which they might circumvent the pur-
pose of the mayors message. Assem-
olymaD johnson arose as the Moses to
lead them out of the wilderness, and as
SOO-A
the brief message. he was on his feet
and recognized by the chair. He said:
johnson Starts the Bail.
"When l read in the papers that the
mayor would return this resolution
without his approval, L was surprised
to think that he had assumed it ueces.
sary for him to approve this resolution.
Since that time l have looked up the
law, and while it says that the mayor
shall approve all ordinances and resolu-
tions passed by the city council, l am
not inclined to think that this law is as
broad as it appears on the surface.
Under all parliamentary rulings any
member may demand that all motions
be reduced to writing. Supposing that
one member of this body moves that we
adjourn and another demands this mo-
ton in writing, are we supposed to sit
here until the mayor sees fit to affiX his
signature to the resolution? | do not
believe that it is necessary that reso-
luton affecting this body alone needs
be sent to the mayor. For the purpose
of determining this matter for all time,
l move that we reconsider the vote by
which this resolution was passed. [
shall later ask that it be referred to the
corporation attorney for an opinion on
the subject, to be made in writing and
to become part of the record"
Mr.. Parker went over to the other
side and said: I'VE have appointed this
committee, and we can proceed by
ignoring the veto entirely
MIR. Strouse: 81 am satisfied that the
mayor is right, even if he may have no
right to veto the resolution"
The motion to consider the previous
vote was lost by tie vote. those voting
aye: Arosin, Strouse and Van Slyke.
voting nay: johnson, Parker and
Reardon. Mr.. Johnson then moved that
it be referred to the corporation attor-
ney, who should furnish written
opinion, during the evening, whether a
resolution Of this character needed the
approval Of the mayor.
Chaplin Champions lewis Cause.
Shortly afterward Mr.. Chaplin filed
the following opinion:
nave the honor to report that in nv
opinion the common council has full
control over any committee it may ap-
point from its own members and can
institute Investigations by and call for
reports from any such committees with
out the necessity of first securing action
by the executive or its resolutions dI.
rected to that end.
WALTER L. CHAPLIN,
Assistant Corporation Attorney.
This having been made part of the
record, the matter was deemed disposed
Of and the committee will proceed to
transact business. In fact, MIR. Lewis,
from the chair, forthwith announced
that committee meeting would be held
next Monday afternoon, to begin the
consideration of salary reductions.
Mi. Strouse came near raising the
bugaboo of the Loomis matter once
more by the introduction of a resolu-
tion. confirming the appointment of
James Ii. LOOMS as "a patrolman,"
saying that he bad no desire to see a
poor man kept out Of his salary owing
to a defective confirmation.
Mr.. Arosin, in his immaculate En-
gllsh, said. What is that! shall never
vote to confirm this man for the posi-
tion as patrolmau." Nevertheless the
resolution went through and Mr..
Loomis can now inform the comp
troller that he has been fully and prop
erly confirmed by the assembly. Those
voting for the resolution were Messrs.
Johnson, Parker. Robb. Strouse and
Van Slyke. those voting against the
confirmation, Arosin. Lewis and Rear
don.
The Routine Grist.
The routine of the assembly file was
then taken up, and the first thing on
the bill was the lease and franchise for
the WaterOus. company. There was no
discussion, all that having been settled
in the committee meeting of the after