The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-24
NEW CHARTER IN ELECTIONS Terms of City's Next Officers Abbreviated. DON'T TAKE PLACES TILL 1909 Uniform Charter Bill Has Marked Effect on Primaries. Terms of Present omcers served Te- tally But omeisis seen to Be
 Chosen wan Hsve Bst
 one Year Authority.
 

With the approach of the Democrat ic primaries for the city the effect of the uniform charter bill by which in- corporated towns and cities of Ala bama are henceforth to be governed upon elections and campaigns and can didacies is more and more discussed.
 The general effect of the bill, as measured by fiscal years. is to change the time of elections and the time of inauguration into office. The elections for municipalities are to be held throughout the State in September and the induction of the chosen few--Or many--is to be made in october. The uniform charter was enacted by the Legislature fin 1907.
 The act is ITO provide for the or- ganization. interpretations, government and regulation of cities and towns, and to define the rights, powers, duties, juriediction and authority of such cit- les and towns and the officers thereof, and to prescribe penalties for viola tions of the provisions of this act"
 The second section of the measure provides that no municipal election fof officers shall be held after the first day Of January. 1908. until the third Mon day in September when general mu- nicipal elections shall be held. Per- sons now in ofiice, 1t Is provided, shall serve the entire terms for which they were originally chosen. Those to be elected on the third Monday in Sep- tember. 1908. will take office at the ex- ptraticn of the terms of the present the terms of present officers. officers chosen at the general elections will take their places on the third Monday of october and serve two years.
 Until the officers to be chosen next fall shall have assumed their duties the charters now in force for vari-
 ous municipalities are effective. with
 ths privilege that the municipalities may exercise until that time, the ali- thoritEes conveyed in the act if the
 privileges are not directly contraven-
 ing the provisions of the now existent charters.
 The sections of the charter bfIi rel- ative 60 the creation of wards in the city are of particular interest at this time. The Council may not change ward lines within three months of the time of holding an election or within eighteen months of previous change unless after a census showing a great CT population or after the Annexation Of additional territory.
 It is intended that the wards shall be made as regular as possible. tend Ing towards rectang1AIarity in shape and towards similarity. one to another, 1 in point of popu1ousness.
 In Montgomery, notable effect of l the act Is the change in the number 1 of Aldermen composing the Council l The ofIices of aldermen at large are l abolished and from each of the seven wards will be chosen two aldermen: l from the city at large q president of the council. The Mayor is to preside
 as n0eE and will have about the same l amthorities. In the absence of the Mayor, whether by Illness or depart. ure or removal, the President of the Council is Mayor. Under those regu- iatiOns the number of aldermen in the Council of Montgomery is reduced from
 seventeen to fourteen, and the Presi-
 dent of the Council. formerly selected by the aldermen from their own midst
 is now elected by the voters of the city at large and 10 additional to the aider- men from the seven wards of the cor poration.
 The creation of the Police Commits sion was made for cities of more than 25,000 population, and Montgomery is therefore "fn." Two cogmmtssionerssare to be elected and the Mayor as Chair
 man Is ex-officIo member of the com mission. The commissioners have gem eral control of the members of the police department
 Monday in September will be the first to be held under the provisions of the act. At that time elections will be held in all the incorporated towns and
 cities of Alabama.