The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-02-04
The City Council is Indig-
nant Over UnWarranted
Action of Charter
Constructors.

III AC Cile 1lIllI lHeeLllS VI IHe dldthd
| Charter Board, held on the 17th of
January, the following item appears
on the minutes:
'"The Manager of the Morning Post
(Mr. H. P. Nerwich) appeared before
the board and requested that he be
awarded the publication of the pro-
posed charter at 20 per cent discount
from the legal rate; on motion of Mr..
Walton, seconded by Mr.. Davis, the
publication of the proposed charter
was awarded to the Palatka Morning
Post"
The law requires that the proposed
charter shall be published in some
newspaper of the city four weeks pre-
ceding the election, and that the first
publication must not be less than rs
days preceding the day of the charter
ed for the 10Th inst.
The first publication of the proposed
charter appeared in the Palatka Morn
ing Post last Monday. That was the
first intimation the Times-Herald OF
the Daily Democrat had that the pub
lication of the document had been or
dered. The Palatka News knew of it
on Thursday of last week.
On Tuesday last with the approval
of the other city publishers, the pro-
prictors of The News, believing that
the Charter Board had done an un-
lawful act, looked into the matter.
As business men and tax payers Of
the city, there was of course modi-
of eo1fichrncc ~, thic i,,uocfiro-
tion. As business men and tax pay
ers these investigating publishers are
justified in securing business for
their respective publications in every
legitimate manner.
They found in the first place that
the Charter Board had performed an
illegal act in awarding the publica-
ton of the proposed charter.
The law is found under Section H.,
Chapter 6940, Laws of Florida, known
as the "Charter Board Act" This
section says:
"The Clerk or Secretary of the
Council, or Legislative body of the
city or town shall cause to be publish
ed in newspaper, ETC."
1t will thus be seen that the law ex-
pressly makes the giving out of this
charter for publication a prerogative
of the Clerk of the City Council.
! Knowing that the other publishers
of the city had time to seek this bus
mess and make price on it's publica-
ton the publishers of The News, with
the approval of the other city publish
ers, addressed letter to City Clerk
Williams, asking that they be given
an opportunity to make price on the
work.
Mr.. Williams was not aware that he
had the power to award this printing
until his attention was called to it by
The News. He was overcome with
his responsibility and for this reason
The News advised him to secure the
advice of the City Council and the
City Attorney.
At the meeting of the City Council
Tuesday night Mr.. Williams laid our
communication before the Council.
The City Attorney who was present,
after considering the matter, agreed
with the opinion of The News, that
the Clerk, AND THE CLERK ONLY.
had authority under the law to award
the printing of the proposed Charter.
There was much discussion in the
Council over this usurpation of power
on the part of the Charter Board.
Speeches were made in condemnation
by Messrs. Becks, McNally, Gay, Aus
tin, Jarrett, Kennerly and perhaps
others. With the exception of Mr..
Howell A. Davis, a member of the
Charter Board, every member of the
oil 40 ,o,.
, his Indignation over the action of the
Charter Board.
A resolution was passed advising
City Clerk Williams to get tenders
from all the publishers of the city and
to award the publication to the lowest
bidder.
Alderman Howell A. Davis defend
ed the Charter Boards action in vig-
orous manner. He said that year
of two ago the council asked the
Times Herald and the Palatka News
to make tenders for certain city print
ing, and that both papers made bids
at the legal rate. "Now," said he,
with that peculiar nasal twang he
uses when he desires to be particu-
lally impressive "they come here and
make howl because this Charter
Board has given out this printing at
a discount of 20 per cent from the le-
gal rate"
Mr.. Davis is partly right. These
papers did charge the legal rate and
refused to cut under, on this particu-
lar advertising, because it was some
thing the city did not expect to pay
for; and Mr.. Davis knows this as well
as do the publishers of The Palatka
News. On occasions when the publi-
cation has been an expensive one,
these papers have always made COM
petitive bids.
But here was an extraordinary
piece of printing, one that might
properly be called WHOLESALE
printing; one that was sufficiently
large to warrant cut price; one that