The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-08-09

members of the council 1 ordered the
warrants drawn for their payment,
but now / find that this was all IL
legally done, that it required eight in
stead of seven members of all the
members elected to o. k. the bills or
vote in favor of paying them.
At First Demurrer.
when the fair people came to me
and asked me to have police protec-
ton out at the fair grounds / at first
demurred, but after being told that the
state laws give the Fargo police
authority for a mile and a half be-
yond the city limits / consented. Then
l consulted the police committee of
the council and they were in favor,
the men were appointed, they per-
formed the service. Their bills were
| presented to the council, were passed
on favorably by the finance committee,
and then -four members of the council
| voted against them. This action ap-
p~arently revolutionized the mode of
doing business in the city. l find that
the action in taking out insurance on
the city filtration plant was illegally
done, and SO / ordered the policy can
celled, and now there is no insurance
On this great S250,000 plant Of ours. The
offer of 5000 reward for the capture
O4 LAAS AAAAAN ~ Ai@s ~AASS@ AASS
been withdrawn, because the council,
by it's action of Aug 5, theoretically
says that the mayor has no right TO
contract bills. The ordinances Of the
city say that the committees of the
council have no right to expend or
contract for the expenditure of money
without a majority of h full MEM
bership Of the councils consent there
to, the committees being merely audit
ing committees Of what the council
majority has ordered done.
Just One Chief Executive.
1.-THE mayor Is the chief executive
officer of the city and there ann
be two chief executives, and the
charter states that the duties or the
mayor are to see that the ordinances
of the city are enforced. The mayo
deems that law to be a good law.
l have no fault to find with the four
men who voted against the payment
| of the bills referred to if they were
| taking that action conscientiously.
but if, as l have been told, they voted
| against the bills because they did not
receive 'd~ead-head' tickets to some
show or other they were clearly not
doing their duty by the people of the
city. They had ignored the recon-
mendations of two committees of the
council, something that has seldom
been done.
In Theory Only.
theoretically I have got to stop
all work that is going on in the city
unless it is expressly ordered by n
majority of all the members of the
council. This would lee all street
work, all work on the filtration plant
or in it, all street sprinklers, and in
fact everything, and would mean that
the city council should hold a meet
{~r nyrorx dow nnd nnrhana he In
session all day long, to authorize
work. But there is a remedy in all
this" and here the mayor presented
a resolution which authorizes the
standing committees Of the council
with the approval Of the mayor to
carry on the established work of the
different departments Of city gov
eminent during the period between
meetings of the council, which of
course means from month to month.
There was a long discussion or this
question by Aldermen Jardine and
Mcdonald, and City Attorney Smith
was asked to give his idea, which he
did, stating that the mayors inter
probation of the Law as he had given
it was correct. The resolution was
then moved by Alderman Cooper and
seconded by Alderman dollhouse, and
was carried, Alderman Jardine be-
ing the only n to vote in the neg
alive.
Park Commission Responsible.
Attorney Hildreth in a communi-
cation to the council some time age
had asked for an opinion from the
city attorney as to whether it was
proper for a Mr.. Lemon who, while
working in Island park some months
had a leg broken while attending tc
his duties, to bring suit against the
city or park commission, and in q
lengthy communication City Attorney
Smith gave it as his opinion that the
park commission was much in the
same shape as a corporation and was
the responsible party and the COM
m~unication was received and placed
on file and the city auditor was di-
rected to so notify Attorney Hildreth
Other Business.
After this vas done several esti-
mates for sidewalk laying were al
lowed, and new sidewalks were or
dered in. The assessment for work
lone was also passed on by the coun-
ell and ordered paid. johnson Bros
offered to pay SO a ton for old catch
basins that are worthless, and this
was referred to the proper committee
The bond of l.. w. Schruth was re-
ceived and passed on favorably. and
the fire and water committee was
authorized to ~reinstate the insurance
on the filtration plant alluded to above
- 18th ALo oc.,,rasI @n1lr oat-oo1.s