The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1915-12-01

acts OF CanQ1QateS III running AoI u /
fee, requiring them to publish a state |
ment OF campaign expenses and pro-
hibiting newspapers from publishing |
any statements for compensation as to
candidates without marking the state
ments with the price paid for the
same and by whom. Some of these
provisions are already covered by the
state law, and others appear to have
been put in ito listen WELL" as they
have no other use or practical value
therein.
Section has real merit and should
have been in our present Charter. 1t
requires quarterly statement of the
financial condition of the city and pro-
vides that it be published and copies
provided for all who would call for
them at the city hall. This also would
not be expensive, because, judging
from the number of citizens who call
at the city hall nowadays to examine
statements of receipts and expend-
lures that is kept on file there, about
four copies of the statement would be
sufficient
This Act also provides for the re-
call, initiative, and referendum. The
first means that when commissioner
gets in office petition signed by
20 per cent of the voters at the last
primary election, when presented to
the council, shall compel them to call
/ another election. The ballots voted
one at a time contain the names of
the commissioner who is being re-
called and any other person who may
| want the job. The commissioner to
retain his job or someone else to get
| of all votes cast, SO that if there are
more than two names on the ballot in
all probability there will be second
election. Just at this point the COM
missioner incumbent has big advant-
age in that his name goes back on the
ballot with the highest one of his OPP
ponents, even though he was the low
man of them ALL The recall as provid-
ed for in this act is defective in that,
1st, a commissioner may be recaller
for any reason whatever, so long as
some reason is set forth in the peti-
ton
End, That only 20 per cent. of
the voters at the last primary are re
CURED to sign the petition Anyone
knows that anyone can at any time
get a petition with that number oil
signers petitfoning anyone to do any
thing, and that thirty minutes later
the same, people will sign another peti
ton requesting the contrary.
3rd, In that the section is indefi
: mite as to how often a recall
election of the same commission
, er can be .had..'f The wordin:
J is ito the person receiving tn.
majority of votes cast in said cleo
: ton shall hold Office during the unex
: pired term" If this means that Their
2 can be only one recall of commits
Y sioner during his term of three years
= then it is entirely wrong, and ON tn
e other hand, if there can be a~recall @
4 a commissioner at any time then it
t not fair to the public, the town O
d the commissioners. Most cities pre-
a vide that there shall not be recall ele,
e lions ofrener than six months, bu
d this act, in this particular as in man
l. others, is vaguely indefinite"
l. -The initiative and referendum,
L their effect are very much like tn
A. stock holder of a corporation sayin
1t to the directors that they have electe
1--WE have elected you as directors I
re control and manage our affairs b,
N you must not do anything without SUI
il hitting it to u.s.
u About three pages of the charter
IN occupied with a primary system
" complicated as the Bryan Law und,
f. which the last democratic primari,
in were held. 1t prescribes how Il
re names of the candidates shall get b
lie that where there is one commission
to TO be elected, the two highest in Il
bit primary shall have their names plac.
~ on the ballot at the election; th
IL where two are to be elected, thr
tie highest; and where there are thr
81 to be elected, the four highest We fl
W to see the value of all this "electin
OF inasmuch as the same people vo
m at the election as vote at t
Sc primary. Further, the commissio
to ers are all elected at the saI
hit time and all hold Office for thr
ny years, so that there would nev
be an election for less than three co
ne missioners, except to fill an unexpir
CT term. Under these provisions t
mt primary would be the election as OF
at four candidates would be permitted
ul- the election to fill three offices. :
re- Under the head OF 1.-The Budget"