The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-10-14
RECALLS INTERESTING
Judge Slater Shows Attorneys the
Great Need Of New Qualification of
the Charter Provisions and ordi-
nances Of the City.

The dry old city charter of Kenosha,
which has been kicked from pillar to
post ever since the days that Southport
laid aside its sWaddling clothes and
took on new dignity and new name,
most interesting lectures ever given in
Kenosha on Wednesday afternoon when
City Attorney John G. Slater spoke be-
fore the members Of the Kenosha Bar
association at the second dinner of the
attorneys held at the club room Of
Hotel haywood Mr.. Slater, better
than any one else in Kenosha, knows
the history of Kenosha s basic law
and his Interpretation of it and his
story of how it came into being proved
to be matter of greatest interest to
the lawyers of the city, There was
nothing dry in the address of the city
attorney. He touched upon vital in
terests of the people of Kenosha and
spoke strongly in favor of new dress
for Kenosha. He showed the demand
of the city, if not for new city char
ter and code of ordinances, for revi-
sion of the present charter and ordi-
nances and the publication of them in
some sort of a volume which would
make them of some value to people
who go to courts of law and for people
who would do things III Kenosha as
the charter and the ordinances of the
city provide.
The city attorney went back to
:" first things = and told the story of
the first draft of the city charter.
He followed the old document through
changing periods of more than sixty
years and pointed out it's weaknesses
and its strength. He showed how it
had been revised by adoption of por-
tions Of the general charter law of the
state and how it had been improved
upon by amendments with the consent
of the state legislature.
For the first time in years Mr.. Slater
gave an interesting account of the DAYS
when Kenosha furnished aid to rail
roads, then he told of the days of bank
ruptcy and surreptitious meetings of
the council to pass the tax lew and
adjourn and the services of the fam
Gus old Auditing Board y It was a
part of Kenosha's history which had
never been told to some of the younger
members of the bar and it brought
many smiles. Mr.. Slater declared that
if common knowledge is to be consid-
cred the city never received better
service than from that auditing board
of five members. He told of amend
ments of the charter to give wider
powers to the council for making pub
lie Improvements in the city, Of the
coming of provisions authorizing the
board of health and went into detail
in discussing the various processes
of the city in carrying out the work
of the municipality
He spoke of the charter convention
at Madison and the effect that it had
on the amending of the Kenosha
special charter. He spoke of the crea-
ton of the board of water commission
ers, of the coming Of the police and
fire commission free of political inter
ference and told many interesting
stories of the old days when the police
officers were elected by the council af-
ter each annual election.
Summing it up he declared that the
old charter of Kenosha was a good
charter even though it was little
Anticipated and he asserted that the
greatest need of the city today was the
proper modification of the charter and
the laws of the city. The last edition
of the revised charter and ordinances
was published in the eighties and since
that time che city councils have been
grinding out ordinances by the score
and yet none of them are included in
the real law book Of the city. He
spoke of movements which have been
made to secure the publication of the
charter and ordinance in the revised
form and urged the members of the
bar to give their most careful support
to such a movement in order that the
people of Kenosha might have some
idea of just what its charters and or
dinances provide for.
While Mr.. Slater spoke at consider
able length the subject matter of his
address was of such compelling inter
est to the members of the bar that the
meeting was declared to have been the
most interesting meeing Of lawyers
ever held in Kenosha.
The garage of William Winke in the