The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-05-25
HON. 7. S. RILEY OPPOSES
GREATER WHEELING CHARTER

appoint and discharge every onloe.
and employees Of the cay government,
e1cept the members OF council. city
clerk. city solicitor. chief Of police
Judge OF police court and loan com
missioner. This Is an unprecedented
authority 10 be In amp one mant
hands.
An Auteehaey.
The charter provides that be can
be removed BY council or he can b.
recalled b. vote Of the people. SO
long a. he has fTe councilmen who
are favorable 10 bis retention be can.
not be removed by council and TO re
rnose him b. a vote OF the people IL
will require a petition signed By 20
per cent OF the voters. a special cleo
ton be held at the expense OF the
taxpayers. and a. that election the
city manager Will have all OF the Of
ncers. except those appointed By
council and all OF the employees OF
the city as his supporters and IL he
so desires there h nothing TO prevent
him TO put into service at the expense
OF the city. previous to such election.
as many employees TO work on the
streets. in the water works. the gas
works and the tity electrical work.
as he may desire, making Il. in my
judgment, almost impossible to re
move him from his position by a re-
call vote. Once city manager gets
intrenehed in his position all he has
To do At any general election In order
10 hold his positions Is to see 10 Il
that Ave councilman are elected who
are favorable to him and with all the
ri ~
who are under his control he will not
have much trouble in electing a sum
Gent number OF council to retain him.
II knoy n Ia said that council will
be non-partisan. This Is absolutely
impossible. The Republicans In a Re
publican ward viii see to IL that two
Republicans are nominated from tina;
ward and the Democrats in a Demo
cratic ward will see to Il that two
Democrats are nominated and which
ever party has the ma j0rity OF voters
In the city as a whole VIII see to IL
that the member of council at large
will belong to that political party.
so II will be impossible to eliminate
politics from the management of the
city government and think that thls
eharterN affords the best opportunity
OF forming what is known as a politi-
cal ring and keeping Il continuously
in power than any charter that have
so far examined
Good Citizens Ruled Out.
Section six OF the charter provides.
among other things. that member
of council cannot be, directly or in
directly. a holder or owner of any
bond or stock OF any corporation en-
joying a municipal franchise. privi-
lege or easement. in or from such
city, OF by an officer. agent, trustee,
servant or smploye Of such corpora
tion. This disfranchises every person
from holding a seat In council who IS
an employe. bond holder, or a stock
holder of the Wheeling Traction com
pany. West Virginia Traction a. Elec-
trio company. the Market Auditorium.
the several railroads that come into
the city, or any other corporation that
has any franchise, privilege or ease
ment from the city. This disfranchises
quite a large number of our citizens
and taxpayers from serving in coun-
ell Il Is not the employees of these
corporations that will be likely 10
vote away valuable rights from the
city, but these rights are more liable
TO be voted away by persons elected
through the influence OF these corpor-
atoms which can be handled and con
trOlled by them.
while IL is true quite a number
OF people believe In the referendum
plan of adopting or passing ordinances
while In some cases this may be al
right. the plan provided in this char
ter is that anyone can draft an ordi-
nance and have 1t signed by IS per
cent OF the voters and present such
ordinance to council and council must,
usrff III
ordinance without change. or call a
special election and submit the ordi-
nance To a vote OF the people. and n
IL Is adopted by a majority OF the peO-
pie II cannot be amended or changed
without submitting IL again TO vote
Of the people. The ordinance sub
mitted may be of a trihing char cter
or may not be in the interest OF the
city as a whole but for private inter
est, but Notwithstanding this the city
IL put 10 the expense OF a special
election TO adopt or reject such Ordi-
nance. ] don't believe that this Is the
best interest OF the taxpayers Of the
city as a whole.
There are many other objections
To this charter that might be pointed
out, but TO my mind these are the
80 far as the Amended Charter isl
concerned, The principal change r. that
charter Is abOlishlng tho two branches
OF council and establishing one branch
with eleven members. retains the
Board OF control and the other or
hcers Of the city who are elected by
= vote Of the people
on Their Merits.
~ don't think 10 makes any diher-
Cnce 10 the citizens as whole who