Denver labor bulletin., 1916-03-18

probably on Tuesday, May l6,
an election to amend the city
- charter will be held in Denver.
This was practically assured when the
time Tor filing protests against the
Charter Leagues petitions expired at
midnight Wednesday without any action
being indicated that would prevent the
regular procedure. These petitions were
filed with the elections commission last
Saturday, and contain 9,S4S signatures.
1t thus becomes obligatory upon the city
commissioners to call special election
in not less than thirty nor more than
sixty days from that date. A complete
check of the signatures has been made
by the commission, and it was stated
only about 100 names had a suspicion of
not being legitimate. Inasmuch as there
are 5000 signatures of legal voters more
than required by the referendum law,
there was no ground for protest. At
the city hall it was stated no attempt
will be made to block the election and
it will be called in due form. There
have been rumors of other petitions pro-
viding amendments by both Democratic
and Republican politicians, but so far
they have not materialized. The Char
ter League program provides for re-es-
tabhshment of the mayor form of gov
ernment with an aldermanic board of
nlne representing as many city districts.
The mayor is to be given autocratic
powers, and if adopted will institute
what in effect is to be a one man gov
ernment for the City and County of
Denver. Vigorous opposition will be
made to the new charter by those in Of
flee, by the Denver Taxpayers League
and other civic organizations, so that
lively but short campaign is assured /,
: understood ha oh &c ~.
ment is being fostered by the so-called
patriotic societies, or the Knights OF
Luther. In event the amendments carry
at the May election, another election will
soon follow to choose the new city off
cials.
As predicted in this column last week !
a recall of all the school board members |
is about to be instituted. This move
ment will probably be initiated and car
RED out under auspices of the Denver |
Taxpayers League. So badly entangled |
has the scrool board situation become |
that unless the present members are re-
called, long and disastrous train OF
court litigation is in prospect. Wednes- /
day noon Board Members Ben b. Jones |
and DIR. G. n. Guyer held meeting all |
their own, declared themselves a quorum,
voted the seat of Congressman Ben c. l
hilllard as a board member vacant for l
political reasons" elected Clarence J.
Morley, an attorney, to fill the vacancy |
thus created, and proceeded to transact |
business in their own way. Stephen
Knight, the third member of the board /
IN Denver, was not at the meeting. and
1t Is therefore held that in absence of n /
legal quorum the acts of Jones and
Guyer will not be considered as binding
IN any sense by the courts. In school. |
business and labor circles there has been |
much surprise as well as Indignation ex- |
pressed at the procedure Of the two |
members who constituted themselves n !
quorum, and the recall talk has spread |
to every home in the city. Teachers and |
students, especially, are restless over the |
uncertain condition of affairs, and the |
public school system is in a state of |
chaos 1t is being predicted that Su- |
perintendent Cole will either resign or
be deposed at the next meeting held by
Jones, Guyer and Morley
Two OF Denver's valiant protectors
were awarded gold medals this week as
displaying especial bravery in the per
iormance OF duty during the past year
me two men chosen for this especial
honor are Fireman ]. w. Hall and De-
tective Coleman Bell. The former re-
celved his medal for courape displayed
on the night of February 2 1915. when