Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-03
HOME RULE In SIGHT.
ORDINANCE CALLS FOR A SPECIAL
ELECTION FEBRUARY 25.
COUNCIL TO ACT TOMORROW.
FIRST RESULTS OF THE JOURNALS
CAMPAIGN OF REFORM.
Chances for Non-Partfsap Police
Board Are Now Good-AIderman
JeweIPs View of the Pro-
posed RefOrm-May Be
Amended.
COUNCIL TO ACT TOMORROW.

Unless some unforeseen obstacle inter
venes, there will be held in Kansas City
on Thursday, February %, 1887, a special
election wherein the people will be given
an opportunity to vote upon the PROPOSE
tion to amend the city charter in the mat
fer of appointing members of the board of
police commissioners. The proposed amend
ment takes the appointive power away
from the governor and vests it in the may
or, thereby securing to the city the control
of fits own police department. 1t provides
that the two members to be appointed
must belong to different political parties,
and that their appointment be confirmed
by the upper house of the city council.
This reform was begun by the Journal
early in December. Since that time the
Journal has followed up the subject in
series of articles, in which were published
the opinions of many of Kansas City's most
prominent citizens, all eriphaticaIly in IA
vor of the proposition. By this means the
public has become thoroughly aroused to
the abuses of the present system, by which
a political machine is foisted upon the
people and maintained in connection with
the police department. AS direct result
of the Journals campaign of reform, the
following ordinance has been drawn by
City Counselor McDougal at the request
of Mayor Jones, and will be presented to
the city council tomorrow night. It will
be introduced by Alderman Morrison, of
the upper house. Following is the ordi-
nance entire:
Special Election Called.
An ordinance providing for special cleo
tion for the purpose of submitting to the
qualified voters of Kansas City, Missouri,
proposed amendments to sections 3, 5 and
49, of article xi. of the city charter and
the time and manner of voting thereon.
Be it ordained-by the common council of
Kansas City:
Section l. That there shall be held, on
Thursday. the 25th day of February, 1897,
a special election in said city. at which
there shall be submitted to the qualified
voters of Kansas City, Missouri, the fol-
lowing, which are hereby proposed as
amendments to sections 3, 5 and 10, of ar
ticle x. of the present city charter of said
city. that is to say:
First-To amend section of said article
xi. of the present charter of said city, by
striking out the words governor of the
state of Missouri the senate concurring
therein" where said words occur in said
section s, and inserting in lieu thereof the
words mayor of said Kansas City, by and
with the consent of a majority of the men,
bers-elect of the upper house of the COM
mon council, but said commissioners so
appointed shall not be members of the
same political party, and the terms of said
commissioners first appointed shall expire
at the end of the fiscal year 1885," and that
said section be further amended by strik-
ing out the words governor of the state
where they last occur therein, and insert
ing in lieu thereof the words mayor, by
and with the consent of the upper house
of the common council" so that said sec
ton as amended shall read as follows:
Mayor to Appoint Them.
Section g. Appointments of commits
Hioners-Qualihcations, salary and term of
office-Vacancy-TwO of said commission
ers shall be appointed by the mayor of
said Kansas City, by and with the consent
of majority of the members-elect of the
upper house of the common council, but
said commissioners so appointed shall not
be members of the same political party
lIe Term OF Salu commissioners nrSt
appointed shall expire at the end of the
fiscal year 1897. They shall be citizens of
the state Of Missouri and shall have re-
sided in the city for period of five years
next preceding their appointment. They
shall hold their offices for term of three
years and until their Successors shall have
been appointed and qualified, and shall
each receive a salary of $500 per annum
payable monthly, and in case a vacancy
shall occur the same shall be filed by the
mayor by and with the consent of the up
per house OF the common council for the
uneXpired term"
Second-To amend section of said article
Ni. of the present charter of said city by
striking out the words governor, upon
his where said words occur in section 5.
and inserting in lieu thereof the words
mayor of said city, by and with the con-
sent of a majority of the members-elect
of the upper house of the common council, "
so that said section as amended shall
read as follows:
Provides for Removal.
Section 5. Misconduct of commissioner
-Removal-For official misconduct any of