The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1903-04-09
TIE Old CHARTER.

standing it's defects. The influences
which actuated the voters were as
varied as can be imagined and
nearly or quite all resting upon mis-
conception. Some voted against it
because of the poll tax provision of
the new, and yet it is, in all its eff
fects, and almost word for word
like the old. 1t confers no powers
upon the council to levy and exact a
poll tax not contained in the old.
There was question raised that
under it the question of submission
of prohibition might be possible,
which it is not under the old, and
it lost votes on that account. The
new charter is as silent as the old
upon this question. True, at some
future time it ight be amended,
and prohibition voted in case ma
jority of our citizens favor prohibit
ton. But the same end can be &C
complished under the old charter.
If prohibitionists are in a majority
they can elect a council opposed to
licenses, and there is no power on
earth to compel city council to is
sue a license to any one. The pro-
license people are in no better posi-
ton under the old charter than I'M
der the new.
Some voted against the new chart
err upon the statement that under
the new charter the council could
issue bonds without limit. This is
untrue the state law limits the
amount of Indebtedness, and the
powers of the council are no broad
er under the new than under the
old.
Another objection is that the
people are not familiar with the
provisions of TIE new. That is
certainly not the fault of the chart
er nor of the city council. 1t was
printed in full in both city papers,
commented upon freely, and during
the time it was being framed the
public vas repeatedly invited to at
tend the meetings of the commits
sion How about the old? How
many know anything about it? 1t
never was printed in the newspapers
and in fact no effort was everymade
to lay it before the people. Ten
times as many voters of Sank Centre
have examined and read the new
charter as ever did the old one.
What then is the explanation of
it's defeat? The HERALD asks the
.question-who can answer it?
The old charter remains in force.
Do the people want it enforced?
Let the council take one provision
that which says tax of one mill
for every thousand dollars of bond
ed indebtedness shall be levied every
year upon the property of the cityfor
a sinking fund, and levy a tax of
twenty-four mills in addition to the
thirty mills required for ordinary
purposes, increasing the tax rate to
ST per cent. just once, what would
be the result? Such a howl as was
never heard in the city--and yet it
is the sworn duty of the council to
do that very thing.
But there is NO use in discussing
the causes for diagnosing the disease
after the death Of the patient. A
post norton examination never yet
reviviied corpse, and yet it is a
natural tendency to speculate upon
the causes of death in peculiar
case,> such as was this.
The city has existed under the
old, and to degree thrived, and it
will continue to do SO There will
be cases of friction in the future as
in the past, and bad blood is as liza
BILE to be engendered, as it has been.
The new charter would have pre-
vented it, but the people rather en-
Joy sharp fight-the more person
al the better. The majority rules
it is the spirit of our form of gov
ernnfent. They want the old chart
er-by all means let them have it,
and plenty Of it:
. LATER-The above obituary was
written before the vote was counted,
when it looked as though the charter
would be showed under mountain
Gus drift of opposition, and it's
friends were agreeably surprised at
the narrow margin against it.
Had little attention been given it
the result might have been differ
emit. But it is simply following the
line of precedents. In nearly every
case, a new charter, wherever pre-
sented, has been defeated at its first
submission and adopted upon it's
second trial. So it will be with
this one. The people will become
more familiar with both the old and
the new, comparisons will be made
to the advantage Of the new, and it
will be adopted. The submission has
accomplished naeh, in that it has
awakened an interest on the part of
the people in nsaieipal government
=