Semi-weekly herald., 1914-01-08
Observations by the Way
(From Mondays Daily.)

(From Mondays Daily.)
Miss Jessie Potter is entitled to
pay for the month of December, but
who is to pay her, surely not the city
if illegal. This should be lesson to
each one of the commissioners not to
hire clerical help or assistants unless
provided for by law. Mayor Scouton
holds that according to the charter
signing warrant for her salary
would be illegal and this being the
case he would be very foolish to be
a party to signing an illegal warrant
1t is reported that Miss Potter will
ask for judicial opinion by manda-
musing the mayor to sign the war
| rant. For one we would like to see
this done in order that the question
and authority of the commissioners
may be thoroughly understood. What
we would like is friendly suit, with
out cost on either side, outside of the
real facts. We believe a statement
of facts can be presented without cost
outside of the filing fee in the dis
trict court. But in the meantime what
about the money due Miss Potter?
The Herald is going to ask twelve
taxpayers to put in SIS each, The
Herald agreeing to give this amount
if eleven others will come forward
with $5 each We hope to have eleven
signers by tomorrow night.
We desire it to be distinctly under
stood that The Herald commends the
position of Mayor Scouton in refus-
ing to sign warrant he considers
Illegal.
The Herald wants the Durango
people to know how commission gov
ernment is working in Pueblo For a
time everything appeared to be work.
ing smoothly and economically. 1t is
possible that economic conditions may
continue, but recent resolution of
the commissioners appears to have
practically nullified the charter and
there IS q great kick eminating Does
seem queer that men elected to of
flee can not abide by the provisions
set down fol. them to follow. Abso-
lutte obedience with -partisanship
is demanded without favoritism. Tax
payers are going to demand this more
and more. Concerning the action of
the Pueblo commissioners the Star
Journal says:
| with the old year emitting it's dy-
ing gasps and about ready to give up
the ghost, the three city commission
ers seized upon an appropriate time
for them to strangle the city charter,
throw it into the junk heap, and
make it as dead as the year that ends
tonight. By vote of the commission
ers Tuesday afternoon Pueblo will
have government by committees, in
stead of government by commission
ers with individual responsibility for
the conduct of separate departments
as provided in the charter approved
and accepted by vote of the people
This is what was done when Commits
sioners Burton, Duke and Provost
passed the following: BE it resolved
by the council of Pueblo: That there
are hereby established five standing
committees Of the council of Pueblo.
each of said committees to consist of
three members, to-wit: Committee on
public safety, committee on parks.
lighting and water; committee on
health, inspection and sanitation;
committee on highways, and commit
tee on public grounds and buildings
"The resolution means only one
thing. Pueblo has returned to the
old city council, a system that had
grown so odious that it was wiped out
by the people. To get rid of govern
ment by the city council the people
provided for commission government.
where responsibility could be center
ed upon each member of the commits
sion. They adopted charter with
specific duties for each member, and
that charter is the law of the citv
until overthrown by vote of the peo-
pie. Three men have the presumpt
ion and the arrogance to defy the
mandate of the people, to deliberate
ly say that the established law does
not suit them, and must therefore be
set aside. They profess to be friends
of the charter and charter govern
ment, but ignore that instrument.
substituting for it a form of govern
ment of their own fashioning. They
show contempt for the charter and in
suit the men who drew it up by kick
ing that document into an unrecog-
nizable mass. They have punotursd