The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-06-17
HIS HONOR D|sAPPR0vEs.

Mayor Maurin Makes Generous Use
of Veto Privilege-Turns Down
All Appointments Made by a Ma
iority of City Fathers.
Mayor Charles Maurin on Tuesday
last forwarded the following COM
>nunication to Town Clerk Landry:
Donaldsonville. La, June 10, l9ll:
s'To the Honorable Town Council OF
Donaldsonville, La.
Gentlemen:-In conformity with
Section 10 of the town charter, the
town clerk submitted to me certified
copy OF the minutes of the special
meeting Of the council held June s,
1911.
II am advised by counsel, with
whom agree, that the requirement.
of the charter that every resolution
and ordinance must be submitted to
the mayor for his approval or veto.
acting therefore by virtue of the
authority conferred upon me by the
Gown charter shall consider the
resolutions and ordinances, and will
proceed to discuss them, seriatim.
"First-The resolution or ordl-
| nance, introduced by Alderman Mil
ano, seconded by Alderman OIL
meyer, and adopted by majority OF
| the aldermen, appointing power
| house committee composed of Alder
| men Schroeder, Ohlmeyer and Wath-
en-, is hereby returned with this my
veto for the reason that the council
is without authority to name this or
| any other committee; that its action,
I in addition, lis ultra wires, in this:
that section 40 of the code of ordit
nances adopted by the town council
June 19,July 17,Aug. q, Oct. Is, Nov
ember ~ and December IS, 1901 and
promulgated in the Donaldsonyille
Chief, official journal of the town,
Dec. %, 1901, and Jan. 4, 1902, en-
acts that the committee on power
house shall be appointed by the
mayor, who shall be ex-officio chair
| man thereof.
SIN compliance with that ordinance
| [ did at the meeting of the council
held May "a, 1911, appoint said COM
mittee, composed as follows: Alder
men Park, Ohlmeyer, with myself as
ex-officio chairman thereof, which
I
house committee.
"The law, custom and usage en-
| powers me as chief magistrate of
the town, as presiding officer of the
council, to appoint all committees,
Ind / shall exercise the power so
1 vested in me, confident of the sup
| port and endorsement of large ma
jority of the citizens and taxpayers.
sSecond-For like reasons men,
toned above also veto the -resolu-
zion or ordinance introduced by Al
! derman Milano and seconded by Al
derman Oh1meyer, appointing or elect
ing a public works committee com
posed Of Aldermen Ohlmeyer, Milano
and Wathen. The said resolution or
ordinance is herewith returned with
my veto, and / hereby re-affirm my
appointment made May "a, 1911, of
| the following public works committee:
| Alderman E. G. Wathen, chairman;
| Aldermen Ohlmeyer and Milano, and
hereby declare that said committee
is the only legal public works COM
mittee of the council.
'Third-For like reasons already
mentioned deny the power of the
majority of the council to elect, se-
iect or appoint the finance COM
mittee, though the members thereof
as selected by the council are the
same appointed by me, and / hereby
! return with this, my veto, the reso-
luton or ordinance introduced by
| Alderman Ohlmeyer, seconded by
Alderman Milano, appointing said
| finance committee, and / do hereby
re-affirm the appointment of said
finance committee made by me as
mayor and presiding chairman of the
council on the oath day OF May, 1911.
| Fourth hereby return with this,
my veto, the resolution or ordinance
introduced by Alderman Ohlmeyer,
seconded by Alderman Schroeder, and
adopted by a majority of the council,
providing for the appointment of Al
mire Leblanc in the place of Miguel
Acosta as town cartman, ard the
abolition of another cartman.
"The present cartmen, Miguel
Acosta, Baptiste Creoli and Armand
Babin, are and have always been eff
ficient in the discharge of their
duties and to dismiss them with
out cause would be wrong and with
out Justification
For years only two cartmen were
employed by the town, but later at
the instance of the Woman's Civic
League an additional cart was placed
in service with Armand Babin in
charge, and having performed his
duties in every particular he should
be retained.
| "The health of the town is para
mount to all considerations, and
in my opinion instead of three there
ought to be six carts to gather the
garbage and trash.
The recent visit Of the state
health car and the president Of the
State Board Of Health with his staff,
who have pointed out the dangers
resulting from insanitary conditions,
should be a warning to us. We
should progress and not retrograde
in issues which involve the public
health. Instead, therefore, of de-
creasing the number of garbage carts
We should double the number, though
our financial condition precludes such
a happy contamination.
Fifth hereby return with this,
my veto, the resolution or ordinance
introduced by Alderman Schroeder,
seconded by Alderman Leblanc, and
adopted by a majority of the council,
| creatinp tho offinn nf acsicfant ohiof