The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-01-10
CHAMBER or COMMERCE GOES
ON RECORD FAvoRlNe NEW
ID CHARTER BILL WITH PRovI.
SION FOR INITIATIVE, REFER.
ENpUM AND RECALL.
COMMITTEE SUBMITS REPORT
WHICH WAS ADoPTEo-eENER.
Al. AND INDIVIDUAL CHARTER
BILL SUBMITTED.

FSAAANs SC AHtsrA SSs
+ That Fairmont will have a Ccm.
mission, form OF government is now
assured. AT the meeting OF the Fair
mont Chamber Of Commerce last
night that body OF representatives OF
the city went on record without any
opposition, comparatively speaking,
against the proposition, there being
only three dissenting votes.
y The committees appoa,ed BY the
Fairmont Chamber OF Commerce and
the Fairmont Business Men s Assocla.
tton to draft bill to be presented to
the State legislature Incorporating
the provisions for commission form
OF government with the Initiative,
Referendum and Recall submitted its
report to the Chamber OF Commerce.
The committee reported two bills,
one, a general bill applying TO all OF
j the cities OF the State, and the sc e,ondv
an individual charter bill drafted to
the needs of Fairmont. The general
charter bill was fashioned after the
splendid working plan adopted some
years ago by Des Moines, Iowa. 1t is
comprehensive document that covers
every phase Of municipal government.
This bill is somewhat lengthy but all
OF its provisions are clear cut and the
intent Of the language is not lost or
clouded by the useless construction of
redundant words or ambiguous phrase.
ology.
The Individual charter bill is pat
termed after the plan that is now in
successful operation in Parkersburs.
1t is much the same as the Des
lsaalness pan: ] differs in the Recalls
provision in that in the Des Moines
system the recall proposition is left
( to the people3in the last instance as
TO whether they want it or not while
In the Parkersburg plan the Initiative,
Referendum and Recall provisions are
a part Of the bill enacted into law by
the State legislature creating the
charter. The plan OF the Individual
bill seemed to be the scheme that ap'
pealed most to the members OF the
Chamber OF Commerce.
Both bills will be presented to the
legislature and in the event that one
ofthe measures fails to become law
the other one may. A strong COM
mittee Of workers from Fairmont will
go to Charleston to urge the passage
OF law creating commission form
Of government for Falrmont with the
provisions for the Initiative, Reteren'
DUN and Recall.
The report of the committee occa.
stoned very. little discussion. Nearly
all Of the members semed 10 be sat
isiied with the work of the commit
tees OF the two organizations. The
committee had gone carefully over the
details TO be worked out. They had
carefully considered every phase rela.
tive to city government and incorpo'
rated the clauses in the bill that ape
piled to them.
L. M, Davis, member Of the legis'
lative committee CT the Business
Mems Association presented the fol
loving. resoIutions and asked their
adoption. His motion was seconded
by C. E. Hutchinson. Mr., Davis pre-
sented, in support of his motion, 25
written proxies Of absent members OF
the Chamber OF Commerce which he
voted in the affirmative and presented
8sto the Chamber petition signed by
9163 cit!zens Of the city demanding a
commission government with the pro
visions for the Initiative, Referendum
and Recall. The petition of the East
Side citizens also contained similar
provisions and in the light of these
strong demands and other mdorse'
4nents mentioned in the resolution,
there was. nothing left for the Cham,
her Of Commerce to do bat giant the
people what they demanded, watch
they did BY aalImqost an unanimous vote.
WHEH HEAs:: The legislative com
rntttee OF 1.-THE Chamber, .pf Commerce
acting in conjunction with the legis'
latiye committee Of the Eair'r""t
business Mems Association have.
after several weeks Of persistent 80
tCoutinueu on rage Five.l