The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-14
THERE is LITTLE DOUBT
Mayor Harrington Will Probably
Use His Veto Power.
THE STREET CAR ROUTE
The Walkerville Line Does Not Meet
With His Approval, 1t Is Saddle
Is Very Much Dissatisfied
With the Route.

1t appears little doubt is left that
| Mayor Harrington will veto the resolu-
ton passed at the last meeting of the
council, approving the route selected
| for the new Walkerville electric line by
] Manager Wharton of the street rail-
| way company. from the corner of
| Quartz and Wyoming streets. to the
] city limits. The mayor is undoubted-
| ~ very much dissatisfied with the
| route. and from his conversation on
| the subject. it is evident he intends to
send in a veto to the council next
Wednesday evening.
1t was stated by the Standard some
days ago that Manager Wharton was
not worrying about the probable action
of the mayor. as he felt satisfied he
had votes enough in the council to pass
the resolution over the mayors veto,
but it now appears his confidence was
based on another proposition entirely,
and one which causes the silky street
railway manager to smile complacent-
~ when the likelihood of the mayor
vetoing his resolution is mentioned.
Mr.. Wharton thinks he circumyented
Mayor Harrington when he got his
franchise for the new road last fall,
and the reason he smiles now, is that
he thinks that by a clause he had in
serted in his franchise he deprived the
iiuSoi VI tiit ilStil ~ HdN6 any SEiS III
the approval or rejection of the route
selected for the new line, or rather, he
thinks that by signing the franchise
with that clause in it, the mayor vr-
tually decided away all interest he had
in the selection of the route. In the
franchise, after provision is made for
the building of the Main street portion
of the line last fall. comes the clause
Mr. Wharton proposes to interpose be-
tween the mayor and his intended veto.
1t reads:
said line beyond the intersection of
Quartz and Wyoming streets to be
hereafter located by the said Butte
Consolidated Railway company, its
successors or assigns, and afterward
to be approved by the city council of
the city of Butte
Mr.. Wharton had the provision that
the route must be approved by the
council put in the franchise for the ex-
press purpose of depriving the mayor
of the right to veto any route he might
select, and by believing his foresight
he has outwitted the mayor, Mr.. Whar-
ton smiles blandly when anyone men
tions the possibility of a veto of his
resolution.
But the mayor has his side of the
story and is not SO sure the railway
manager has such dead cinch as he
thinks he has. Mayor Harrington
section 41S1 of article of the political
code relating to municipal corpora
tons, which confers on mayors the veto
power, gives him all the authority he
desires. The paragraph, which is a
portion of the section defining a may
or's duties and powers reads:
ITO approve all ordinances and reso-
buttons of the council adopted by it.
and in case the same do not meet his
appreciation, to return the same to the
next regular meeting of the council
with his objections in writing, and no
ordinance or resolution so vetoed by
the mayor must go into effect unless
the same be afterwards passed by a
two-thirds vote of the whole number of
the members of the council"
Mr.. Harrington feels just as sure of
his ground as does Mr. Wharton, and
does not think the council can enact an
ordinance to take away any powers
conferred upon him by statute. An in
teresting contest may result. It is the |
general opinion that the veto will have |
to be fought out on the floor of the |
council chamber and 1t is not now con-
sidered nearly as much of a einch al |
1t was a few days ago, that the rail- |
way magnate is the owner in fee SIM
pie of enough votes to pass the resoIu- |
ton of approval over Mayor Harrina- I
tons veto.