The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-11-04
A new CHARTER.
Commission Is Appointed by Dis
.triCt Court judges
Fifteen ARE NAMED
Freeh0lderS In Sauk Centre Selected
to Frame New Organic Law
For the City

tltlon signed by more Than ten Pc
cent of the voters of the city, judge
L. L. Baxter and M. D. Taylor of th'
Stearns county district court, on Sat
urday, Oct. 30, appointed a commits
sion of fifteen freeholders to frame
a new charter for the city of Saul
Centre. The action is the result o
the two mass meetings called for th'
purpose of deyising ways and means
for providing financial assistance fo
the Keller Manufacturing Company
whose plant was destroyed by tir'
Oct. 6: The personnel of the com
mission is as follows:
G. c. Ingram, w. A. Morse, w. S
Dean, J. A. Dubois, w. o. P. Hills
dale, L. S. Bishop, L. L. Kells, d. c
Van Camp, c. d. Marshall, c. M
Sprague, E. J. Lewis, J. w. Ward
J. n. McGibbon, A. M. Welles, A
w. Austin.
1t is not certain that all these ap
pointees will serve, hence there art
likely to be some changes in the make
up.
Following is the report of tht
special committee appointed to con
slider and report on the feasibility o.
the city aiding the Keller Manufac
turing Company:
SAUK CENTRE, MINI, Oct.
%, 1909. To the Citizens of the
City of Sauk Centre, in mass
meeting assembled: Gentlemen:
At the mass meeting held the
morning after the fire which de-
stroyed the Keller Manufacturing
plant, the undersigned were ap-
pointed committee with in
structions to interview the offici-
S,s of the Keller Manufacturing
Company and ascertain what fin
ancial assistance would be requir-
ed to insure the rebuilding of
that plant in this city; then to
look into the provisions of the
proposed new city charter and as
certain if the adoption of this pro-
posed charter would confer the
power upon the city officials to ap-
propriate the required amount
from the city funds, and if it
would not, then to, if possible, re-
commend ways and means for
raising the required bonus.
Your committee begs leave TO
report as follows, viz:
Believing that one mem
Der of the committee could get
closer to Mr.. Keller than the
whole committee, delegated it's
chairman, G. c. Ingram, to inter-
view w. f. Keller, president of
the Keller Manufacturing Com
pany, and to report back to the
committee. Mr.. Ingram held
several conferences with Mr.. Kel-
ler and in turn reported back to
the committee who held as many
meetings, and then arranged with
Mr.. Keller to meet the committee
at meeting held on the evening
of the 2Oth. inst. Your commit
tee labored diligently with Mr..
Keller for over three hours and
have to report that, while Mr..
Keller did not make a positive
statement of just what he would
do, stated that he thought his
company would consider bonus
of $2O,OO0.00. Your committee
labored hard with him to consider
something between that figure
and a 100000 bonus, but failed
to get his consent.
An investigation of the pro-
posed city charter revealed the
fact that the section therein
granting the power to make ap-
propriations was based upon a
statute then in force, but since re-
pealed, and therefore failed to
give the desired relief. Further,
that the old charter commission
was no longer in existence, their
terms of Office having expired, by
statute of limitation. However,
new commission can be appoint
ed by the judge of the district
court, a new charter drawn, pub
lished, with provisions based on
some later law, which might con-
fer power for reasonable appro-
priations of this character.
Your committee, then, in order
to get an expression Of the heavi-
ier taxpayers and business men,