Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-11-10
PERTINENT QUESTIONS

Who is to blame for the fact that
Hopkinsvile at the present time is
without City Council? That is the
question that the business men and
citizens of our town are discussing
on every side. Will the big four who
hitched Councilman Woodbridge on
the outside when they we're distrib-
uting pie at this late date invite
| Mr.. Woodbridge into their meetings
when seven members of the Council
will have to be present at one time
in order to have quorum. Will
Mr.. Woodbridge attend these meet
ings in order to get the big four out
of the hopeless mix-up that now con-
fronts them.
Hopkinsville is a city of the third
class, and under the Statutes of
Kentucky, cities of the third class
are required to have common Coun
Gil consisting of twelve members
Hopkinsville passed into the third
class cities in June 1914, and at that
time it was the duty of the Council
to elect five new members to serve
until the November election. At the
November election this year it was
the duty of our city to have elected
six new members to serve on the
common council, it being kept in
mind that Mr.. Ducker was filling a
vacancy.
The Statutes strictly require that
seven members of the common Coun-
Gil shall be present in order to con-
stitute quorum for the transaction
of any business, and in view of the
fact that it seems impossible for the
seven members to attend at one
time, practically all of the business
which has been transacted by the
Council since Councilman Gees ILL.
ness, has been and is absolutely void
under the law. This condition brings
up some serious questions for the
consideration of our citizens as well
as officials. The city, if it has not a
legal Council, can not make a legal
contract of any kind and can not
pass valid ordinance. If the pro.
ceedings of the Council are void, the
treasurer would not be authorized
to honor the warrants drawn for the
payment of our debt and obligations,
or to pay the salaries of the officials.
Now whose duty was it to have
this election called? Whose duty
was it to have the ballots prepared?
Whose duty was it to advise the
Council that they were operating
Illegally when they were spending
the peoples money when quorum
was not present? If the Council S
really representing the people, it
would look into this matter and see
that whoever this person was, who
was so negligent in fulfilling his
duty should be righteously punished.
But excuse me. please. In my just
Indignation forgot that it would
probably be without any power what
ever to punish the guilty one, who
ever he be Because if the Council
has no legal existence how can it
punish this guilty man?
The people of Hopkinsville, or at
least a part of them, endeavored to
elect and fill the six vacancies exist
ing on the Council. but the election
commissioners thought that this eff
fort of the people to elect Council
was irregular, and refused to issue
certificates to the five citizens who
received the highest votes.
Then here is a question that our
citizens would like to have explained
to them. If the election of Mr..
Ducker was legal. why was not the
election o. our other citizens who
were voted for by the people legal?
The fact about the matter is that
the people of Hopkinsville should
take the bit in their own teeth and
demand some thing of value from
| the officials of our City. If the