The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-08-28
Charter Commission Revises 1T
Former Work.
Matter of Changing Ward Boundaries
Causes Hitch.
Judge Severance Placed on Subcom.
mittee to Draft Charter.
From Thursdays Daily.

The charter commission held meet
ing at Secretary Schmitt's office last
night, after waiting an hour for a
quorum to appear Those present were
Chairman Currier, Secretary Schmitt, DIR.
Andrews, and Messrs. Monks, Long,
Roemer and Petersen.
After the minutes of the last meeting
had been read, Mr.. Long said that the
charter would not carry unless the part
requiring that the elective officers be
freeholders is eliminated.
1t was suggested that it is the owner
of property who is taxed and who has
the most at stake and will therefore
make the best official.
Mr.. Long replied that it is the renter
rather than the owner who is taxed. The
freebooter provision has been much criti-
cised. He thought that the commission
should reconsider all action that it took
at the last meeting and start anew.
Judge Severance should be placed on the
subcommittee to draft the charter. He
moved that all former action be recon-
sidered and that the work be begun over
again.
Mr.. Young thought that to do this
would give the people the impression that
the commission was playing horse. He
did not favor reconsidering everything.
Mr.. Long said that the only things that
the commission had done thus far have
proved to be unpopular.
The motion received five ayes and
three nays, and was declared lost, as
eight votes are required to take action.
As only eight members were present, a
unanimous vote was required to do any
thing.
DR.. Andrews moved that Judge Sever
ance be placed on the subcommittee to
draft the charter. This was carried
unanimously.
Mr.. Long moved that the action of the
commission in providing that all elec-
tive officers shall be freeholders be re-
considered.
Mr.. Young did not think the matter of
much Importance anyway, as a person
could acquire property for SIS if he olG
not have any and wanted to run for Of
flee. He had heard some criticism of the
provision and would not care to have it
stand in the way of the charter carry
ing.
DIR. Andrews also thought that the pro-
vision made little difference, as the Of
fees would probably continue to be held
by freeholders in the future as in the
past, without any requirement to that
effect in the charter.
The motion was carried unanimously
This placed the original motion before
the meeting for discussion, that all cleo
tive officers shall be freeholders.
Mr. Currier favored adopting the pro-
vision of the present charter, which only
requires that the members of the board
of public works shall be freeholders.
The original motion was voted down
unanimously, and Mr.. Schmitt moved
that the word 'freeholders" be changed to
'tax payer
Several thought that this would not
be any better received than the free
holder provision, and the motion was
Loaf, seven to one.
Several members expressed the belief
that the freebooter proposition was all
right, but that it would cause opposition
to the adoption of the new charter. The
discussion was then dropped for the time
structed to draft the charter presented
its report on the first three chapters.
The first hitch that occurred was over
the word boundaries. The report incor-
porated the provisions of the last new
charter, dividing the city into seven
wards, and fixing the new boundaries.
Mr.. Long urged the commission to
make as few changes as possible from
the present charter, and that the change
in the ward boundaries be left until
some future time, when an amendment
to the charter can be drafted at one