Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-04-27

DENOUNCED

Course Of Mayor Peterson Is
Unanimously Endorsed by
the City Council.
The council had an interesting
meeting last Monday evening.
That is part of it was interesting.
To begin with the city fathers
transacted the routine business, and
during that time the citizens who
had turned out to watch the pro-
ceedings had to pinch themselves
to keep awake, but towards the
eleventh hour the fun began. The
council first tried to elect city at
torney. The vote stood Stanford,
4; Porter. 2. AS a majority vote
of the whole council is required to
elect there was no choice, five votes
being required. As it was not a
tie vote the mayor could not cast
the deciding vote. Then the mat
ter of city publishing was taken up
and lengthy discussion was in
dulged in as to whether the city
matters should be published or just
merely printed during the coming
year. Five of the alderman voted
for the former, but that was one
less than the needed number, and
so the motion was lost. The other
1.-TWO aldermen did not feel sure
that the council had right to take
the circulation Of paper into con-
sideration in considering the bids,
and so they suggested that the city
attorney, Samuel Porter, be asked
for an opinion in the matter. This
was voted on. but the other five al
dermen said they did not want any
opinion from the city attorney in
the matter. And as neither side
would bulge, the councilary ma
chinery stopped. Alderman Free
berg got it a-going again, how
ever, by moving that all bids be
rejected and that the clerk be au-
thorized to ask for new bids. That
motion was carried, and so the mat
ter will rest until the next meeting
two weeks hence.
Having for the time being dis
posed CT the naughty printing prob
Lem, the council was about to
return to more easy tasks,
when Mayor Peterson asked the al
dermen to give him their attention
for few minutes. Il have been
accused of a good many crimes of
late," he said, land I think I owe
it to myself as we'll as you, to make
some sort of a statement
Then pulling small piece of pa
per with letters on it out of his
vest pocket, he continued: Il hold
here copy of the so-ca]led official
paper of this city. In it there is
an article printed by the editor OF
the Maynard News, in which I am
said to have knocked down in his
office certain newspaper man Of
this city, to have done nothing te
enforce the liquor laws, and lastly
that I ought to be deposed and be
sent to the penitentiary for my
crime. The first statement l car
prove is lie by the testimony o1
the man in question inasmuch al
he stated under oath that the as
sault took place at or near the
Kandiyohi County Bank. In re.
gard to the second statement,
. have here a number Of document
proving that / have spent more
than $3.50 Of my own money during
the past few months to secure evi
dence against violators of the liq
, uor laws. That we have been sue
cessful the late raid of the Eagles
rooms and the convictions that fol
! lowed proves beyond doubt"
, Mayor Peterson then read mum
) ber of items from the itemize'
: statement of the detective employee
: to get the Eagles, omitting mum
J ber OF things which he said woul
: prove more interesting and Of NOR
value later.
"As regards the third statemen
that / ought to be sent to the stat
f penitentiary for my crime, I wi
only say that l will attend to tha
e as soon as possible. That is a thin
which they will have to answer fo
in court
i "And now, gentlemen, I want t
know whether you think l hav
done my duty" the mayor col
| cluded. If not, see to it that
am removed. | have honestly trie
to act for the best interests of tt
city. Even if l cannot have yol
financial support in my wol
against violators of the law. tt
contingent fund being depleted,
want your moral support, for
need it,
Immediately following the CO..
clusion Of the speech, Alderm:
Kent offered the following resol,
tion which was unanimously adop
ed, and vociferously applauded
the citizens present:
Resolved, That, notwithstandir