The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-09-23

the Council. ana III ID Mcct ssuu plOpSI
THAT I, as president of that body, should
Iexplain to those who placed me in a
lposition to act as such, just what part
| the Council has played.
i Every member of this and the pre-
Iceding Council knows full we'll that
!. Ithey were not only encouraged but
j urged by some of the best citizens in
/ town to purchase this property, not
necessarily for immediate, but for flu
ture use.
i Until recently nothing could be done
!, with the holders of the property, but
having secured proposition from
, them, the Mayor. on May 10Th, called
special meeting of the Council ito
consider the proposition to purchase
the brewery property for city use. ~
The meeting, with full attendance,
appointed committee and authorized
it to make the purchase. 1t was made
!. for $3.50 and a warrant for that sum
drawn which the Mayor, for reason
given the public, refused to sign.
Il The Council does not wish to force
any thing undesirable upon the people,
but they do feel that the Mayor should
have attended the meeting called for
determining on the purchase, and there
expressed his views instead of waiting
two months to do so through the press.
They feel, too, that the time is draw
ing nigh when they will have to have
some substantial arrangement for Sc
curing water for parties with whom
they have contracts to supply. We
have five-year contracts with the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific roads
to supply their tanks at fair remune-
ration Still, we have no contract
with the pumping powers.
1t is true, we get good service, but
no business man in tits town would
leave his individual interests SO un-
guarded as this. ]. w. WARD,
Sank Centre, Sept. %.
The above explanatory letter by the pres:-
dent, speaking for the council, and presum-
ably by the book, is remarkable only from
the fact that it fails to explain and is mis-.
leading. Mr.. Ward is disingenuous. That
this and the preceding council were .surged
by some of the best citizens in town to pur-
chase this property is not to the roint-af
fords no Justification for the action of the
council in assuming to depose the mayor.
The implied criticism of the mayors consis-
tency, in that he called the May Goth meet
ing for the council falls empty when coupled |
with the fact that the mayor called the meet |
ing by request of members of the council, in |
that perfunctory official way in which most
specials are called. The clerk brought to |
the mayor the usual form of summons adj |
dressed to the members of the council for |
his signature, and he signed them. There !
was no reason why the mayor should have
been PRESENT. certainly never occurred to
him toSrecommend such purchase, nor was
he consulted relative thereto. The plan of |
purchase then decided upon, as shown by |
the records, was wholly different from that
which is of the essence of the present differ
EN- ween the mayor and the council
The assumption that the mayor caused his
views to be given to the public through the
press is wholly unwarranted, when the war
amt Tor $3.50 was presented to the mayor
or his signature, he declined and in sensi-
Die and courteous message to the council
gave his reasons therefor.
The HERALD saw fit to procure a copy of
hat message, of its own motion entirely,
Ind presented it as a news item. Mr.. Town
lend had nothing whatever to do with such
publication, did not request nor could he
nave prevented it.
But 1t is in the last few lines Of this letter
If Mr.. Wards that he is frank, and tells by
plain implication, what the purpose of the
council is-It is not for park purposes that
he property is wanted-at least not primar-
ly, although that was the avowed purpose
1t was to erect and equip a pumping plant
or the city water works, and inferentially
or the electric light WORKSHOP they are
closely allied. To carry out this scheme
would require an expenditure Of how much?
Well, the HERALD believes it is within
bounds when it says it would require at least
$4,000 to supply adequate equipment for
that purpose.
tits true the city has no contract with the
pumping powers"-the mill company. It'll
NJ . T L
known it. that neither this nor the preceding
council ever asked for one. Several years
ago contract was drawn but never executed
because it was Objectionable to the ssparty of
the second part'---Mr. Davidson. One day
this week Mr.. Ward did speak to Mr.. David
son about contract the first time the lat
ter has been approached upon the subject for
a number of years.
So much fol the letter. One word more