New Ulm review., 1922-10-04
Commission Govt.

Mankato is at the present time and
has ever since 1910 been taking care Of
the business of the city under what is
known as the city com mission form Of
government. All members of the COM
mission are elected at large by a vote
Of the entire citizenry There are no
more wards in the city Of Mankato
and there are no aldermen, socalled.
According to the views of quite num-
Der of the citizens this form Of civic
government is Objectionable. It is
claimed that the charter commission
is too much of a closed corporation
and that there are not enough elective
Offices and that as a matter-of- fact the
voters have very little to say about
the management Of the city,s aft hairs...
Amendments Proposed.
Because Of this general feeling a
charter commission consisting Of Is
members was appointed by an order Of
Judge Comstock dated August 9, 1921,
and supplemental order was filed by
the Court October ~, 1921. Ever
since that time the commission has
been at work preparing proposed amend
ments to the city charter and at all
times had the assistance and advice
Of the city attorney in their delibera-
tions. After their work was completed
the proposed amendments were sent to
Mayor Beach with the request that
tEey be submitted to the city council for
action. This the Mayor has refused
to do and recently returned the poo
posed amendments to a member Of the
charter commission. It is claimed that
these recommendations are not legal.
Question Of Legality.
G. O.. Daily, attorney for the charter
commission contends that the city
council and the Mayor have nothing
to do with the legality or inegality of
the proposed changes and that these
matters must necessarily be threshed
out in Court afterwards. The other
side maintains that the legality Of the
recommendations is jurisdictional and
that it is their duty to refuse to sub
nit The same to the voters Until their
legality had been passed on and es-
tablished by the Courts. 5=
4. The Reason Why. 1t
This much is certain, that the adop-
ton Of these recommend atoms would
legislate all the present incumbents out
Of Office and to tie outsider it looks
quite reasonable that the present office
holders should invoke all legal ma.
ichinery to prevent their being ousted:
AT the meeting Friday evening mem
bers Of the charter commission gave The
icity council the once over and men.
ftioned all the acts Of omission and
commission that this honorable body
! is claimed to be guilty Of. 10 speak
ling Of the paving that was done re:
recently on one Of the streets Of Man.
kato, one Of the members Of the com.
mission declared that the paving was
like the waves Of the ocean and tha,
the man who would lay paving like
that should be hanged, Which all gses
Ito show that not al IS serene in the
metropolis of Southern Minnesota.
In letter received BY the Revien
from John Ka| 4 New IJlm boy VIII
| is touring the Pacific coasts il. company
with Henry Saffert, he writes that they
left Stanford Montana, on Septembel
18th, stopping at Great Falls, Montans
land at Spokane and Seattle. Wash
They worked on q ranch at Stanton,
| to increase their funds, and are maxim,
the trip BY cal. They also visite,
lat Portland, San francisco and are. nov
il Los Angeles where they expect I,
spend the winter months. 'hle boy
! write they are having y YER, enljjoy yabl,
/ trip and like the West fine but 81,
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