Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-12-02
THE CITY CHARTER.
To the Editor Of the Register.

successfully endeavored to hide his
identity behind the letters X. Y. IT,
He might as well have signed his name,
for his personality is as clear as his
argument is cloudy. His defense Of
the charter is enthusiastic Under the
circumstances he is probably justified
7 in feeling that way about It, We all
feel that way at times.
After telling how thoroughly compe-
| tent and eminently fair the Charter
Commission was and disclaiming IN
general terms and declining to answer
( the suspicion that the charter idea as
q whole was conceived and brought
forth for partisan or personal reasons,
because specifications are not given,
" Y =. quotes the following from
my former letter.
Certain elements appear determined 10
furce the charter upon the people on lAe
cI-y. whether majority of The voters anu
t-N ayers want Do ur not
Upon this point ". Y. z. says:
"I wonder who the writer means oy
certain elements. I SUppuS, DE meant tt-
taArtlr Commission. hut thai cannon pc,
Lli Il Hlu ln lnrll report. puohNir- Wen
the new charter. that they unanimously
recommend Council 90 submit % 90 a Natt
of the people, ana not ou.E tlti. uul
they suggest ,lat the questions about
W.rh ,A.Fe seems :. b.. ~. MoSg ut-,.
eure Of opinion shall Doe substituted Scpar-
at.ly from tnc rest OF the charter. nat
oorsn't look like determination 10 force
whether majority of the voters want ID
o. not. To shows. rather. desire that the
people shall have the fullest possible
chance 90 say what they wish in the mat
ter The writer quoted above cannot mean
the Chamber OF Commerce, for the only
action that body took of "a public nature
seems 10 he the sending of letter TO
Council urging that they allow the charter
10 Dee submitted 10 the people.
This is susceptible of two comments.
And one of them is. that y. Y. u. is
begging the question and endeavoring,
under the guise of simple candor, TO
create an erroneous impression.
renew the charge that certain ele-
ments" are determined TO force the
charter upon the people of the city,
and accompany Il with the further
charge that this has been the set pur-
pose from the very Outset-even from
a tine before the Charter Commission
was in existence. l did not refer alone
To the submission of the matter to the
people. and *. T. Z. well knew it..
The purpose is and has been TO have a
new charJer-with the consent of
majority of the people If possible, but
without that consent If the Legislature
could be induced to pass the bin. 1
speak of this advisedly, Tor l know that
the question of sending the measure TO
Charleston without a vote of the peO-
pie was discussed at one time, and I
further know that q proposition 90 send
the bin TO Charleston even in the face
of an adverse vote has also been dis
Cussed. [ have no idea that the friends
of the charter will seriously proceed
10 that extremity, but straws indicate
the direction of the wind. Again,
while on this topic let me remind *.
Y. T. and such other friends of the
charter as may be interested in the re-
mark, that my statement of dctermin-
alton to force the charter upon the
people was also warranted by the fact
that there is not, and never
was. public clamor for a
new fundamental law. There was am
entire absence of the usual signs of
popular unrest. Council has never
been petiJioned I'm the matter; the files
of the daily papers contain no letters
from a dissatisfied public, nor was the
subject ever mentioned seriously In
any public meeting coming within my
notice. Yet the charter idea suddenly
appeared fun 1edged. like the armed
men who followed the sowing of dra-
CONS teeth, and the first thing the peO-
pie knew about it was an unheralded
D.. 1. .arnH rHnT .H.H of na