Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-04-22

the journal expressed no opinion, one
way or the other | personally took
no part in the movement.
Three petitions were signed, with
an aggregate of nearly fourteen hun
dred names. addressed to Speaker Sc
dillo asking that a bill be drawn by
which the voters might decide be-
tween the present charter and re-
turn to the aldermaniC form of gov
ernment
One or more of the commissioners
and the city manager went to Santa
Fe to feel out the situation and learn
if such petition would be likely to re-
ceive favorable consideration there.
They found it would be difficdlt, if not
impossible to defeat it,
How Present Charter Originated.
| was invited to the office of w. =.
Metcalf for a conference, and found
on going there, Commissioners Wade
and Reynolds, City Manager Heben-
STREET. City Attorney Keleher w. C,
Oestreich, Judge George r. Craig and
w. p Metealf, the latter three men,
bers of the old charter commission
| was asked by the commissioners
to act as mediator, and to prevent, If
possible, the petition from being sent
to Speaker Sedillo or, If it was sent,
to prevent the passage of the bill I
told them, and they all agreed, that a
composite Measure would he necesg
sary, and the terms Of the cUffpro-
mise measure were agreed upon
unanimously. and City Attorney Kele-
her. was given the duty of putting the
terms into a bill and he and were
deputized to carry the bill to Santa
Fe This providing the men who had
been instrumental in having the petit
ton signed agreed to such compro-
mise.
went to Santa Fe, after having
stated the proposition to the propon-
ents of the aldermanic government
and having secured their agreement,
and Mr.. Keleher came up few days
later with the draft of the bill
Little Amending Done.
THE BILL WAS THE SAME. IN
EVERY RESPECT, AS THAT NOW
BEFORE THE PEOPLE, EXCEPT
IN THREE PARTICULARS, NAME
LY: SPEAKER SEDlLLO AMEND
ED IT so AS TO PROVIDE FIVE
DISTRICTS, WHEREAS THE BILL
DRAWN BY MR.. KELEHER HAD
-FOUR, AND PROVISION FOR ONE
COMMISSIONER AT LARGE WHO
WOULD BE THE MAYOR; CHIEF
JUSTICE ROBERTS STRUCK OUT
THE CLAUSE PROVIDING FOR
THE AMENDMENT OF THE CHAR
TER BY THE VOTERS OF ALBU-
QUERQUE ON THE GROUND THAT
IT WAS PROBABLY UNCONSTlTU-
TIONAL AND CITY COMMISSIO ONER
WADE AND CITY MANAGER He
BENSTREIT HAD INSERTED THE
CLAUSE WHICH PROVIDES THAT
IN CASE OF THE REJECTION OF
THE NEW CHARTER THE OLD
CHARTER SHALL BE LEGAL.
IN NO OTHER PARTICULAR
WAS THE DRAFT OF THE CHAR
TER CHANGED. The provisions
for
FIVE COMMISSIONERS, ONE OF
THEM TO BE DESIGNATED BY
THE COMMISSIONERS THEM
SELVES AS MAYOR, AND ALL TO
BE ELECTED BY THE VOTERS OF
THE CITY AT LARGE, BUT TO BE.
NOMINATED FROM THE FIVE
WARDS; THE PROVISION FOR RO-
TAT1ON IN OFFICE, TWO COMMITS
SIONERS TO BE ELECTED AT ONE
PERIOD. AND PROVl-
SION FOR THE ELECTION OF Sue
CESSORS BY THE PEOPLE IF THE
COMMISSIONERS SHOULD BE RE-
CALLED, WERE ALL IN THE
CHARTER AGREED UPON AT THE
CONFERENCE IN MR.. METCALF'S
OFFICE, AND THEY ARE ALL IN
THE NEW CHARTER.
| presumed with the commission
ers pledged to the charter as they
were, that there would be no opposi-
ton to it because of the slight and
really inconsequential changes made,
as above stated.
Surprised at Opposition.
1t was only after | had left the city
for more than ten days and returned
to it that I learned that active oppo-
SltlOn 10 IL Hdu ueNeiopeu uHuer tio
leadership of part of the men who
were party to the agreement In Mr..
Metcalf's office. When | got back !
heard Mr.. Metcalf himself denounc-
ing it as the work of somebody worthy
of a lunatic asylum.
A circular, of which knew moth
ing until / saw it in a store, was sent
out stating some reasons why the
charter should carry. In opposition
to that came out another circular
charging that t.ose backing the new
charter were disgruntled politicians
S~~-e~~N>>~<Sss><es~sNe
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