The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-01-12


Cash ON hand Dec. |, 1911. SAL ST
Received from fines. ......... 10. 81
Received from reserves of
- books ....... AS
Total receipts & cash ON hand$52 SIS
from Fridays oaIiy.
With view to having the valid
ity Of the Mankato charter tested
in the supreme court as soon as
possible, and obtaining decision
with equal dispatch, Attorney Arthur
Schaub has suggested that the attor
neys for the city agree to have the
hearing of the arguments before the
supreme court on January "a, which
is an open date i'll that tribunal
Otherwise the hearing may not be
had until after April 2, which is
several months away. Mr.. Schaut
is anxious to have the question al
issue disposed of.
no Excitement Created.
Talk Of recall of the mayor and
commissioners is again rife. A few
gentlemen have been pushing petit
tons about il the hope Of securing
signatures enough that will force a
special election. The action of these
men has not created ripple of ex
element in this city, and there are
no wrinkles on the aldermanic brow
Public interest in the proposed re
call is at low-ebb. No one is clam
oring to sign the petitions, which
were prepared by Attorney Schaub
and he claims he was acting for
other parties; and he is opposed to
their circulation at this time, be-
lieving that the validity of the char.
ter should be decided by the su.
preme court before there is move
made in the direction of recall.
Temper of the Public.
The temper Of the public toward
the recall petitions is well dis
played in statement made by a
prominent gentleman who did not
care to have his name mentioned in
print for obvious reasons. He said:
81 do not believe the people Of Man,
kato are going to be led into put
ting this city to. the expense OF a
recall election when the conditions
do not warrant. such q proceeding.
Several weeks ago E. V. Waters
filed. a set. Of charges against the
council and requested the CONNER
cial club to appoint a committee to
investigate them and report This
was. done. No charges of dishon'
esty, were made against the council
There has never been a hint Of any
grating Oh the part of a member
OF the council. We all believe our
representatives in that body to be
honorable men whose integrity can,
not Be .impeached. However, the
committee probed the Walters
charges and made its report, which
was. given publicity. A suit has
been brought in the supreme court
to test the validity of Mankato's
charter. Meanwhile let us await
the finding OF the court; let us put
a stop to all this fuss and local
chickering's and give the mayor and
counciimen the support they deserve
in thetS Efforts to labor for the vel
fare Of tie community. | do not
like the motives that prompted the
issuance 50f the retdff petitions.
am not in favor OF encouraging the
chronic kicker whose carping criti-
cism does not upbuild the city.
can stand for the man who puts
forth constructive criticism, but
have no use for the l<nocker or the
crouch. They never have anything
to offer i'll the place of those things
which they so viciously assail.'
How Petition Reads.
The following is copy of the
petition that is being circulated and
UP to date has received few sign
ers:
"Mankato, Minnesota, January g.
1912-To the Mayor and Common
Council OF the City of Mankato
Blue Earth County, Minnesota: The
undersigned qualified voters of the
said city of Mankato, said county
and state, hereby demand an cleo
ton Of a successor to each of the
persons herein sought to be re-
moved, and they ask that the fol
lowing elective officers of said city
be removed, to-wit: Charles T. Tay'
lor, mayor of said city, and Ben
Bangerter, Jr., J. u. Humiston, Rob
ert Lamm and Lawrence Henline,
commissioners and councilmen of
said city That said removal is ask
ed on account of the following facts,
to-wit: That said mayor, council
men and commissioners made many
improvements without order of the
cOunciir estimates of the probable
costs and without advertising for
bids as provided by charter; that
said mayor, councilmen and COM
missioners failed to assess the cost
Of said improvement against the
property benefited and unlawfully
paid for same out of the city treas
ury at least eight thousand dollars;
that said mayor, councilmen and
commissioners FUSED the sinking fund
to pay old debts, contrary to the
charters that said mayor, council
men and commissioners SO lavishly
speut the funds Of said city, that
the cityctreaSury is almost depleted,
and the city is thousands Of dollars
in debt, unlawfully contracted by
said mayor, councilmeD and com
missioners; that said mayor, council
men and commissioners did not
make the estimates required by Sec
ton IS; that said mayor, council
men and commissioners did the bus
mess, CT the city in such a secret
way. that: Tire. minutes of the council
do aSsS how what work was done,
what's Nmf% emeiits made or what
the sciAysssfuhas were used for.'
Tiseasls'as llvot.idess that the charges
set for MEsIIafl not exceed 200
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