Evening journal., 1912-04-16
HARSH WORDS
MIX UP WITH
CHARTERTALK
Personalities Exchanged Be-
tween Defenders and Op-
p0nsntS Of Measure
NOTHING YET EXCEPT
"RAG CHEWING" sNE SAYS

The course of the charter discussion in
Turn Hall last night was marked by
heated personalities. There was little
discussion on the subject Most Of the
time was taken up by free comments
on the part of the principal speakers
upon the intellectual equipment of their
opponents. One definite matter was the
accepting with thanks of the offering by
the lrish-American Society of their hall
on French street for the bi-weekiy char
ter meetings. Francis Kane, chairman
of the committee on demanding" the
High School auditorium reported cour-
teous treatment of the committee by
the Board of Education. They gave US
everything but what we wanted" said
Mr.. Kane.
AS in former meetings the arguments
last night revolved about two points.
William +. Kurtz, the only charter COM
missioner present, and the only speaker
defending the charter, maintained that
the new charter meant direct govern
ment by the people He said the people
had the power and the intelligence 20
elect good men, and that these men
would respond to public sentiment. He
said it was a wrong idea to take il for
granted that the city officials must be
corrupt He said that with the respon-
sibility centered upon a few men, as in
the proposed charter, and with the
proper civic spirit the government was
bound to be good.
The initiative and referendum advo-
Gates said they weren't objecting so
much to giving the power to do things
TO officials as they were to the fact that
these officials should not be the final
court of resort. They thought there
ought to be the check of immediate call
ing to account by the people upon every
official. Initiative and referendum was
an essential, they argued, not merely a
} side issue, in a new charter.
The meeting took up an hour thrash
ing out the question whether they
/ should discuss important topics or take
up seriatum the charter chapters. There
! were only about 100 people present To
an outsider il really didn't matter which
{ way the decision went, for the discus.
} sion always was upon whether the initia.
tive and referendum should or should
: not have been put in the charter, anC
> in no case was the discussion confined u
' the section nominaly under considera
! tion.
Council Is Defended.
d. w. Lynch struck a new note by al
Q urgent defense of City Council. He salt
: he objected TO government by commits
sioners at large; he wanted the chanc
all IL .
! his own neighborhood. He had no us
whatever for any sort of commissioner
He protested that it was unfair the wa
City Council was talked or as untrust
worthy, he thought they were doin
, pretty we'll.
} Henry c. Downward said that tn
initiative and referendum was no cure
all even il 1t were in the charter. MI
Downward said the voters Of the cit,
were 80 Indifferent they wouldn't com
out to vote on questions. Not half o
! them vote now, he said. Mr.. Downwar
said the women in California were tax
: ing more interest in the government thai
z the men there, and he thought womai
suffrage was a good thing Certainl,
Y the women present last night were no
impressed by the logic and dignity o
the masculine voters.
, The quarrels last night rose over
D protest from William T. Kurtz that tn
l people present, instead Of discussin
= the charter, had spent the time ham
= mering away at charter commissioner
5 with personal inuendoes. Mr. Kurtz sal
= he was as honest as any man there, an
J, he didn't think he ought to be force
!. to listen silently to aspersions
Charge Insults.
L. w. Brosius said that IL he were
charter commissioner he doubted if h
would attend any Of the meetings tn
way the commissioners had been insult
: ed by the speakers. Mr. Brosius sal
{ the meetings had done nothing "bu
Il chew the rag"
|. Mr.. Kurtz said he had not been give
/. any opportunity to show the good point
b in the charter. The Rev. George Henr
Dole answered that Mr. Kurtz could nc
q show any good points in the charter
; he talked ten years. Mr.. Kurtz said
You are supposed to be an intelligen
man, and you have given the least ir
telligent criticisms of any one upon th
II charter. / am not coming here to be il
~ suited"
7 Evan w. Gallagher said that it wa
q not the fault of the referendum peopl
if those in favor of the charter did nc
come 10 the meetings and defend it.
Another tilt came up when George v
Litz again stated the absence of the il
itistive and referendum killed the cha
ter. Mr.. Kurt said Mr. Litz's remar
was not on the point in discussion. +
said that there were some things NJ
Litz could never get into his head NJ
Litz laughed and responded. "Wel
that's a good one on me, but there al
some things that are not in your hea
now, Mr.. Kurtz"
Would Arrest Board.
A. W. Francois stirred matters up /
declaring his intention of arresting u
whole Board of Health and the Strei
and Sewer Department He said r
peated requests that these board pr
vent a laundry from emptying dirt
water into an alley near the homes
many people had been paid no attei
tion to. He said it should he show,
that city officials would pay attentiC
only to the wealthy and influential. I
declared he would stump the Sta
working up sentiment, and would ha'
these boards arrested if they paw
French street without having the lau
dry empty waste water into the sews
Norman Z. John objected TO the II
dignified turn the meeting had take
and intimated there were those prese
who were purposely obstructing the di
cussion of the charter.
Finally, after much talk of "inue
does" and "hammering" and "ignc
ance," and several scenes with half
dozen men on their feet talking loud
al one time, things quieted down. N
rranr LaIk 4