Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-05

! cause they did not wish to incur any
additional expense.
Col. O'Brien said that it was time to
get rid of the charter and objected to
further agitation of the subject He said
| Council had acted from a conscientious
motive and to avoid further expense.
Mr.. Alfred PAUL corrected the state
ments of Mr.. Caldwell and Col.
O'Brien, and claimed that Council
| had voted the charter down
because the day set for its submission
to the people had not been put upon the
same day as the city election and that
if this had been done no additional eX-
pense would have been required.
Dr. R. w. Hazlett explained the
course of the charter since its origin.
He explained the manner in which it
had been considered by the City Coun-
Gil and said that the city would never
have as conservative a charter offered
it, He said it had been defeated
by the votes of two men in the First
Branch of Council who had previously
voted for it and that if two men were
permitted to rule this community and
decide what shall be done, the only re-
course that was left was to take the
matter to the Legislature. He said
that charters were not always adopted
by the vote of the people and that
Huntington and Moundsville, this
State, had secured charters without
popular vote. He said he was going
to fight the charter through and that
he was going to see that it was going
to the Legislature.
Ma Caldwell said he would like to
have the Chamber decide the duties
of the Charter Committee appointed
by the Chamber and offered sesolutlon
that it was the sense of the meeting
that the committee was not empow-
cred to push the charter except through
the City Council. This resolution was
another bone of contention and only
deepened the discussion. Mr.. Henry
! Baer said he was in favor of the charter
and that Mr.. Caldwell and others mad
| not sufficient foresight TO determine
whether the people would vote it down
or not. He said he would like to see
it submitted to the people.
Mr.. Erskine said that there was no
provision of law in West Virginia for
a popular vote upon such a question.
1t was his opinion that the best method
was that a provision should be incor-
porated in the charter for it's submits
| sion to the people. The only regular
! and legal mode of submission was by
putting it in the act itself. If it should
go to the Legislature a recommendation
should go with it that it they adopt it
| that it be submitted to the people al
| forwards.
Col. O'Brien spoke further in opposi-
! ton to the charter. He said there was
| a feeling among certain persons who
| think they know what the people want
| better than the people themselves, and
! that he did not share in this feeling.
He did not believe in taking ideas from
eastern cities where long haired men
and short haired women rule. The peo-
pie could always be trusted and knew
what was best for themselves He said
that municipal boards had always bred
corruption and that the Chamber OF
Commerce had better get rid of the
charter and let it slumber for year.
The Chamber was very small part OF
the people and the moment it presumed
to know what the people wanted they
would be sat upon and sat upon hard.
1t was useless to take the matter to the
Legislature for the Republican county
committee had instructed their nomi-
nees to vote against any charter unless
il had been first submitted to the peo-
pie. If our own members OF the Legls-
lature would oppose the charter there
was no hope for it passing.
Mr.. Hazlett asked if that body was
not committed to the new charter and
if the Chamber had not appropriated
5000 for that purpose. He asked the
Chamber of Commerce to beware that
it did not stultify itself.
Mr. Caldwell said he was opposed 10
the charter because it savored OF the
worst kind of Capitalization and favor
itism. The only thing that keeps TINS
charter alive is the idea that the people
cannot be trusted in electing their own
government and representatives. IL
this is true, then republicanism is
failure. There may be cities where
the people are not to be trusted in
electing their city government, but,
thank God it was not so with Wheel-
ing. The charter meant a government
by some of the people, of some of the
people, for all of the people. Mr.. Cald-
well said that he wanted to register his
protest against the charter in behalf
of the plain people. He wanted to build
ND no privileged class and strongly de-
nounced the idea of civil service re-
form. He said he believed in giving
all the boys who had worked for the
success of their party and who had
helped to build up the country a show
and reward them He would rather
get an incompetent Kan occasionally
than to establish a privileged office
holding class in the city of Wheeling.
Mr.. Hazlett again answered Mr.. Cald-
we'll and endeavored to correct the I'M
preston, he said that the poWe rbe-
longing to the people was to be with
drawn from them by the provisions OF
the charter. He referred to the Board
of Control which was to be elected by
the people. Nothing but subordinates
were to be chosen on the merit system.
1t was not a matter of perpetuation in
office. but of continued merit.
Further discussion was INDUCED IN,
and Mr.. Henry Baer offered a substi-
tute to Mr. Caldwell's resolution that
the committee which had been appoint
ed be continued and that its duty be to
use all fair and proper means during
1897 and 1898 to have Council submit
the new charter to vote of the peo-
pie.
This substitute was accepted by Mr..
Caldwell and his second. Mr.. PAUL
offered an amendment to Mr.. Baer's
substitute that the charter committee
be appointed to secure the adoption of
the charter by the State Legislature
and then its approval by a popular vote