The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-09-13

aAAAtAtA9 49,. ss.44sssSsA $500
by the bale:
An Aristocratic Campaign.
1t also costs money to run high
power automobiles about the city till
a late hour OF night whisking. speak
ers from one section Of the city to
the other and tile aristocracy Of the
campaign is5sho@ that eeyen auto
mobiles are being employed to cir
culate the circnlar matter. Surely
all this money Is not being put into
the campaign by the common people
who work for their money and do
not try to corrupt or influence the
election results by tho liberal use of
money.
Is It Outside Influence9
Is this literature being printed in
the city or is being shipped in from
Clarksburg? 1t is said that Clarks-
burg has become alarmed for fear
that Fairmont will get the enlarged
boundary and so far ,outstrip that
city in population that they can new
er catch the lead. This impression
is given further credence from the
fact that the Clarksburg Telegram
has been criticising the fight for a
commission government for Fair
mont in number of recent issues.
No matter where the money comes
from 1t is very evident that 1t is be-
ing used in liberal quantities to de-
feat the. bill. 't.'eararl,
The supporters of the movement
have never been so pppulent as to
be able to make an automobile cam
paign for the charter. They have
no funds to buy gasoline or employ
chauffeurs at the prevailing high
price for such service.
What's the Motive2
There must be some motive that
has not been made known for carry
ing on such an extensive campaign
Of opposition. Whether or not it be
of sufficient strength to change the
sentiment and defeat the bill is yet
to be seen. It is reported that the
opposition which seems to be so well
supplied with the, "sinews OF war
is well organized in every ward OF
the city and will make a strenuous
fight at the polls Monday.
Sentiment Now 2 to / in Favor Of
the Charter.
If the vote was held today the
charter would probably be ratified
by two to one, but big change of
sentiment can come over night in a
campaign of this kind.
The Dodger Unmasked.
10 show the desperation of the OPP
position in circulating the dodg-
er and the manner of ar
Fumpnt that is being used
It Is only necessary to quote
few paragraphs from it to unmask
It's deception. One paragraph of the
circular says, "That the council may
remove any member of the Board Of
Affairs upon charges preferred
against him and declare his office
vacant and fill thsqvacancy." The
truth viii be found in the body of
the charter which says:
"sec. IA. The common council
shall have the right to hear, consid-
er and act on charges against any
member of the board Of affairs, anu
after having heard proof OF sucn
charges, may remove such commits
sioner and declare his office vacant
by two-thirds of all the members
elected on said board, and the vote
thereon shall be by roll call OF the
members and entered Of record in
the minutes of the, meeting"
That part of the circular which
says that council may remove conf
missioner for cause is true, but 1t Is
done only for such serious things as
malfeasance in office and only by
two-thirds vote of council. The 9TH
or way he may be removed is pro-
vided by recall.
But after he is removed or vacan.
cy occurs in any way, council is pow
crless to fill that vacancy unless
there are more than two vacancies
occurring at once, in which case the
city would be without legislative,
judicial or executive body, which
powers are all given to commission
crs, and then cotlncil would be conf
pellcd to fill the vacancies for the
time being, rs there would not be
enough commissioners left to call a
special election to fill the vacancies.
Hhe charter provides that except
where more than two vacancies &C.
cur that the commissioners shall call
a special election and all vacancies
must be filled by the voters. Read
section 81 of the charter below and
see that the law so provides and d.
rectly contradicts the statement put
out in the anonymous "dodger."
Sec. 81. Whenever a vacancy or
vacancies, from any cause whatever,
shall occur in the office of commits
sioner, and the time for regular
municipal election, as provided for
IN section thirty herein, is not with
IN two years therefrom, then the
hoard OF, affairs shall call a special