Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-30
STEPHENS USES
vETOING POWER
NOT SATISFIED WITH DEAD
ANIMAL CONTRACT
ORDINANCES GOVERNING RATES
RETURNED TO COUNCIL
Mayor Points Out That He Has Had
No Time to Study Merits of
Three Propositions
Submitted

Vetoes flew thick and fast from the
Office of Mayor Stephens yesterday.
His action in one of these cases marks
him as the first mayor of Los Angeles
to exercise the right of vetoing con-
tracts. The reason contracts made by
the council have never been vetoed be-
fore is that not until the last charter
amendment election was there anything
in this fundamental law of the city
giving the mayor this privilege.
The contract Mayor stephens vetoed
was the one approved by the council
last week giving the United Phosphate
company the contract for hauling away
dead animals. Mayor stephens says:
81 return herewith, without my APP
prevail, resolutions adopted by your
honorable body on the 23d inst, bearing
on the contract to be entered into be-
tween the city and the United Phos-
plate company.
Il am not sure but it will be better
for the city to do its own work in this
matter.
IF a contract with private parties is
to be made, then am led to believe,
through information on file in my Oh
fee and not in your possession at the
time of passage of above mentioned
resolution, that an agreement more
profitable to the city can probably be
entered into.
although I had been spoken to con-
corning a possible dead animal con-
tract, 1 did not understand that such a
matter was actually before your hon
orable body until the said resolution
was presented to me NOR my approval"
Gives Characteristic Reason
The other vetoes by Mayor Stephens
were the three ordinances passed by
the council last week, regulating the
matter of rates of electric light, tele-
phones and gas. His reason for veto
ing these three measures is the same In
each case, and is characteristic. His
message in the electric light case was
as follows:
An ordinance fixing the rate to be
charged and collected for electric light
without by approval.
INV reasons for ding so are, briefly,
these: The charter of this city makes
it incumbent upon the mayor to APP
prove ordinances of this character. This
can only mean that such approval shall
be the result of an independent investi-
cation on the part of the mayor and
his determination therefrom that the
ordinance is fair, just and reasonable.
1.-THE ten days accorded to the mayor
for his investigation may be assumed
sufficient, where the mayor has been
previously acting and is conversant
with public affairs and the subject mat
ter of the ordinance, and in a posi-
ton to speedily determine the merits
of the ordinance.
Will Not Act Unfairly
'As the public records disclose, my
appointment and qualification as mayor
occurred on the 18th of this month.
Before that time 1 was giving no par
ticular attention to public affairs and
details connected with the mayors of
flee. 1 know only in the most general
way of the facts presented and con-
nected with the passage of this ordi-
nance, as affecting the rights of the
corporations interested, or those of the
general public.
"To approve the ordinances under
these circumstances would be unfair.
"The charter authorizes a reconsider
alton and enactment by the council.
notwithstanding the mayors return
without approval. and I am warranted
in assuming that if this ordinance is
fair, lust and reasonable to all con-
cerned, your honorable body will have
no difficulty in its enactment"