Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-05-02
Council votes 4 to 2 in Fav,
or of Ordinance for New
Railroad.
LAW REQUIRES
ANOTHER VOTE:
Majority Of Members. Elect Must Vote
for Any Bylaw, Ordinance or Cor.
tract, Says City Attorney Earl
Wood. After Council Ad;ourns.

Although the city council last night
by vote of to 2, finally passed the
ordinance granting franchise to the
Hot Springs, Pine Bluff and Mis-
sissippi railway, the opinion is held
and void. ~
Under the law, as pointed out bv
city Attorney Earl Wood after the
council had adjourned, a majority of
the members elect of the council must
vote favorably to encompass the pas
sage Of any bylaw, contract or ordi-
nance.
Among those who read the section
OF the law in question last night. the
opinion was unanimous that the neces
Sary vote was not cast last night.
There are eight members of the coun-
Gil, there being no vacancy. Alder
man Ben B. We'll was absent. being
at Little Rock in attendance upon a
convention, and Alderman j. A. Gle
ment was also absent being at Grape
vine with his brother, J. H. Clement,
who was reported critically i'll. Only
SIX members were present, and only
tour OF these voted in favor of adopt
ing the ordinance. A majority of the
members-elect of the council means
five members. 1t is known that
Alderman Clement is strongly in
favor of the ordinance, just as Alder
man We'll is strongly opposed to it,
Cannot Be Remedied.
City Attorney Wood was asked last
night if it would not be possible to
place the ordinance back on it's third |
reading at the next meeting of the
council, and then to pass it again with .
the required number of votes.
mo, SIR he replied. "This ordi-
nance is finished, SO far as the council
is concerned. The only way the sit
uation can be remedied is to introduce
and pass a new ordinance"
Only two or three members of the
council, and perhaps not that many
OF the rather large number of specta-
tors, knew of the unusual situation
when the council adjourned last night,
but these few appeared to be under
the impression that the officials of the
railway company will not accept the
ordinance, under the conditions sur
rounding its passage, because it is
apparently valueless.
Not Much Discussion.
There was virtually no discussion of
the ordinance before it was automat-
ically given it's third reading. Imrae-
diately the ordinance was reached,
Alderman McGibbony suggested that {
perhaps some one would desire to talk
about it before it was given its third :
reading {
Alderman Bahlau offered an amend c
''nent, which was accepted, correcting
in the ordinance the name of the rail-
road, which, properly. is "Hot Springs.
Pine Blug and Mississippi Railway" 6
instead Of "Hot Springs, Pine Bluff L
and Mississippi River Railway COM &
Dany"
Alderman Franey spoke briefly to a
explain why he had voted as he did on q
he several occasions when the ordi- t
nance was under discussion, and why f
he would vote against the ordinance a
It this meeting. He had thought all +
along that the ordinance was dual h
lffair, in that it was granting fran
'hisc for railroad as we'll as for an =,
and had desired full and =
rec opportunity to study it. He held !,
o his same opinion, he said, and there y
ore would vote against the ordinance. .
The third reading of the measure Il
Alderman Bahlau moved !!
nd Alderman McGehee seconded the II
notion that the ordinance be nassed. v
IN the roll call, Alderman Bahlau, OF
leans, McGehee and Simpson voted
ca, Aldermen Franey and McGibbony y
citing nay. N
"The mayor will hold that the ordi- b.
ance is adopted" announced Mayor
loom. IN