Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-17
Charter Revision Committee.

OMAHA, Oct. 15.-To the Editor of The
Bee: vii you kindly permit u.s. as a
comittee appointed by the Omaha Charter
Revision committee, to correct, through
the columns of your paper, misunderstood
ings which have arisen from recent articles
in the press concerning the work of the
Omaha Charter Revision committee?
There are but two points we wish to pre-
sent to the public. One is concerning the
withdrawal of the representatives Of the
Commercial club. and the other the work
of the committee.
First, let us state. that in order TO get
as near home rule ms possible at present,
this charter revision committee is made up,
by virtue of a resolution of the city coun-
Gil, regardless OF politics, of representatives
from the various Improvement clubs of
this city (all of whom are tax payers,
representatives from the Real Estate ex-
change, the Central Labor union, the City
council. the Commercial club, and after
wards the Railway Employees association
sought for admission, were admitted, but
have not attended the meetings.; all parties
also agreeing what the representation
should be at the time of the organization
of this committed. The committee is in no
sense of the word a "self-constituted'
oAAa NANNAA@A ANe W. 10 W ~
adopted by the legislature as the desire of
the entire people of this city or not. re-
mains for the representatives in the legis-
lsture to decide.
The so-called "w%ithdrawal' Of the repre-
sentatives of the Commercial club will in
nowise hamper the committee in its work.
OF the three representatives from that
club. out of the twelve meetings held, one
has attended but one meeting, one three
meetings and the other five meetings. No
amendment has ever been presented by
any member from the Commercial club.
The suggestion made by The Bee in the
editorial OF the evening OF October II,
wherein II says, 1T is proposed by the
Commercial club that the city council pro-
vide for a commission properly constituted
which shall have charge of framing a char
ter for the government of the city," seems
out of place. In view OF the fact that the
present charter committee was created and
called, by resolution of the city council
with four representatives from the city
council. including the city attorney. pres
ent, and also in view of the fact that this
committee has about completed It's work,
or will have in one or two more meetings
The changes that nave been made are
needed changes and most of them met the
apapproval OF the representatives Of the
Commercial club who were present. II
seems as IL the Commercial club, which 1:
purely a representative Of the business in,
terssts of the city, are a little slow about
their suggestions" for revision OF thii
charter.
As to the work done by this committee. Il
can only be said that it's duty is to specifi
cally call the attention OF the legislator,
10 The needed reforms and amendments
by drafting them and presenting them a,
they should be for the advantage OF al
classes OF citizens and taxpayers. TIL,
trouble with the present city charter is tina
1t has heretofore been drafted by, and beer
too much the work and in the interest o
Officers, corporations and capitalized In
stitutions, and too little attention has beer
paid to the interests OF the taxpayers an,
property owners. The present committee II
its work have tried to adopt such amend
ments as will meet the general approve
OF the property owner and taxpayer. a