The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-19

ted by the mayor with the consent OF
the board of commissioners. In sup
port of this statement he referred
to the record of the commission and
stated that they failed to disclose
single pardon granted or fine remitted
by action of the board as required
by the charter. BUT that notwithstand-
ing the fact that the record dis
closed no such pardon or remittance
of fines he ives reliably informed
that many fines had been remitted
and pardons granted. That he had
undertaken to ascertain the true fact
with regard to these facts and had
sent an attorney to examine the po-
lice court docket for this purpose, but
that the police Judge had informed
the attorney that his records were
not open to the pubic except where
specific case was called for and
that If Mr.. Attorney desired to exam
inc the record in any given case he
nllBHl uO So, DuI OhoI hO '"ouiu noI
be permitted to make promiscous
search of the docket. The attorney
remembered case No. 1860 and asked
to see the record in that case and
upon examination found an entry
which Mr. Dawson read as follows:
Page 239 Police Record No. 1860.
Gaming house. Sentence $25.00 and
thirty days in Jail. Fine paid. Jail
sentence suspended by Commissioner
Owens and Mayor Cotner. JAN IS,
1911"
The speaker asserted that a care
full search of the record of the
meetings of the board failed to dis
close any action of the board con-
senting to remition OF this fine.
Irregular Expenditure Of the Citys
FUNDS.
MIR. Dawson stated that under the
charter of the city and the statutes
of the state it was the mayors duty
to issue warrants and pay claims, but
same should be approved by the board
and that the law provided that mo
money shall be paid for any purpose
except upon warrant attested by
the mayor and city clerk and made
upon the order of said board" He
stated that in his department he O.
KID. the bills and pay rolls for the
wages of the laborers who were to
receive their money weekly ana
vouched for the correctness
OF the account by his O.
X, and that when he had SO
vouched for the correctness of the
pay roll his responsibility and duty
in the matter ceased that it was then
bhe duty of the mayor to issue war
rants in payment of the wages of
these men after securing authority
of the board. He stated that the
mayor so far as he was able to learn
from the records had neglected or
refused to procure the action of the
board before paying any of the rou-
tine city expenses resulting from sal
aries and wages of emp'oyes with
the exception of two occasions. The
first instance being on May 20, 1909,
and the second instance being on
Dec. 20, 1910, when he CDawsom
moved that the salary warrants be
drawn on Dec. oath, the day before
Christmas in order that the emnloves
might have their Christmas money.
Law Enforcement.
BY quoting from Snyder's Statutes of
Oklahoma and the charter of the
city of Ardmore Mn. Dawson made
the point that the mayor is the chief
police officer of the city, that the
policemen on the street are to receive
their orders from either the police
commissioner or the mayor and that
the mayor alone had authority to give
orders to the police commissioner.
he stated that Notwithstanding the
TACT that under the law the mavor
was armed with full power to deal
With and repress gambling and boot.
Logging and TO prevent the running Of
joints in the city he had failed to do
so, and that it had become necessary
Tor the District Judge, Hon. StillwelI
II. Russell, to step in and by injunc-
tlon do the work of extinguishing
joints in the city which under the law
the mayor was charged to do. That in
ADDITION to his failure to enforce
the law and rid the city of Joints
the mayor upon August 10, 1909 sub
mttted 10 the board and secured pas-
sage, over the protest of Dawson. of
an ordinance licensing joints. This
law or ordinance Mr.. Dawson said
was Intellectual from the standpoint
OF revenue, for the reason the Joint
Keepers refused to pay the license.
saying that it was cheaper to mn
nee and that all effort has now
been abandoned 81