The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-08
CONTAINS A THOUSAND NAMES
People in All Ranks of Life Have Sign
ed Petitions and Mayor Head Prom
Uses Early Action to Submit Question
to People-Must Examine Petitions.


Kenosha can have the commission
form of government if the people of the
city want it for at the meeting of the
common council on Monday evening a
petition was fled with the city clerk
demanding that the question Of adopt
ing the commission form be submitted
to the people as provided for in the
state law. The commission form was
demanded without any great flourish.
Attorney M. G. O'Donnell, who has
been active in the circulation of the
petitions appeared before the council
aud asked that he be permitted to make
short statement in presenting the pc
titions He declared that it was sign
ed by l,027 electors of the city of Ke-
nosha and that this was considerably
more than twenty-five per cent Of the
voters at the last general city election.
He stated that in the circulation of the
petitions there had been no special or
ganization and that the signatures
represented the voluntary work of
seven or eight people who were inter
ested IN the movement. There appear
cd to be considerable opposition to the
proposed change in the form of govern
ment among members Of the council and
there was an immediate objection made
to names on the petition and to the
form of the petition and to the special
election which was demanded. This
did not come out formally in the coun-
Gil meeting as under the law the coun-
Gil will have nothing to do with the
ordering of the special election
The petition as provided by the law
IS directed to the mayor and under the
law the mayor must issue a proclama-
tlon calling q special election to decide
the question within sixty days after
the petition is filed with him. Mayor
Head indicated that the proclamation
would be issued with just as much speed
as was possible Before the mayor NAV
order the special election it will be
necessary for him to satisfy himself
that there is sufficient number of
names of electors on the seven peti-
lions. This will be a decidedly hard
task, but it is probable that the friends
of the commission form will appoint q
committee which will aid the mayor in
getting this information.
The friends of the new form of GOV
eminent are anxious to have the special
election called so as to have the com
mssioners elected at the regular spring
election--should the people decide in
favor of the new form.
In order to do this it will be neces-
sary to have the election held and the
vote of it canvassed by the council on
or before the ninth day of March as
this is the last day for the fling Of
petitions for candidates at the primary
election. 1T is certain that the course
of the COMMISSION form before the conn.
ell is going TO be stormy and several
OF the members Of the body and sew
eral officials Of the city have shown
that they Go not particularly like this
form of government. The margin Of
names on the petitions is not a large
one ana some or the petitions have been
in the hands of the committee for a
long time and it is pretty certain that
there is some duplication of names.
Attorney O'Donnell holds, however
that with all the dead ones eliminat-
ed that there will be sufficient mum
Der OF names for the mayor to act.
Mayor Head declared himself as fav-
orable to the commission form and i'll
is certain that he will give the matter
his earnest and early attention. The
people of he city will now be expect
ed 10 educate themselves in the wavs
of the commission form of government.
1t is probable that there win be no lack
of arguments for and against this new
form between now and the time the
question is submitted to the electors.