The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-01-23
Our old CHARTER.
The Special Act Under Which Prince
ton Was Incorporated Not APP
plicable to Present Needs.
The Village Has Not Sufficient Powers
- Under Old Charter and Some -
Suggest City Charter.

quASe lew persons at the present
time, and it is said that in the near
futnre efforts will be made to change
th6>government of Princeton from that
OF q e. 2 village to- a city. The village of
Princeton was Incorporated under
special act of the legislature in 1877,
and this act was amended by subse-
quent act of the legislature in 1889, I'M.
der which act the village is now gov
erned. When Princeton was first in
corporated it. required very few pow
ers, such as most small villages have
intheir early days. While the act as
amended in 1889 clothed the village
council with sufficient powers to gov
ern the village, there is no question
butwhat Princeton has outgrown the
act=under which it was authorized to
do business, and there are many rea-
sons why the village should cast aside
it's old corporate clothes and put on an
up-to-date suit.
In the process of time and the growth
and development of the village the
limited powers of the special act have
become obsolete and in many respects
are dead letters. While the council
has the power under the old act to
light any portion of the village it is a
question whether it has sufficient pow
ers under the original act to maintain
an.electrict light plant as it is to-day,
and IN the management of the water
plant the growth of the village has re-
qnired the council to exceed it's legally
empowered duties. The old act gave
the village the power to authorize the
construction of street railways in the
streets of the village, but no authority
to- build or construct sewers. It re-
qulres an ordinance to even establish
the salary of the village marshal, but
this IS more or less of dead letter
with She common council. The coun-
Gil has all the necessary powers to pro-
E5ect the health and peace Of: the COM
munity, provide for licensing saloons,
gambling devices, provide for fire pro-
lection, etc. But when it comes to
making needed improvements in
streets, the construction of sewers,
curbs and cutters, paving, sidewalk
building, ETC., the village has not the
power and authority that a progressive
and rapidly growing village should
have. All such improvements form
erly were by petition of property own
ers of AUDITING property and under the
corporation act the village is obliged
to await the pleasure of property own
ers in a good many instances. The
council should have ample and reason
able power and authority to order all
necessary improvements without hav-
ing to adopt all these dilatory tactics.
The village will need sewers before long
and many street Improvements. Some
of these days we will want a park, and
will wish to do many things that under
present conditions it is impossible to
do.
The UNION thinks it is the fault of no
one in particular, but of the whole vii
lage for that matter, that the village
affairs have been conducted in a way
that no business man would think safe
and business like. There is no ques-
ton that many matters have got to be
remedied, and with change necessary
in the corporate powers of the village
many are of the opinion that the best
thing for the village to do will be to
incorporate as city.
The &C: passed by the legislature in
1895 and known as the Howard charter.
providing for the incorporation of vii
lagos of 1000 inhabitants and over, is
considered by lawyers very good doc
ument and good law under which to
incorporate, as its provisions and safe
guards cover every conceivable phase
OF city government. The method of in
corporation is easy and involves little
expense. The council can if it wishes
pass an ordinance or resolution SUBJ
hitting the proposition to the people
who can vote on the same at a general
or special election. Or the people can
by petition filed with the county
auditor, we believe, call for the sub
mission of the proposition to the legal
voters of the village.
There is one thing certain, Princeton
will have to have a new charter, and
while it is making the change it might
as well adopt charter that will be
broad enough in it's provisions to last
Princeton for many long years to come.
Let the matter be discussed by all in
terested and when the time comes to
make the change the village will be in
shape to start its new corporate exist
ence in q proper manner. s,s7.s5