The Tucson citizen., 1902-09-24

One Oh the most COWdT6Iy anu ulS-
gusting attempts to avoid legislative
issue ever made in this or possibly any
other city was witnessed at the special
meeting ofthe council which was held
in the city hall last night
AS every one does or should know,
the high license question was up for
consideration.
The people have been waiting pa
tiently for the settlement of this prob
lem for the last two months Still it
is no nearer solution now after five
sessions of the council than it was the
first night it was introduced The
decent people of Tucson, no doubt have
been wondering why this measure was
not disposed of long ago, but had they
been present last evening the reason
would have been only too plain. Per-
haps it is a mighty good thing for the
councilmen in general and the "Old
iAlcalde" in particular that the usual
number of spectators were not in at
tendance. 1t would without doubt
meant the reputation of the whole
body at the first opportunity.
The council took a stand on the high
license question last night without
knowing it. But mind you the stand
was not for or against, on or off, the
measure. The city lawmakers posi-
lively refused to meet the high license
question fairly or squarely. 1t was
evident that they had met it behind
closed doors, and possibly with The
city attorney to advise them; but once
in the open their sole purpose was to
avoid meeting it face to face.
If the Buehman ordinance could be
strangled to death without the appear
ance of the council having participated
in the legislative crime, then the ends
of the present council would have
been attained. The sole purpose of
the counci1men last evening was to
avoid the plain issue. They desired to
sidetrack it, and the methods used were
not only unmanly, but even puerile.
Instead of coming out like men with
little stamina and declaring for or
against the high license question, they
have endeavored to throw the re-
sponsibility on the people in the guise
of an election which they know and
admit to be illegal. The city attor-
ney told the council in emphatic terms
last evening that they had no authority
to refer anything to a special election,
and still they persisted in declaring an
election. So strong was the desire to
creep out from under the responsible
ity that when the election was found
to be illegal and the ghost of the Bueh-
man ordinance began to rise out of its
grave on the table, Councilman Russell
in his fear cried out that he would bear
the expense of getting the peoples
opinion, so as at least to give it the
appearance of legality.
One after another the councilmen
suggested ways and means of disposing
of the mooted question. The ways
and means however, were not proposed
with view to settling the matter, but
for the purpose of burying 1T alive
| They were afraid to kill it openly, and
! when one plot failed another was i'm
mediately suggested.
| So ludicrous was the situation thai
a legislative burlesQue comes near be-
ing proper description of it. How.
ever, throughout this ridiculous affray
it must be said that Boss Reid was al
least consistent in his opposition
while the others, as our Mark Smith
says, only remained consistent by be.
| ing inconsistent.
The meeting opened at s o'clocl
sharp, all being present except Shand
The report of the sewer committee
was read and adopted. There being
no objectors, the city engineer was or
dered to proceed with the deep sewer
on Congress street at once.
The mayor then introduced the higl
license question by meekly remarkinl
that there was some doubt as to tn
council having power to call specia
election, and he then asked the cit,
attorney to give his opinion. MI
Roscoe Dale, who, by the way, wa
the legal adviser Of the council wha!
the special election was suggested, an,
who 1t is said adroitly countenance,