Mohave County miner., 1916-09-23
INCORPORATION MOVEMENT
 IS TAKING LIKE WILD FIRE

attention to the needs of Oatman like our own town government can do, and
 in a large county like this it is not to be expected that any town can get the favors from a county board that it wants and that a town government would grant. Fire protection is a mat ter that has proven inequitable and burdensome upon me. l made my do- nations and furnished the pipe on the guarantee that the Chamber of Com merce that I would get my money. Is it right that I should be out over $500? It puts it up to me to go and take back my pipe, for 1 have no other recourse. am not in favor of an eX- pensive government. No salaried of ficers except a treasurer and clerk, one man to fill both positions, and pay him S15O a month. Yes, you can say that l am in favor of it."
 "Yes, it is up to us to govern our own town and make our own improve ments as we need them," said W. P. Geary, attorney and state corporation commissioner. Several parties have mentioned it to me and have told them that am for it. What we will require is a petition signed by two thirds of the taxable inhabitants, which is the wording of the statute. It does not say voters nor residents, but taxable inhabitants. By that you can see that a nonresident taxpayer would not have right to sign the pc tition nor a voter unless he is a tax able inhabitant. I am inclined to think that under the law the taxable inhab- itant means a potential taxpayer. One who has property here, lives here and is liable to taxation. It requires no election at all. The petition is ad- dressed to the county supervisors, who will satisfy themselves that it has been sufficiently signed and will be granted as a matter of course when that is assured"
 q am certainly in favor of incor- poration," said W. F. Gray, manager of the Times Mining company. "What would you think of a place like this if you come in and were considering an investment. After one look at Main street you would be apt to take the first auto and get out of town. I am in favor of anything for the improve ment of the town and you will always find me doing my part. But you can not expect anybody to do things that are nobody's business. They kick about the Chamber of Commerce. | am one of the directors and have al- ways paid more than my share. It is true that the Chamber of Commerce has had to take over some duties that naturally do not belong to it, but the organization is open to all, and if the people object to the way it has been run or the ones who are running it, they should get in and change things to suit themselves and put in who ever they like to run it. With a town government the matters of sanitation that have caused criticism of the Chamber of Commerce would be taken out of its hands and run by the town, which is the one to do that work. Then the Chamber of Commerce could de- vote it's attention to matters for which the organization naturally is intend ed. I was at Goldfeld when we had to demand the removal of the county seat from Hawthorne. We could not govern our own town and we simply had to act. We demanded the removal of the county seat from the legisla- l ture, and got it, and when we got on the train and went to Hawthorne after the books and records there were 300 of us and about q people all told in Hawthorne. l spoke to one old fel- low with whiskers a foot long and cane. He attempted to strike me with his cane. We'll, we simply loaded him and all the other inhabitants of Flaw thorne on the train and took them to . Goldfeld with us The people there were out of touch and not competent . to govern Goldfeld, nearly 15O miles away This situation is different, but I mention it merely to illustrate the point that we should govern our own town, for nobody on the outside is in position to appreciate our wants"
 q am for it," said H. c. Snow, pro- prietor of the St. Francis hotel. q have been discussing the question al- ready and am in favor of it for vari- ous reasons. This street condition out here would soon be adjusted to the satisfaction of all. want to see the streets placed in condition to not be s1tcb a diSOraca and In have tha drain |