The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-19
Citizens at Mass Meeting Vote
to Recall Commissioners
Charging Lack Of Law
Enforcement.
REV. SANDERS AT HEAD
Many Charges Are Made at the
Meeting Which 9 Commission
er Hickey Denies in
Interview.
4e~>~~~~~ :

se~~~>~> - $500 : :
= The procedure to effect the re- =
! moval of any incumbent Of cleo =
: tive city office is as follows: =
A petition shall be presented =
: signed by duly qualified electors =
: equal In number to at least 25 =
: per centum of the entire vote .
: for the Office Of mayor cast at =
= the last proceeding general =
: municipal election, demanding =
i q an election OF successor of the =
: person sought to be removed, =
! shall be filed with the city clerk, =
= which shall contain a general .
s = statement of the reasons. The =
4 y petition must be examined by the =
. city clerk within ten days after 4
4 o fling and If number is sufficient
q 1t may be amended within ten Z
& q days. If the petition is found Z
y q sufficient the council shall order =
q and fix date for holding of 4
. said election not less than thirty 4
= or more than forty days from
. date OF clerks certificate. 4
= Nominations for the election 4
= shall be mf de by filing with the 4
. clerk at least ten days prior to (
4 q said special election, accompan- I
. led by petition signed by ten
= per centum Of voters at the last q
. election for mayor.
q . . . - GO . . $ . = : = I
AT a mass meeting of citizens helt
4 last night at the court house 1t wa
voted to invoke the recall against tn,
entire city council and petitions viii
be prepared and circulaed immediate
" The charge made by the citizen.
against Mayor ]. F. Elder, Commits
sioner Of Public Safety Gray ant
Commissioner of Public improvements
Hickey is that they have allowed
wholesale law violations here.
There were about seyenty-f1ve meI
at the meeting last night, some o
whom came to oppose the proposed
action and some who came out tt
& hear and see Probably two-third
were heartily In favor of cleanup
A committee was chosen to prepar'
the recall petitions and 1t was declar
ed that the petition would be present
ed to every citizen In the city to Sc
cure the necessary twenty-five pc
cent of the voters for an election.
The leaders also declared that moth
ing would stop them and proposed t
make known any "higner-ups' VIII,
try to stop their action.
Sanders Hits Hi9herups.
Rev. ]. F. Sanders called the meet
Ing to order. saying that it had beel
called to see what could be done 70
the enforcement of law in Keokuk
He declared there was no question il
the mind OF any sensible citizen as t
the fact that there were wholesal
violations going on He advised thos
present to go ahead to correct cond
tions in q sensible. calm but deter
mined way.
Several movements have been cal
red on here he said. land some ir
fuential man in the city under cove
stops them, trying to make fools c
those who started them. This will b
tolerated no longer. The man VIII
tries that, high or low, rich or poo
will be shown up before the peopl
Of the city"
He suggested the formation Of
league for law enforcement
j. A. Roberts Made Chairman.
On motion j. A. Roberts was mad
chairman. In taking the floor he mad
few remarks In which he declare
that 1t was humiliating for class {
the city's best citizens here to be cal
ed together to form a law enforcement
league. He declared the city was wild
open, that citizens were disguise
with having officers not do their dut
after taking solemn oath to enforc
the law.
Q F. Mcfarland rose to spea
against the formation of a permaner
organization. George Walden rose
defend the police force of the cit
SAYING that If the law was being VII
lated thew were not to blame, int
mating his belief that they wei
Working under instructions. He d
ciared If the force were properl
handled the law would be enforced.
Vote for Organization.
Rsv. Sanders agitated the recall
ms point, saying that if a recall wei
y ne instituted there must be an 0
sa'zation On the call for stan