Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-07-10
TROUBLE IN
CITY COUNCIL
Aldermen r. L.
Baca and Garcia
Mix.
A. ?. HILLS BILL OF $3.50
For Revising City Ordinances
Allowed..-Mayor Scores
City Marshal.

There were lively times at the regu-
lar meeting of the city council last
night, there were also rows, the prin.
cipal one Of which was between Coun-
Gilman r. L. Baca and Marcelino Gar
cia, over the payment of bill of STAG
80 to the sheriff, which he claimed was
due him for jail fees for city prisoners.
AS a member of the finance committee
Councilman Garcia objected to the
payment of the BILL until further in
vestigation could be made on the
grounds that Marshall G. M. Conklin
had told him that often prisoners paid
their own Jail fees to him. For this
reason he thought it probable that
some of the items presented by the
sheriff might have been paid previ
ously.
Councilman Baca who is also chiet
deputy sheriff, took the strongest kind
of an exception to the statement and
taking the floor waXed eloquent in his
denunciation of any suspicion against
the honesty and integrity of Sheriff
Ortiz. He added that he knew of his
own knowledge that the bill was abb
solutely correct and emphatically
stated that he wanted the council TO
act upon it and not hold it up for an
other thirty days.
conklin On Mayors Carpet.
Mayor Catron did not seem disposed
to rush the matter, and called Mar
shall Conklin upon the carpet to
make explanations, He consumed
more than half an hour reading the
names of the prisoners to the mar
shall and asking him if he had receiv-
ed fees from any of them. To all o,
them the marshall answered mo-" and
after receiving severe tongue chas-
tisement from the mayor for not max
ing written reports upon monies re-
ceived, he promised that hereafter he
would keep books and place therein
each fee received The matter was
then put to vote and the bill APPROX
ed and ordered paid.
Another bill which the finance com
mittee held up and over which there
was a lengthy discussion was that of
DR.. c. H. Astler, city physician, for
$119. The committee claimed that the
bill was exorbitant and that many of
the patients attended by Dr. Astler
did not live within the city limits.
AS chairman of the committe on
health, Councilman George w. Armijo
made motion that the bill be allowed
at $19 instead of $119 and that the Of
flee of the city physician be dispensed
with for the present The motion was
adopted
There was also an interesting con
troversy over the payment of a bill of
$3.50 to City Clerk A. P. Hill for revis-
ing the city ordinances The city
clerk had scarcely finished reading the
bill when Mayor Catron interposed
by saying that the bill was excessive
and while he had no vote in the mat
ter he thought it ought not to be al
lowed for that amount City Clerk
Hill took exception to the statement
informing Mayor Catron that he would
not have done it for that amount. The
mayor admitted that such was the case
but expressed the opinion that his
time was more valuable than that of
the city clerk. After settling the dis
pute as the relative values of their
time, Mayor Catron asked what the
council wished to do with the matter.
$3.50 for Revising City Ordinance.
Coulcilman Armijo moved that the
bill be allowed as presented and Coun-
Gilman r. l.. Baca seconded the mot
ion. Councilman Fl. s. Kaune inter-
posed by saying that he had received
an offer to have the work done for
500 but was willing to allow the city
clerk SIPS, and offered this as an
amendment. The mayor called for
second Of the amendment but there
was none forthcoming. Councilman
Marcelino Garcia suggested that the
clerk ought to take into consideration
the bad financial condition of the city,
and suggested that the bill be allowed
at $3.50. Councilman Kaune accepted
the amendment and the matter was
put to a vote. Councilman Kaune and
Garcia voted yes and Councilman
Pedro Quintana, George w. Armijo,
Celso Lopez, Teodosio Castillo and r.
l.. Baca voted no. 1t was then neces-
sary for the mayor to put to a vote
the original motion that the bill be
allowed at $3.50 and it carried, the vote
being just the reverse to what it was
on the amendment
The next controversy occurred when
Councilman Marcelino Gercia in max
ing the report for the committee on
police, recommended that in view of
the fact that the city finances were
becoming low, the salary of the city
marshall be cut from sixty to fifty dol
lars month and that of the police
men from forty to thirty month.
Mayor Catron suggested that the mat
ter be left with the finance committee,
but Councilman Baca remarked that
it would never carry. When asked
how he knew it wouldn't, he replied
th.t when it came before the council
the votes would show that he was
right. Councilman Kaune remarked
that he was talking out Of school,
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