The Mankato free press., 1909-09-17

ooi SoihhhiosioH, SalQ UnaC WHen Jne
commission started in it had decided
not TO try to doctor up the present
charter, but had unanimously voted to
adopt the commission plan. The law
trequires that "a new charter shall go
into effect within thirty days after its
adoption, and it is not for the charter
commission to regulate this The COM
mission had six months within which to
prepare charter, after appointment,
and 1T was impossible for it to have
the new charter ready so it could be
submitted before the last municipal
election, and it had to be submitted
to vote within three months after be-
ing reported. All these things are reg
ulated by law, and not by the COM
mission, which had no desire to oust
anybody from his present office. Meth
er is it intended to vote anybody out
of office, for present officials can be
candidates under the new charter. If
the new charter is better one than
the old, the city officials ought to be
patriotic enough not to try to defeat it
merely so that they can hold onto their
petty, Offices
! One strong feature of the new char
ter is the funds. Thirty five years ago
an issue of $4,000 bonds was fioated
in this city, and they are still running
and drawing interest. No effort has
been made to pay any of them. The
new charter provides for a sinking fund
commission, and if it does not carry
out its duties citizens can compel it
| to do so.
The new charter would not take
power from the people, but would give
power to the people, through the initia-
tive and referendum and the recall. The
people would have the control, and the
officials would be the real servants of
the people.
| The new charter requires the city to
pay for the street intersections when
improvements are made, and assess
ments are to run over a term of years
| at Il low rate of interest, at the Op-
tion of the property owners.
No Real Objections.
| Mr.. Daley said that he did not be-
lieve that real objections to the new
charter could be raised. Only imag-
mary objections could be raised. The
new charter beats the old one at every
point With the commission plan OF
government, the city of Houston, Texas,
wiped ont a debt of 100000 in three
years, and made public improvements
to the amount of 100000, and reduced
the taxes twenty per cent. If Man
katO had the new charter it would not
now be advertising for the sale of re-
! funding bonds, or paying $4,000 a
year interest on bonds and floating in
debtedness. He was willing to wager
| that if the new charter was adopted
the city would not have dollar of in
debtedness in ten years, and the taxes
would be , twenty per cent less. ZAP
| plause.) 20
Palmer Reluctant to Act.
| Mr.. Palmer spoke at some length,
and told how reluctant he had been
to accept an appointment on the char
ter commission. He had been anxious
believed that the new one was such.
1t was not as filled with legal points
and phrases as the present one is, but
is clean cut and can be understood by
everybody.
Mr. Palmer referred to the work of
the investigating committee last fall,
and said that the state board of health
had estimated the loss of the city as
a result of the typhoid fever epidemic
at $374,000. but some of those in the
audience were still paying the bills,
and would be doing SO for some time.
The losses had not all been charged
up, and were all due to the lack of re-
sponsibility on the part of city Off
cials.
/ The sinking of ore city well thirty
feet from another lad proved mighty
costly for the city. The well had cost
81, 400, while the Gas company had
put down well that gave twice the
amount of water and had cost only
$3.50. 1t had been found that tho
was no system followed with the sew
ers. A water gate had been found
! closed for many syears and the city
pumping water around by a circuitous
course at greatly increased cost. No
body had known about this gate. The
Investigating committee had felt q
great need of business administra-
tion and personal responsibility in
Mankato. There is no reason why the
city's business should not be conducted
as economically and well as corpora
tions. 1t is costing the city $400 each
working day to conduct its affairs, and
there ought to be some safeguards
thrown about this expenditure, just as
corporation would The city's expert
reported that. the average expenditures
of the city during the past five years
was $l40,59S A business man who
made no effort to disprove such an
unfavorable report as the city's expert
made, or to change his methods, would
be called a fool or a madman. Corpora
tions do not pay men $75 year to
conduct their business, but pay them
what their services are worth.
Frowned on Sectional Talk.
| The man who talks one end of the