The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-01-01
COMMISSIONERS ARE TOUCHY;: I:
DO THEY FEAR REFERENDUM?
Interview Bearing Earmarks of Mayor Prince Declares
Opponents of Armory Sale Are Playing Politics to
Dscredit Commissioners Before Next :,
$3.50 Election-He Knows Better.

The majority members of the city
| commission who voted to sell the
Armory last Monday afternoon. de-
clare that The Labor Worlds opposi-
ton to the sale is but an attempt on
| our part to 'tdiscredft the city COM
| missioners for political purposes"
through their press agent they as
sert that we are in league with for
mer aldermen to get the commits
sioners I'm bad" with the people be-
fore the next municipal election, and
that we are being assisted by them
charter so that Legislative and execu-
tive functions will be separated.
In Pitiable Plight.
If this is the best argument the
commissioners can advance in behalf
of the sale of public propertyet that
will be worth twice it's present value
ten years from now they are indeed
in pitiable plight.
The E1ayor and Commissioner Voss
were two Of the commissioners who
| voted in favor of selling the Armory.
They. will come up for election in
April, 1917. Commissioner Silber-
stein the other members holds over
until 1919. So the only commits
sioners we are after, if we are merely
| playing politics, are Mayor Prince
! and Commissioner Voss. We have
always supported Mr.. Voss and we
have not considered this slight diff
| ference between us sufficient cause
| to estrange us.
They Are Good Enough For Us.
For the benefit of any doubtful
ones, Mayor Prince among the rest,
we can truthfully say that we have
never discussed the Armory sale or
the revision of tire city charter to
separate legislative and executive
functions Of city officials with a sin
gle former alderman, except with
Watson S. Moore and A. G. Nc
Knight, both of whom oppose the
sale of the Arnory, and both are op-
posed to changing the city charter by
creating legislative body, that is so
far as we know.
The former aldermen Mayor
| Prince insinuates who are "assisting
the editor of The. Labor World" in
trying to save the armory for the
| people are not the aldermen who
were discredited by the passage of
the commission form of government
! charter. We have on our side fight
! ing with us such men as Watson S.
Moore, A. G. Mcknight and P. G..
Phillips, men whose records as public
! officials stand out in bold relief from
the records of: those former aldermen
who Mayor Prince would have the
public believe are fighting him now.
Some Former Aldermen.
The editor of The Labor World
does not en5oX. the confidence of
not support us when we were a can
didate for mayor, They supported
Mr.. Prince, because they knew then
as the people know now what he
would do in the event of an issue be-
tween the people and any interest
that seeks favor from city officials at
the expense of the people.
Mayor Prince, and we believe he is
the commissioner who is responsible
for the Interview in the Herald above
referred to, is not big enough to
credit the editor of The Labor World
with having an honest motive in this
Armory matter. If anyone disagrees
with him he attributes it to malice
and pique. In the habit of dealing
largely with money he seems to