The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-01-30


the proposed charter amendments.
office Holders Helping.
In this fight the company has tho
active sympathy and the under
handed assistance OF a number Of
its chattels who are holding office
under the city government. These
men. IN order TO defeat the submits
sion Of the amendments. would even
go 10 the lengths Of defeating the
Cedar rlyer bond Issue and continu-
ing indefinitely the annual mid-sam-
mer water famine from which the
city suffers.
Plans were on foot yesterday
among certain OF the councilman to
induce sufficient number Of mem
beers 10 remain away from the spe-
cial meeting of that body. no that
there would not be a quorum pres
emit Without a quorum the water
bond issue could not be submitted
Whether this plan win be carried
out at the meeting tonight depends
on whether enough members can be
enlisted in II who have the nerve
TO go through with the conspiracy.
AS most OF the councilmen are can
didates for reelection, IL Is prob
able, now that the conspiracy has
been exposed. that they will not
have the nerve TO 20 through with
it.
Amendments Filed Saturday.
The direct legislation amend
ments were filed with Comptroller
Carroll Saturday afternoon BY Geo.
y. cotterill, Joe smith. r. X. Mohv
and r. NJ wardaII. OF the Seattle
Direct Legislation league. This Ieft
Mr.. Carroll so hours within which
TO have the petition checked up and
submitted TO the council at It's reg
ular meeting Monday night.
But no move was made By Mr..
Carroll towards checking Il until
late Monday morning. after 20
hours OF that time had elapsed It
was then turned over 60 Chief Reg
lstration Clerk Wilson TO be check
ed.
Wilson laid the petition away In
the registration office until well
along Monday afternoon. Then he
put two men IT work on 1t. direct
ing them to 60 over the petition.
and mark the ward and precinct
after each name. SO that the names
could be checked BY the registr&
ton rolls.
This method Is much more labori-
Gus and would take more time than
another and simpler one. which
might have been followed. The
other method was 10 have checked
the names by the registration cards
which should have been indexed. and
available for that purpose at all
times, while the registration books
are in use during registration
hours. But Wilson. for some I'M
known reason, persisted in taking
the long way around. instead OF the
short cut through.
Wilson's Statement.
Wilson insists that he was in
structed 10 follow this method. Car
roll denies this and insists that VIII
son was instructed TO get the mat
ter done as promptly as possible.
However this may have been, VIII
son was delaying the work. Mr..
Carroll himself awoke to this fact
yesterday, after his attention had
been called 10 ~ by members OF the
Direct Legislation league. He In
stituted an Investigation. and fired
Wilson.
The petitions were then turned
over to another force OF clerks and
they are now being checked in the
simpler method, that of reference
10 the cards. But II has been found
that Wilson has not kept up tho
work of indexing the cards. so that
this method Is slow and unsatisfse-
tory. for the reason that all the
cards are not In the files.
Two Means 20 Defeat.
Two methods remain by which
the amendments may be defeated
by this conspiracy. or the petition
ers compelled 10 go into courts to
enforce their submission. as they
have the right and power to do I'M
der the law.
One of these Is for Mr.. Carroll to
Parry them in the count. that Is
20 count out enough of the sigma
lures TO render the petitions insult
ficient. This Mr. Carroll declares
vehemently he does not intend tn
do. The other is for the council to
refuse 20 make quorum at to-
nights meeting. or to refuse to SUBJ
NIT the amendments. even though
they are found TO be sufficient
Al noon today the petitions. after
they had been In the hands of the
comptroller nearly five days. were
only half checked. A force of ten
clerks Is now working on them and
Mr. Carroll declares that the work
will be completed for the council
meeting tonight