Bisbee daily review., 1907-06-28
CITY CHARTER IS ESSENTIAL SAYS
 ALO. ALLEN
Gives Much Needed Power to City, Not to Councll-va- rious Objections Offered Are Taken up and Disposed Of,

interest to the property ownefs and taxpayers of Bisbee until it is voted upon July 9th will you permit the use of your columns for a few words in regard to it? It seems that the Even ing Miner is taking exceptions to two or three clauses in the proposed char ter which do not seem to meet with the Miners approval without saying a word about the scores of good and highly valuable features to Bisbee that it contains. The writer will not take the time to discuss these many good features but will devote this ar ticle to the objections raised by the Miner. A charter of city is noth- ing more than the general laws of corporation. When the legislature passed the charter the views and nee essities of Phoenix, Tucson, Douglas, Prescott, Globe aud other cities had to be taken into consideration as well as those of Bisbee, since the congress sional act forbids the granting of special charters to cities-hence all charters nowadays governing cities must be general There are no doubt desirable chang ss that could be made in the charter. Any law written by man could no douht be made better, but the fact remains that, compared with the old charter, under which the city is now trying to do business, the new charter Is infinitely better. It is not case or the new charter being perfection. it is simply very much better set of rules for the city to run it's business under than the old char ter. Now to the principal objections which the Miner raises. It quotes the following paragraph:
 "A city or town organized under this act has power to own, build, pur- chase and operate water works, sew CTS, electric light and power plants, street railway, telephones and gas s-- But no such prop erty or utilities shall be sold or leased by the council except after the par ticular lease or sale proposed shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of the city or town at a special election called for that pur- pose and approved by majority of the voters thereof"
 Commenting on this paragraph it says that the city council will have the right to purchase the property of any public utility corporation within the city of Risbee without having the sanction or approval of the voters, but would no. have the power to sell this property without the approval of the qualified voters"
 Any property owner of Bisbee is sensible enough to know that if the city council desires to buy anything it ought to have business enough about it to know where the money is coming from to buy it with. The old city council said this city must have a sewer system, so the probable cost was ascertained and the people were asked whether or not they were willing to vote bond issue of SS0,000 for the purpose of putting in the sew CT. The people decided they wanted the sewer system and the bonds will soon be delivered to the city, the money obtained for them and the con tract let. The city council nnder the new charter might decide that the city should buy out the electric light plant, ice plant, or water works but one thing is sure they would have to ask the property owners tthe stock holders of the municipal corporation) to vote the bond issue necessary to do so. The Miner evidently doesn't think it would be a good thing for the people of the city of Bisbee to own their own water works or electric light plant or other public utility. Phoenix is now endeavoring to buy out the water company over there. The new charter, if adopted by Phoe- nix or any other city merely gives the city the right to do so. The clause
 quoted by the Miner is one of the finest features of the new charter, be- cause it gives the city power to own it's own water works, light plant, etc. But it ought to be evident enough to anybody that the city council cannot acquire these utilities, which usually cost a large sum, unless the money to buy them with is provided as the territorial law directs-by issuance of bond--which have to be voted on by
 the qualified voters of the city.
 The following sections I2 and 45 are from the new charter also:
 Section 12 A city or town organiz- ed under this Act shall in the matter of granting or extending franchises to be governed by the general laws of the Territory of Arizona. pertaining to franchises and by the session laws of the territory of Arizona, to-wit: Session law No. S1, page 146, Acts of the Twenty-Second Legislative As sembly, 1903, and Chapter 4, session laws of Arizona, 1905.
 Section 45 To contract such in- debaedness on behalf of the city or town upon the credit thereof, by bor-
 rowing money e. issuing bonds, for
 the purposes and in amount and in the manner as is prescribed by the organic Act Of the Territory of Ari- zona and the general laws of the Ter ritsry that are now or may hereafter be enacted pertaining thereto
 The next criticism made by the Miner is that the city clerk. city marshal, city judge and minor officers
 will be appointed by the council in
 stead of elected. This part of the
 new charter is practically the only
 cIause in the whole document that meets with the objection of the pres ent- city council. all of whom insisted that the offices named should be
 made elective, but when the Legisla' ture took hold Of It other cities ef the 1 territory insisted that the clause
 should read as finally adopted; how
 ever this objection can easily be rem edied at the meeting of the next leg iolature by amendment and the scores of good features in the charter should not be condemned simply because oi this one feature.
 The Miner says another bad feature Is that the new charter does not per init of as high taxation as the old.