The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-12
CHANGES N THE CHARTER.
AuEHDMENTs TO NE sUDNTTrEI
AT THE SPRING ELECTION.
Il Hard Fight VIII Likely De Made
70 Do Away With Civil Service
sors Want to Raise the Rate Of
Liquor Lfcenses-Other Plans.

II win be some months before the res
hents OF this city will have the pleasure
81 voting al city election. bus already
he city officials and others who are In
arrested in the workings OF the city gov
eminent are talking of proposed amend
1ments TO the charter, which will be SUBJ
mltfed for their consideration and their
votes. Before March there In no doubt
shat dozens Of proposed amendments Will
De before the council. buy at the present
dime the number IS limited. The anti-civit
service amendment viii be among them.
Another amendment viii. IL adopted, set
lie the future OF the liquor license. The
city has seyeis.l amendments. one al
which will provide that property owners
shall pay for water mains. and another
udIi relate to the readjustment Of the In
ferest on local Improvement bonds.
The civil service amendment will prob
ably create as much stir as any Of them
william Vosgt and his followers are
among 4hoge who are this leaders In the
anti-c.vi service fight. They Will ask
the council 10 place before the people an
amendment abolisiing civil service. The
council vii! boz compelled TO submit fha
arperdmen. IL petition ia presented
eIened by twenty per cent OF the voters
vho were registered at the last general
municipal election. The vosgt people say
they will be able to come to time with
the required number Of voter. Already
fhey c.airE, II is said, to have almost that
number OF names to their petition. They
sre not doing any very active rsork just
row but state that they will resume
work tn few weeks and push II until
the council gets ready TO take up the
charter amendment question.
The members Of the city council refuse
10 say anything az TO what they think
Of the civil service law. A number OF
them have stated that in their judgment
the new charter has not been in force
long enough to test It's real merits. For
that reason they feel that 1t would not
be bad policy to go on with civil service
for another two years. But they do not
insist that civil service IS the best thing
for the city. Some are known to favor
II, others are opposed to 1t. but as rule
even those who are opposed To civil serv-
Ice are not In faves OF making many
amendments to the charter until n has
been more thoroughly tried.
They Want the Spoils.
Those on the outside who have charge
81 the petition are very bitter I'm their
apposition to future civil service for this
city. They say Il Is no good and that the
sooner II Is abolished the better It viii
he tor the city. The arguments used In
support OF their contention are the same
e. have been advanced the world over
when civil service was under fire. 1t is
charged that men pass the civil services
examination, get employment under the
city, and no matter how many others on
The outside may deEeIve work they are
kept out because the civil service men
Fare In to stay"
Several councilmen admitted yesterday
that an amendment will likely be SUBJ
Al Awtvx fl< al L.
ana retail liquor license In this city. At
Che present time the matter Is regulated
By the council. Every few months there
b q fight over Il. When election time
comes around the saloon men take a
hand In It because II Is TO their financial
interest to do so. IL their man goes into
oflee there will be low license, and II the
candidate opposed to them In elected they
IRE given endless trouble. Fixing tho
amount Of the license by charter brings
70 an end all future fighting. Those who
win submit the amendment will likely
advise that the license be made 81 600
year. retail. ana $500 Wholesale. Opposi-
ton To the amendment Is looked for from
the ranks OF the saloon men, though IL
Is maintained that once the amendment
goes through the saloon men will find
that Il Is good thing for them as well
as for the city. A supporter of tho
anfnoHent SAID yesterday.
The law fixing the amount Of the liq-
uor license has worked well In othen
mates Minnesota worked for such
law for twenty years. When ii was Sc
cured everybody was satisfied and today
even the saloon men say that II has vir-
tues that they never thought possible.
The Minnesota law provides TINT no town
q 1900 population shall grant q retail
license fo- less than 81 600 per year.
Down In the First ward of this city
there are great many business men.
They feel that the ward has not ample
police protection I'm view OF the great
number OF criminals that are Afways 10
be found In their midst The extensive
falcon traffic. they say. Is responsible for
u. For that reason let the saloon men
pay high license and !n that way rev.
suue suficient TO give the ward better
police protection Will he secured. Then.
100. they maintain that when the license
Is low many irresponsible people get into
the saloon business. II IS the belief of
these business men tina. the ward viii
have much better moral tone II there
are 100 saloons paying 81 00 a year tn the
city than IL 1t be permitted TO have $50
saloons paying $500 year"