Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-09-24
NEW CITY CHARTER
IS REFERRED BACK
TO THE COMMITTEE
County Clerk Gehlhar and
City Attorney Page Have
a Tilt
The FLOW OF LANGUAGE
LASTED ALL EVENING
Committee, City Attorney and
Other Lawyers Will Hold
An Autopsy

Page was attacking the enaeting
clause of the proposed city charter at
the special meeting Of the city council
last night when the council was sitting
as a committee of the whole, as entirely
too informal in language and not legal
enough in phraseology that Max
Gehlhar secretary of the charter com
mission that drafted the measure, de-
elared that the measure had been in
the hands of the city attorney for the
past two months for his legal opinion
and that il the phraseology was too
informal and not legal it was his fault.
as the commission relied on him TO put
it into legal language.
Mr.. Gehlhar also stated that when
the measure came back to him as secre-
tary, it contained only marginal notes
which bore only on questions Of policy
and not on the legal phase Of the mat
ter. He declared that the city attor-
ney only noted things like the matter of
the attorneys salary and the amount of
money that could be spent for city pur-
pOes under the new charter and was of
the opinion that Mr. lage was trying to
block the proposition by drawing atten.
tiOn TO minor technical errors such as
the wording of the enacting clause
Mr. Gehlhar said these were sad facts
but true.
Companions Are Odious"
He compared the expenses of the
city government with that of the
county and stated that the former has
increased 400 per cent under the present
system while the county expenses have
decreased 10 per cent under a system
similar to commission, the county
court with a judge and two commission
ers. He said the committee was through
with its work in March and turned the
matter over Mr.. Page for his opinion
There he said il rested for two months
until demand of the people grew too
strong and il was demanded again He
said he know it will be Objectionable
to many people because it abolishes all
city offices and places the city govern.
ment under a manager, who is respOnsi-
BILE to the commission and on this ac-
count will not meet with favor from
those who want to get their hands in
the city treasury.
In closing his talk Mr. Gehlhar said
the commission framed measure for
the best interests of the people and not
for politicians. The commission had no
legal advice in framing its provisions
and only gave the substance of the
charter to the council leaving its legal
phrasing to the city attorney, who did
not touch on that point at all. He be.
lieved that if this measure goes into
effect it will mean great saving to
the people of the city and reduce the
taxation materially. The old charter,
he said, wherever it was possible, was
left intact.
The Mayors Ideas
Mayor Sleeves stated the commission
put in a lot of hard work and had
nothing but patriotic motives in draft.
ing the present measure. He said he
did not believe the council or any other
person should make any attempt To
keep it from being submitted to the
people. He believed it should be sub.
mitted to the people and then fought
if it is to be fought.
In reply to Mr.. Gehlhar the city at
torney said that he resented the impu-
tation that he was trying to block the
submitting of the proposed charter to
the people. He said he was keen TO see
it go before them and that he went over
the details with a member of the draft
ing committee. He said that unless the
committee submits as nearly a perfect
an instrument OF government as pos
sible il is remiss in its duty. In rc.
gard 10 the copy Of the measure with
the marginal notes, which Mr.. GehlhaI
had on hand, the city attorney said it
was made for a private purpose ana
not as a report, and added that if he
had made report he would have
taKen the thing to shreds. technically.
Not ''the Snap Of His Finger
In regard TO the imputation that he
was blocking it for financial reasons oi
because he wanted the office, he said
he goes out of office at the first of the
year and that he did not care the snaI
of his finger for it, He said be did
object to being made the goat of the
committee.
Councilman Macy took mp the attack
on the measure as drafted and charge
that when he aud Mr. Page made sup
gestions to the commission member,
concerning parts of the measure thei
suggestions were met with coldness and
they lost heart. He read an article
from the copy which stated "the elec
tive officers shall be mayor, record
er and seven commissioner AM
also "the commissioner for the short
term receiving the highest number OF
votes shall be mayor He declared
that this provided for two mayors, ana
was fundamental defect. A. A. Lee
replied to him that this part was merely
an oversight and that il had been cor
Tected.
Macy Finds Something.
Councilman Maev stated that in the
phrase 'ithe commission has power ia
lease, purchase, or construct, inside OF
outside the limits of the city, plants
for lighting, water, and power" the
committee was forcing the people to
purchase or build its water works end