The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1915-01-06

to be filed with absorbing interest
for every voter Of Montgomery
county, regardless of his political
affiliations, as the leading parties
must then choose their nominees
for every State Office from Governor
down, Circuit Judge, Common
wealth's Attorney, member Of the
General Assembly, Circuit Clerk and
last, but not least, three County
Commissioners, the first to serve un-
der the new law giving us the county
commission form of government.
AS many Of our best informed cit
liens seem not to understand the
provisions of the new law, at the
request of the Mt. Sterling Advocate,
which instituted and led the fight
for the adoption of this plan here,
l will give as clearly and briefly as
/ can a review Of the campaign, to-
gether with an explanation of the
salient provisions of the new law.
At the November election, 1913,
the people of Montgomery county
by the handsome majority of HOG
abolished the Fiscal Court as con-
stituted of Magistrates, and signl-
fed their preference for the up-to-
date and progressive commission
form of government. That this plan
is a vast improvement over the old
is evidenced by the fact that never
where it has been adopted and given
{, fair test, have the voters ever
returned to the old order of things.
At the outset, | want to say with
all possible emphasis, that the cam
paign to abolish the Fiscal Court,
was not inaugurated and must not
be construed as a reflection upon
the members of the Fiscal Court as
then or now constituted. On the
Alntrary objection alone was made
to the obsolete system which per-
mits of many errors and has done
more to ietard the progress and ma
terial growth of our county than
any other single factor in it.
The Clay Bill
The then law provided that the
change did not 60 into effect for
four years, so the anomalous sit
uation of the people living under
a system they had overwhelmingly
was presented. The
people of Jefferson, Bell and Nc
Cracker counties had also voted |
for change and as the Legislature |
was soon to convene it was but |
natural we should turn to it for
belief. A meeting of representa-
ives from the interested counties
Jas called to meet at the head
quarters of the Louisville CONNER
,ial Club, to which the writer was
invited and attended and such
1ublic-spirited citizens as Senator
Toe Bosworth, the good roads
apostle of Bell county, Peter Lee
stherton, Judge Samuel w. Greene,
;. W. Hines, Hugh B, Fleece, John
Scott, ThOs, ], Knight and others
8 Louisville, took an active inter- .
st, This meeting resulted in the
rafting Of an excellent bill, intend
d to be statewide in its applica-
ion, subsequently introduced by
Ion. j. Will Clay, our State Senator
md known as Senate Bill No. zoo.
This bill aroused the ire of the
Magistrates of Jefferson Co. to such
In extent that they began a vicious
against it. They summon
d to their aid all the political ma
.hines of our state metropolis and
I soon became evident that if the
dill became a law it had to run the
gauntlet of very powerful opposition.
To make matter worse, the political
leaders of other Kentucky cities
we're enlisted in the fight against /
the bill because it contained a non
partisan provision, which would
hava nernitted the DeODle. in Spite |