The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-31
ALDERMEN CALLED TO BOOK:
 VOTED ON PERSONAL MATTERS

Jackson. T demand the ayes and
 The resolution was adopted. the ten members of the Council present, in- ciuding Alderman Jackson, voting sol
 yacIxson's Pointed Statement.
 Betore the vote was announced, Al derman Jackson said slowly:
 Tt is with a great deal of reluctance that l rise to say what am about to say. I want to read to the Council a
 SGtion Of the clty Code ode It says at 1adt ter in which he or his employer is in- terested.' There is a current rumor that some of the Aldermen are inter ested in the matter which is before the Council, and in other matters which are before the Joint Committee of Elec- trical Control and Franchises and Priv is not worth the paper it is written on. If those Aldermen are interested in the matter which is before the Council they had no right to vote upon, the resolution. l want to go on recori | as opposed to an Alderman voting on matters in which he is interested in opposition to the City Code. l make
 The vote has been taken Said President Mcintyre, and unless ihe Alderman makes specific charges that Aldermen have voted who should not have voted and names them, the char will announce the result.
 Alderman Jackson made no spe-'1c charges, but Alderman Forbes rose 10 | his feet.
 Forbes Explains Attitude. T am glad" said Alderman Forces. that the matter has come up. ! do not know, however, of any Alderman | that Is interested In this resolution which has just passed. The resolution but Is for the good of the city. l do | not understand the section of the City 1 Code to mean that an Alderman shall | aNA voN@ tl1 1fAI fn l good of the city. An Alderman right | be interested in one of the companies without necessarily being interested H.
 T am. h, ever" continued Aldef-
 man Forbes, interested in the Citi- zens Light, Heat and Power Company. am also member of the special com
 mittee which has had the matters in | charge. l want the Council to kncW | that l have refused to vote Tn that
 committee on matters in which the want the public to entertain the Sus- picion that any undue influence entCt3 upon the deliberations of the commit | tee. I do not want the suspIcion to | be engendered in the minds of the pub | lie that any man is serving upon the | committee who should not be mem Der of 1t. I therefore ask to DC ter.- porarily relieved from duty on that committee and that the President ap- | point another member to serve iE "y place until pending matters are TIs- | posed of I ask, also. that my name
 be erased from the vote wh.ca has just | been taken. .'
 l Chairman Gunter of the Committee said that the committee was appointed | by the chair. He did not know that
 the Council could relieve a member of the committee from service. Moreover, | he held that member of a committee | was not forced to act. He could be
 present and be counted to secure quorum, but he had no compulsion upon
 him to vote on questions before the
 committee. He made that point of | order.
 | Alderman Was Relieved. Alderman Forbes said that he did not | believe that there was any inhibition
 on his serving on the committee, but he insisted on his motion that he be
 relieved. He wanted the public to
 know that there was no taint upon the action of the committee.
 Alderman Maddox said that he did
 not agree with Alderman Gunter, but
 that in his opinion when a member of a committee was present he should vote and take part in the meeting.
 Alderman Fodbes's motion that he be
 relieved was carried and President Mo | Intyre named on the committee in his place Alderman Roemer.
 | Alderman Forbes asked for and ob- | tained permission to introduce an ordi- nance. It provided that in all poles
 of the city high potential wires should be strung above low potential wires |
 near the low potential wires. It pro- vided too, that wires on one side of
 a pole should not be nearer than 36
 inches to wires on the other side of the
 pole. A further provision was that
 all cross arms should not be less than six pins across.
 The ordinance was referred to the joint committee on Electrical Control land Franchises and Privileges. | Alderman Roemer having obtained Unanimous consent introduced a resolu- 1 ton directing the City Engineer to issue to Mrs. Dave Johnston a permit to make improvements upon her prop erty named in a petition addressed to
 the City Clerk. The resolution was
 referred to the Fire Committee.
 Suit Against Property Owners. l Alderman Gunter informed the Coun- cil that in a day or two the City Treas against property owners. under the | Baby Bond Act" for non-payment of | their paving tax assessments. Several | of these property owners were quite
 willing to pay the tax if they would
 be given little more time without d Jaw suit. He wanted to offer q resolu Ttion instructing the City Treasurer not | to file the suits until July l. He obtained permission for the introduc- | ton of the resolution and it was adopted by the Council.
 The passage of the resolution was favored by Alderman Strauss. who en- | dOrSed what Alderman Gunter had said. Alderman Gunter asked permission | for the Introduction of another resolu- tion. He preceded the introduction of the resolution by the statement that the plans of the West End school build | ing had been so changed for a larger building that they demanded another lot to make the West End school lot as large us the lots of others of the schools of the city. He wanted the school lot increased by the purchase of an ad- joining lot. His resolution authorized the Mayor to enter into negotiations for the lot adjoining the lot the city had purchased and to report the matter to the Council.
 The resolution was passed by the Council
 At this juncture Alderman Ruth ask ed that his vote on the first resolution be erased as he was interested in one of the electric light companies. The Council acceded to his request An adjournment was then taken.