The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-02-14
LABOR REAFEIRMS
ITS DEMAND FOR
VOTEON CHARTER
With No Action on Merits of
Proposed Bill. Council 0p-
poses Entire Act Without
Referendum on Adoption.

Without Analysing the merits Of the
proposed counCil-manager bill except
as 20 Isolated clauses. members Of the
Trades and Labor Council voted Thurs
day night, with but one exception, tC
oppose the new charter unless It con-
tain provision for a referendum upon
Itself. S~eventy-five to 100 delegates
from the various unions were present
when the vote was taken, The mo-
ton to condemn the charter without
referendum to precede installation was
made by W. T. Powell, a former presl-
dent Of the council.
In exchange Of views upon separate
provisions of the proposed new charter
bill 1t was generally agreed by the I'M
ion representatives that the initiative,
referendum and recall features con-
tained in the measure provide the kind
OF legislation which union labor has
desired and worked for in Memphis fOI
years.
W. n. Page contributed adverse eriti-
clsm on section II, which DEGREES that
the city manager shall appoint a tax
assessor and city treasurer" Mr.. Page
was OF the opinion that it was unwise
to allow the city manager to have I'M
der his hand, through their appoint
ment, men who were to assess the taxes
and maintain the custody Of the city's
revenues. II was his view that the es-
tablished plan of selecting the tax as
SCISSOR at the polls should be .perpetu-
ated in the proposed new charter.
Objection was also raised by Mr., Page
to the absence of the charter to limita-
ton on the salary which might be paid
the city manager.
The labor members did not take up
the sweeping clauses on public utilities,
which are to give the municipality a
dominating position in the public utili-
ties field, and which afford advantages
which union labor fundamentally raves
The vote on the referendum question
practically amount to a reafftrmatiOn
of action taken months ago by the coun-
ell to put itself on record as opposed to
any amendment to the present charter
which should not first be submitted to a
referendum.
The legislative merits Of the charter
were stoutly proclaimed by S, A. Wad-
dell, and he was joined by Jake Cohen
and O. !. Kruger In the suggestion that
II would be best to investigate the con-
tents Of the proposed charter as to the
good it might do for the city before
taking action to condemn II.
Mr.. Kruger offered a motion which
would provide for a committee Of is to
investigate the printed draft of the
charter and report to a special meeting
Of the council. This motion was Of
fered as a substitute to the motion Of
Mr., Page to suspend the rules for inn
mediate consideration Of the charter bill.
ne IHBt iIlbllOl was CdIIicut
Charles W, Miller, as representative
Of the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
g%ineers, fire and police commissioner,
spoke In opposition to the charter with.
out a referendum.
DR.. c. u. Duvall spoke against the
measure without prior referendum, rep
%resenting the Brotherhood Of Railway
Trainmen lodge No. A. He declared
that his organization was prepared to
attack the passage Of the charter bill in
Nashville. Putnam Dye, t. II. Beasley
and w, l., Lott appeared as joint dele.
gates with DIR. Duvall.
A committee from the council was APP
pointed to present the informal refer
endum plan, previously outlined, to the
committee of 100. This vas done on
she initiative of Lehman Johnson. who
suggested a motion for adoption OF the
informal referendum.
A resolution recording the Trades and
Labor Council as approving bond Issue
adequate for relief of the crowded con-
ditlons of the schools was adopted, upon
the request OF n delegation from the
Parent Teacher association. The mo-
ton was introduced by Mr.. Kruger.
It was also decided to adopt a resolu-
luton protesting against the repeal Of
the act abolishing the convict lease
system.