The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-24

The opinion from Corporation Attor-
ney Markham to the effect that it is
impossible to put proposed amend
ments to the charter before the voters
at the coming general election created
a decided sensation, not only at the
meeting of the charter commission, but
among the heads Of the several city
departments.
1t was midnight Monday evening
when the commission, after an eXecu-
tive session of four hours in an office
in the Globe building, decided to adj
journ. The evening had been spent il
discussing the various amendments
presented and the result of the DELHI
erations of the body, as announced in
TIL e Globe yesterday, had been de-
cided.
1t was just when motion to adj
journ had been made that Secretary
Cannon announced that he had COM
munication from the corporation at
torney which it would probably be best
to have read.
"Tfe effect of the opinion was to put
the members in a daze, as one Of the
commission explained it yesterday
land as it was after midnight and the
elevator operator announced that he
was going to shut down, there was not
much time spent in discussing the
matter. Several of us do not agree
with Mr.. Markham's opinion and the
session of the commission Friday
night
WheeIock Early On Deck.
One Of the first callers at the office
of the corporation attorney yesterday
was President Wheelock, of the park
board. Mr.. WheeIock expressed him
self in his usual forcible way and init
mated that the opinion of Mr.. Mark
ham was "all bosh.' He was, how
ever, willing to be enlightened, and
after First Assistant McDermott had
gone over the opinion paragraph by
paragraph and interSperSed these with
sections of the law, Mr. Wheelock ad-
mitted that the opinion certainly had
the ear marks of being the real
thing"
One of the propositions which COM
pletly floored the president of the park
board was the inquiry put to him by
Mr.. McDermott as to any provision in
the law which would allow the pro-
posed amendments to be placed on the
ballots: (Which ballot would you
have the amendments put on and
where is the law for doing this?" in
quired the assistant corporation at
torney.
Mr.. Wheelock read over the law a
couple of times and then said: "Well,
the county auditor might be induced
to paste them on the end of the county
ballot if it did not take too much
time"
Corporation Attorney Markham stat
ed yesterday that there was nothing to
be said in the matter further than he
had expressed in his opinion.
"It is absolutely impossible, in my
opinion, to have the amendments come
before the voters at the coming cleo
ton and that is all there is to say
about it" was the comment of the cor
poration attorney.
Where Were the Lawyers?
Several of the attorneys on the COM
mission expressed the opinion yester-
day that if the law allowed the orig1-
nal charter to be voted upon at amy
general or special election" then GER
tainly an amendment could also be
voted upon at either of such elections.
The heads Of the several depart
ments who were interested in the
which would increase
their appropriations were much put
out by the opinion of the corporation
and some of them inquired in
sarcastic way, why it was not possible
to have a few lawyers on the commits
sion who could have awakened to the
as explained by the city at
torney, several weeks ago.
There was some talk that the COM
or majority Of it, had al
ways been opposed to amending the
charter so as to give any department
any additional appropriation and that
the opinion Of the city attorney came
at an opportune time to prevent the
questions being submitted to the vot-
ers. AS the commission had decided as
to the proposed amendments to be sub
mitted before the opinion was read
this theory is knocked out.