The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-01-04
PLAN ADOPTED.
Charter Commission Will Work
by Rule.


A Committee Will Prepare the New
Charter, But the Board Will Meet
Weekly to Hear Reports.
The charter commission is going at
it's work in systematic and business
like manner. Unlike the previous
charter commission, its work will be
open to the inspection of the public
as it progresses. A committee will
do the actual work of charter making,
but will report to the full commits
sion at meetings to be held weekly,
and the reporters have permission to
attend the weekly meetings, so that
the public will be kept fully posted.
This latter point contains more of a
promise of success of the new charter
than any other phase of the commits
sion's work, as the public likes to be
taken into the confidence of it's law
makers and officials. The policy of at
tempting to conceal matters of public
importance from the knowledge of the
people is a very bad one in the long
run
All of the fifteen members of the
commission have taken the oath of
office, the last two doing SO at last eve
ning's meeting. Eleven members were
present at the meeting. Messrs. Noe
Ogle, Widell and Coughlan being
absent. Mr.. Widell will be away SO
much this winter that he will not be
able to attend many of the meetings
The committee on rules appointed
last Thursday evening presented re-
port which was adopted after much
discussion. These rules provide that
the commission shall meet at the coun-
Gil chamber every Monday evening at
7 80 O'Clock, Ten members shall con-
stitute quorum and eight affirmative
votes shall be necessary to adopt any
feature of the charter. Three com.
mittees are provided for one on judi
ciary to draft and report charter, one
on publication to see to the publication
and distribution of the charter, and a
steering committee to take steps to
promote the adoption of charter. The
order of business, ETC., is also provi ded
for.
Mayor Currier favored dividing the
work of preparing new charter up
among three or four committees, but
the majority of the commission
thought that one committee would
make more homogeneous charter.
The temporary organization was
made permanent by electing Mayor
Currier chairman and Fl. L. Schmit tt
secretary.
The chairman appointed as the j-di-
ciary committee, Judge Severance,
chairman, Alex Bashaw, FL. L. Schmitt.
F. M. Currier and W. E. Young.
Mr.. Currier appointed himself at the
request of the board after Dr. Andrews
had declined to serve. Each ward is
represented on the committee except
the Sixth The committee will hold
it's first meeting this evening at Judge
Severance's Office.
The commission voted to allow the
reporters to attend it's meetings.
No Of vim ON, tho
sions of the new charter was had at
this meeting.
The first ballot for chairman stood
five each for Mr.. Currier and Judge
Severance, with one blank.
A motion by Prof. Koehler making
the judiciary committee seven was
lost.
Mr. Bashaw enquired whether what
was done on New Years day was
legal, and Judge Severance replied
that it was in this case.
The judiciary committee will pre-
pare an entirely new charter, rather
than a series of amendments to the
present one, and in So doing will prob
ably incorporate some of the present
charter and some of the charter that
was defeated two years ago.
One fact which the steering COM
mittee should bear in mind when it
has been appointed is that the new
charter must receive four seventies of
all of the votes cast at the election if
it carries. In case there should be
1, 500 votes cast at the municipal cleo
tion, probably 200 of the voters would
express preference in regard to the
charter. If the charter received 800
votes to 400 against it, it would still
fall 60 votes short of carrying. Either
the new charter must be favored by a
very strong preponderance of the
voters, or else it should be submitted
at special election and not at the
municipal election. 1t will be found
a great deal easier to adopt the charter
at special election, as then it will be
either voted for or against by every
one who votes, and there will be no
blank ballots to count against it.
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