The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-01
From Tuesdays Daily

While the new charter carried the
city by majority of l49, in yester-
days special election, it fell short
twenty eight votes of having the ne
cessary four sevenths majority required
by the state law in order to get a
charter changed. The law in most if
not all other states allows the major
ity to rule, but not so with the Min
nesota law.
The new charter received 100 votes
to GAL opposed, the total vote cast
being l,43l 1t would have required
SIS votes for the charter to have car
ried. The lower three wards went
strong against the new charter, as
was expected, and the upper three
wards went very strongly in favor of
| it, as was also expected. Had the
voters turned out in the upper three
wards as numerously as they did in
the lower three wards, the charter
would have been adopted. The lower
wards cast fiftyseven votes more than
the upper wards.
The saloon element expended much
money to defeat the new charter and
had numerous carriages and workers
employed. Had those who favored the
charter done as much, the result would
have been far different.
Will Be Submitted Again.
There is a strong sentiment . among
those who favor the new charter Of
having it submitted again, at time
when so many of the residents, and
particularly the laboring men, are not
out of the city. 1t was predicted
that if this is done, the charter will
carry by large majority.
There is no manner of doubt but
that the defeat of the new charter
was largely the result of misrepresen-
tation. The saloon interests were mis-
lead by men who knew that they were
classifying. The result of the defeat
of the new charter will be to continue
the present one in force for short
time longer, and to put a. stop to
public improvements, or, if any are
undertaken, to bring hardship upon
many. In time, it will be found by
many of those who voted against the
new charter that in doing so they
voted against their own interests.
Wins a Great Moral Victory.
When asked for an expression Of
opinion on the result of the election,
Chairman Palmer of the charter COM
mission, replied that he considered that
the city had won a great moral vic
tory, although deprived of the sub
stantial fruits of it. The new charter
had carried by handsome majority, and
it was demonstrated that the people of
the city want it, even if it did not
secure quite enough votes to enact it. He
regretted, however, that the city had
missed the opportunity to secure the
best advertising for the next few years
that it has ever had, by being the
first in the state to adopt the COM
mission plan. Now, this advantage
will fall to st. Cloud, where it is un-
derstood that little opposition exists
to the commission plan. Mankato will
have to be satisfied with second place
by adopting the charter little later.
Mr.. Palmer felt that when the char
ter is again submitted, its friends will
better know how to proceed in the cam
paign necessary to carry it. He was not
in favor of abandoning the commission
plan under any circumstances, nor
would he make any material change in
the new charter, as he did not see how
it could well be improved, but there
were several minor features where it
might be altered so as to avoid some
of the objections raised The com
mission could then submit the amended
charter whenever tie proper time
comes.
Has Let Slip An Opportunity.
The law provides that where the
charter commission submits charter
and it is defeated, it may proceed
to prepare and submit other charters
and they are to be submitted in the
same manner that tie first is. The
first is to be submitted at a general
election if one occurs within six months
after it is submitted, otherwise
special election is to be called within
nipetv DAVIS by the council