The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-01
City Hall Project Receives
Another Setback.
Election Postponed Until Ninth
Day of September.
MUST COMMENCE OVER
Red Tape Steps Must All Be
Retraeed.
City Clerk Squires Responsible
For Mistake.

a bIunder Of City Clerk ]. H. Squires
will necessitate a delay of two weeks in
the city hall election. The original date
fixed was August &c and a new date.
September 9. will be agreed upon
There was a short special meeting Of
the city council Monday evening to cor
rect a mistake in the appraisement Of
sewer district IS and after the meeting
had adjourned there was some formal
talk when City Attorney Bird without
warning exploded a bomb. He said:
1T looks to me as if we were against
another obstruction in this city hall
matter. The ordinance has not been
published"
What is that?" said Councilman
Warner
The ordinance has not been publish
ed-at least cannot discover that it
has been.' replied Mr.. Bird.
The councilmen left their seats and
crowded around the desk of the city
clerk who produced a publication Of the
election proclamation which also in
THAT is not an official publication"
said Mr.. Bird.
Why didn't you tell US that before %
said Mayor Drew 1T seems to me it is
your business to tell the city clerk what
to do You are elected to advise US"
Mr.. Mayor, it is not my business to
see that the ordinances are published. I
am perfectly willing to give advice IN
til they are passed and there my duty
ends,' replied Mr.. Bird.
1t was plain that Mr.. Bird had the
better of the argument and that he was
not responsible for the omission and
then every body turned to City Clerk
SQuires.
Il did not think it essential to publish
the ordinance separately" said he. Il
thought the publication in the procla-
nation was all that was necessary"
This explanation had to be accepted
and on the advice of City Attorney Bird
it was decided to commence over.
Councilman NetteIs will at once begin
the work of securing a new petition and
this will be presented at the meeting
of the council next week when the or
dinance calling the election will again
be adopted. Then it is fair to presume
that if there is not a snarl in the official
red tape the city hall election Will come
off as scheduled more than a month
from that time
we're in their criticism Of City Clerk
Squires and they gathered in knots to
discuss the matter but all agreed that
nothing could be done.
Mayor Drew said today: This delay
is very much to be regretted but there
is nothing to be done but wait. / did
not notice that the ordinance had not
been published because it happened
that I did not get the issue Of the pa
per in which it was to appear. I was
greatly surprised at the discovery be-
cause I thought that we had at least
got things to moving smoothly"
The council Informally decided to give
the architects until August IA to sub
nit plans for the new city hall. Several
are ready but others wanted more time
and the delay in the election encOurag es
the granting Of one week time to the
architects
The omission of a half block of land
from the report Of the appraisers in
sewer district 13 is responsible for a de-
lay in the sewer work and the cOntrac-
tor has been given until October 10, to
commence the work 1t was originally
to have been commenced on August 10.
The appraisers will again go over the
work and it will be necessary for the
city clerk to make out new tax rolls
which viii entail a great deal of work
as there are nearly 1000 descriptions.