The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-08
Mayor Declares That He VII Rush the
Work Of Investigation and IssGs For
NAL Proclamation Just as Soon as Hs
Is Satisfied With the Petitions.

Mayor Dan O. Head has started the
arduous task of checking up the names
on the petitions demanding a referen-
dun on the commission form Of govern
ment. At the last general election in
the city there were 4,010 votes cast for
all the candidates for mayor and in or
der to have the question of the com
mission form submitted to the people
the petitions now in the hands of the
mayor must contain the names of 1,0l0
qualified electors of the city of Keno
sha. The petitions contain exactly
1927 names 50 that the margin is but
seventeen and it is probably that this
will be reducted by the elimination of
duplicate signatures. Mayor Head viii
probably be abb to complete the ex-
animation Of the names on the petition
within two weeks and if he is satisfied
that the number is sufficient he will
lose no time in issuing his proclamas
ton. Under the law the election must
be held within sixty days after the
presentation Of the petition and the
proclamation of the mayor must be is.
sued within thirty days in order to
give time for the preliminaries to the
primary
The law provides that should the com
mission form be adopted by the refer
endum vote that the candidates for
mayor and for councilmen must be
nominated AT regular primary efec-
ton. This primary is to be held under
the law which has governed city pri-
maries in the past. The candidates
must file affidavits Of their candidacy
at least twenty days before the. date
set for the primary and the affdavits
must be accompanied by a petition
signed by at least twenty electors.
All petitions must be circulated at
large and under the commission form
ward lines will be entirely wiped out
Some of the opponents to the com
mission form have insisted already that
the petition is insufficient, they holding
that the law demands that the petition
be signed by onesfourth of the number
of electors who voted at the last gen.
eral election. Ivy hold that many
votes were cast blank for the office of
mayor and that the total number of
all the votes cast was largely in
excess of the number received by the
three actual candidates. The reading
of the law appears to be plain and it
states that the petitions shall be sign
ed by twenty per cent of the votes
cast for all candidates for mayor. No
mention of the blank votes is made in
the law. This matter has been referred
to the .city attorney for decision.
The clans have already begun to line
up for and against the proposed change
in the form of government of the city.
Many of the workingmen of the city
seem to be committed to the new form
and it has a large support among the
heavier tax payers of the city. The
plan is opposed by the men who have
been active in politics as these men
seem to prefer the old form.
It will take long while to get
over these petitions, said Mayor Head
in discussing the matter. "There are
4 lot of names on them that | have
never heard of and shall be forced
to refer to poll lists i, order to salts
fs myself that the petitions contain the
requisite number of electors Just as
soon as | am convinced that this is true
| will make The proclamation provided
by the state Law.