The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-12-29

settled at once" he said. 1T was
time for action and the council could
not wait until they had advertised
for bids and made contracts. That
stone had to be removed at once
We had to meet conditions as they
happened. If the people of Mankatc
think there is a mistake made, there
is still time TO rectify it. These
things come up suddenly and the
commissioners must often use their
own Judgment instead of following
the charter to the letter."
Regarding the assessment of prop.
erty. Mr.. Daley read section No
l2l, which provided that the council
may order the cost OF any improve.
ment should be paid out of the ap.
propriate fund or general fund with.
out assessment on the property
benefited. However, Mr.. Schaub diff.
fered from him on this point, as
this provision concerned eminent do.
main only.
Secret Meetings Are Necessary.
Mr.. Daley answered the charge OF
the councils doing business in Sc.
cret. saying that it was often neces-
sary for the good of the city. In the
case OF settling the typhoid cases,
experts had to be hired, and things
done in private which proved to the
advantage of the city at large. He
claimed that the council had done
good work-they were in unison
and had the work going smoothly.
Mr.. Daley excused some of their
acts by saying that the commits
sioners were not lawyers, and that
they sometimes had problems to con.
slider which would require the craft
lest of attorneys. He also said that
if contracts were let for everything,
the city would soon find out that
contractors weer not inclined to
work FOR the public good altogether.
Experts had to be hired at times,
and the work had to be done quick
ly. If this was not done, the city
would soon be drawing upon itself a
number OF law suits which would
cost more than the entire improve
ments. AS example he said that un-
less the improvements had been
made on the Eagle Lake hill, some
and sued the city for five or six
thousand dollars. The city engineer
was also busy man and could not
be at hand to draw plans and make
specifications for every little job
that the city had to carry out.
Attorney Schaub in RebuttaI.
Attorney Schaub then took up the
refutation OF Mr. Dailey's statements.
He was of the opinion that this
property which had been thus bene-
fitted by making these improvements
could not now be assessed, and if it
was done the property owners would
raise the question to see if the
council had let it by contract. II
this was not let by contract it was
not legally right to assess the prop
erty. He said there was no reason
for any hurry to make improve
ments except in emergency eases,
because if the council had followed
the charter, reports would have been
made every three months regarding
the work to be. done during the en-
suing three months. He was sur
prised that the city attorney should
make statement about the council
men not being lawyers. He said it
was not necessary that they be law
yers as Mankato was paying the
city attorney $1,000 year to act as
their legal adviser. Besides there
was nothing complicated about the
charter. >'+ --'+'' 'i'a"
Working in Unison. -ia3 d
Regarding the councils working in
unison, he thought that this was
right--in fact they worked too much
in unison, which accounted for the
large debts, and some Of the unlaw-
fnl acts. AS to the cave-in on the
Eagle Lake hill. he thought that this
would come under the emergency
heading, but that was no reason why
the council should continue work
there and make large permanent
Improvement which proved to be n
large additional expense TO the city.
TO have the mayor sign Il written
order to have it repaired, was all
that would have been necessary.
sanperter Given the Floor.
After this case had been argued,
Mr. Bangerter was given the floor
for a few minutes in which he ex.
planned that former Street Commits
sioner Waters had not been dis.
missed because he had spoken of the
deer killing affair. 1T was just like
marrying man in order to reform
him. We tried 70 keep him as long
as we could and we thought that we
could get him to do as We ordered
but it did not come out that way,
and then it was simply q ease OF
divorce"
AS there were no others in the
meeting who wanted to act as wit.
nesses the committee then went into
executive session to consider the evil
dence that had been received.
Report Being Prepared.
One of the members of the com.
mittee is preparing report which
will be submitted to the committee
Il meeting to be held at the call of
Chairman Lorin Cray. After the
committee passes on the document
it will be submitted to the CONNER
cial club.
Marshall News-Messenger: To all
the earlier residents of Lyon and
Lincoln counties anything reminis.
cent of the Andrews family, besl