Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-05-04
AFFAIRS AT SOUTH OMAHA
City Attorney Will Hold New City
Charter to Be Legal.
BRINGS JOY TO MANY PEOPLE
investigation of Record. at Lincoln.
Fails TO Disclose Any Affirma-
tive Notation that VIII In
validate the Measure,

house records and senate file pertaining
TO the amendments added to the city
charter by the last legislature, the office
Of the city attorney will probably render
a favorable decision as TO their validity
at the regular meeting OF the city coun-
Gil next Monday night.
This was the statement given out last
night by the legal department after thu
return OF Assistant City Attorney sam
Winters from Lincoln. where he had
gone TO investigate thoroughly the history
OF the passage Of senate file No. ss as
contained in the original records at the
state capitol.
The decision of the city attorneys
office will have a wide effect upon the
plans Of the present municipal admins
tration, which for some time has been
marking time awaiting some definite set
Element OF the question raised as TO the
validity Of the amendments.
According to Assistant City Attorney
Sam Winters, who. together with E. Z. Z.
Ridgeway, spent yesterday in Lincoln go
ing over the records, there is no doubt
as to the legal passage Of senate file
NO. 80. which has for some time been in
dispute. 1t was urged that the houss
bill as returned to the senate was an
amended copy OF senate file No. 81
which never received the approval of tina
senate after its amendment by the house.
This. according to Winters. Is clearly
controverted by a marginal note made by
the senate clerk upon the amended docu-
ment in which the concurrence OF the
possibly due to a clerical or typographical
error, made the record to read that SEN
ate file No. 81. as amended. had been
passed by the senate instead Of senate
file No. 80. Both files were introduced.
but senate file No. 81, 1t il understood.
was returned from the house unamended
by that body. The record. however, can
not be quoted against the legal passage
or the file. according TO attorneys, ex.
cept where 1t shows affirmatvely that
such file or bill has not been passed.
That the opinion Of the legal depart |
ment will be received with exclamation |
by the administration and by the con- |
tractors and those interested in projected |
public developments is admitted on all |
validity Of the amendments public work |
has been threatened and 1t was said that |
approximately $4,000 of work has been
at stsndstill. How the labor clause will |
be remedied finally can only be surmlsed,
but IL is said that this will not now pre-
vent the further progress Of street grad
ing and paving.
Among the city employees the favorable
finding Of the city attorneys office will
be especially welcome because OF the
additional pay that was involved in the
question. Had the file been found invalid
the recurrence Of the old charter law
would have meant loss of pay to many
city employees
Twenty More Licenses.
Continuing their strenuous work the
Fire and Police board yesterday allowed
twenty liquor licenses additional to the
thirty-five granted on the day previous.
Tor the current year. There are still
lbout thirty applicants awaiting the per-
mission Of the board to reopen their sa-
oons. or this last number, II Is said
'ome have given up hope Of providing ,
roper bond and will ask for the return ,
" their license fee.
Members Of the board have stated that
nearly all the applicants to whom licenses ,
have been issued have provided surety ,
bonds have been accepted. The board |
'ays that the personal bonds accepted |
IRE incontestibly good.
ray Of hope was waved yesterday
,efore the hopeless gaze OF those who !
AVE been unable to procure proper !
ecurity bond when the rumor of new ]
ocal bonding company was circulated ]
of the rumor revealed a {
lebulous formation that at best can not I
,e In shape to do business before next Z
'sar. {
sturns Rests in Jail.
lmmured behind the portcullis Of Baron {
Briggs dungeon Frank sturns last !
'vening meditated on the cruel fate that
hrust him out of his home on the Sarpy I
ounty road near Thirty-second street I
md separated him from a certain Amy q
who for the time beats her {
Unions against the cruel bars Of the roof I
arden cage in the local bastile.
Sturns and his companion we're arrested I
noon by Chief Of Detectives I
ames Sheahan. who held the pair await
ng the arrival Of Sheriff Grant Chase ,
L sarpy county.
Frank and Amy. according to the police, '
we're rudely thrust from their recent '
bode on Thirty-second street At the I
chest Of an irate landlady, who alleges y
hat sturns firmly and for long refused I
o discuss the rent question After the o
viction sturns claims he returned to
he Thirty-second street house to get his
lothes. He had no key to the place .
nd the police say he forced an unlady-
Ike entrance through a window. The
rrest Of the pair followed. Sheriff Grant
base. who arrived in South Omaha late
n the evening. expressed the intention
{ charging the pair with breaking and :
ntering.
Dave Moore Under Arrest. \
Dave Moore. a negro, was arrested yes
erday afternoon at Twenty-sixth and Q
treets by Detective James sheahan. who -,
the man of having recently
eld up Miss Margaret widdis, a school :
eacher Of this city.
Miss Widdis was recently robbed Of a 8