The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-09-25

and propose a charter for the city ot
Ardmorc. have complccd their work.
and with what degree ut duigcuc,
aud care their worh has hocu dom,
can be- determined by the citizens oi
Ardmorc. when the proposed charter
. is published.
Il IS sufficient 10 .aE that They cN.
amincd an OF the cha tcrs oG cities
operating under a commission form
OF government, and without sla,
ishly copying from many ot them
selected, changed and added to those
provisions from the d,lrron. charters
which in their judpm.ut would on-,
snbscrvc The interests ul the people
Of Ardmoro.
Some misapprehcusiou has existed
ass 10 what further procedure is nee.
essary in order to secure tho adop.
tiou of the Charter
The frccholdcrs OF Oklahoma City
adopted an election ordinance and uu.
dertook TO call an election th,msry
cs, but i'm a case recently decided by
the supreme court, it was held tha.
this action was illegal and void
In that case Chief Justice Williams
held that 1t was the duty of the city
council To call the election. on tins
point he said:
In this case the rrorholdcrs were
elected a. a general election. called
for this specific purpose by the lcgis.
lative authority Of such city. concur
red in by it's chief executive officer,
and al the same election majority
Of tho qualified electors vo ing thcrot
voted To proceed 10 adopt a charter.
the date on which the election should
be held for the ratification or rciec.
tiOn OF said charter shall Dee fixed by
same legislative authority, and shall
be submitted by such municipality 10
the qualified electors Of said city at
a general or special election Tor such
purpose for its ratification or reiec-
tion. ino election for such purpose
shall be called by the same munici.
pal authorizes In the same manner as
for the election of frceholdors and
for voting to frame charter, at such
time as may comply with the limita-
tions or requirements Of said proyi.
sion in thar respect II there IS n
general election within such period.
such municipal authorities can prop
erly, and should submit It for ratin-
cation or rejection at such election.
Section tA) Of Article XVIII OF
the constitution after setting out how
the freoholders shall be elected and
the time within which the proposed
charter must he prepared, provides:
Such proposed charter shall then
be published IN one or more newspa.
pcrs published and of general circua-
ton within said city, for AT least
twenty one days, II in a dail'
paper, or in three consecutive issucs,
.. If in a weekly paper and the
first publication shall be made within
twenty days after the completion of
the charter. and within thirty DAYS
and not earlier than twenty days az
ter such publication, It shall be sub
mitted tO the qualified electors Of said
city az a general or special election,
and il majority of such
qualified electors voting there
on shall ratify the same, II shall
thereafter be submitted 10 the Cover
nor vor his approved, and the COVER
nor shall approve the same II II
shall not be in conflict with the con
stiution and laws of the state. UpoL
such approval It snail become the or,
ganc law Of such city and supcrsede
any existing charter and all amend
ments thereof and all ordinances in
consistent with IT,
II will thus be seen that the entire
procedure and responsibility from na
on rests with the Mayor and City
, ] council,
Each member Of the board deserv
es more or less credit for the work
but the three attorneys on the board
did more than their share. Tnoy
are an men of broad experience and
II was fortunate that Mr. LedbeTer
was placed on the board His broad
experience In the constitutional con
enton and the many suits he has had
before the supreme court especially
fitted him for the work, The charter
board states that the proposed chat
er covers every vital feature OF tho
, Oklahoma City charter but contains
about one half as many words, The
errors made by the Oklahoma City
I - L.