The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-12-31

ness men Of the city. and have 1t
endorsed by Is per cent of the citi-
zens. Then the council will have to
submit it at a general election, and
I do not fear the outcome"
w. b. Roberts made a motion for
the appointing Of the committee of
16 to revise the charter and F. B.
Wright seconded 1t. The motion was
withdrawn and submitted several
times during the evening, and finally
was withdrawn until a future meet
ing.
]. j. Browne said: 1--WE are on the
right track and some good will re-
suit. The time may come when there
will be friction in the Portland cop-
mission, when 1t will work against
the interest Of the people, but it cer-
tainly has not yet. We need some
that the government of the munich
palities of the United Safes is fail
ure. From the smallest town to the
biggest city they are failures. 1t
costs too much to run them. With
our system Of politics, conventions
and cliques it costs from 81 to $40
of the taxpayers money to do 81
worth OF work.
1--WE ought to devise some scheme
to get on a business basis. AS 1t is, a
private corporation and political
corporation are run on exactly oppo-
site principles. In a private corpora
tion II takes 81 per cent of the capt.
tai stock to control it. but in the
government Of Spokane less than
per cent of the taxable property Of
the city is represented. That per
cent expends the money and the 80
per cent has to 'pungle.'
ut seems to me some way can be
devised to get remedy from the
legislature. Mr.. Norman does not
want to take the operating of the
departments away from the people,
but he has worked hard several times
to amend the city charter. and then
the representatives Of the people
turned him down. He was bound
hand and foot, and could only be un-
bound by help from the legislature
in the law he mentioned, and think
we can get further aid from that
body"
A. G. Avery gave this legal opin-
ion of a bill for the commission "a
special act for Spokane would not be
constitutional. as 1t would be con-
trary to the section Of the constitu-
ton refusing special powers to cor
porations. The courts have held that
municipal corporations are included
under that. 1t could be made applic-
able to the cities of the first class,
but 1t might be hard to pass because
Of the opposition of Seattle and Ia
coma. 1t could be made for the cities
of the first class and be left optional
for adoption by them"
Millard T. Harrison said: IT think
we are getting the commission epi-
demic. Everybody should be a poll
tician, and we could easily remedy
these abuses. Nobody should be al
lowed to vote who did not vote at
the primaries. Then you could put
five business men In the council, and
five the year after. Then you would
have the control OF the city and could
frame commission as we'll or better
than the governor"
Those present at the meeting were
w. b. Roberts. Otto Weile, DR.. II. s.
Martin, F. e. Goodall. w. f. Cullen,
J. J. Browne, d. NJ. Thompson,
George s. Brooke, II. NJ Richards, w.
H. Cowles. d. w. Twohy. l.. G. Mon
roe. #. b. Wright, Millard T. Hart
son. DR.. e. Pittwood, ]. NJ. Comstock.
Arthur d. Jones, e. F. c. Van Dissel.
Sam Glasgow. w. s. McCrea. A. G.
Avery and Charles Hebberd.
Another meeting will be called soon
to carry on the great reform move
ment for mo salaried" officials.