The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-03-24
CHARTER BUILDER
PREPARED FIGURE
How Tax Levies Have Shot
Towards Sky Line
MORE POLICE LADYTALk
unfavorabIe Action Was Again
Taken BY the Commission
Last Night

Petitions bearing 321 names were
received by the members of the
charter commission last night ask
Ing that an amendment to the chart
sion to the city council calling for
the permanent employment Of a
policewoman. The preamble of the
petitions read In part as follows:
Provided that the mayor shall
appoint and keep in Office, and
the council shall authorize and
maintain at all times at least one
policewoman In the police de-
partment of the city"
City Attorney G. b. Gilmore ex-
planned that according to the terms
of the city charter. that II five per
cent of the legal voters Of the city
petition for certain amendment to
the charter, 1t Is up to the council 10
make that amendment.
G.. w. Eichstaedt said that he be-
lieyed that if large number Of the
residents of the city want 1t made
obligatory on the part of the mayor
to appoint policewomen with the
regular force of male members of
the police department their wishes
should be respected, and for that
reason he moved for the passage Of
the amendment. This was seconded
BY W. r. dafnmet When Il was
put. to. q vote, L. Henfine, H. f..
Leonard. Rev. Carl Kruger, e. ".
Waters, and A. g. Roemer voted no.
w. r. Hammett Henry Himmelmann
j. w. Andrews, F. j. Mahowald, and
G. w. Eichstaedt voted yes. The.
chair declared the motion lost, but
explained that according to the
statement of City Attorney c. e.
Gilmore the vote will have no bear
legal voters have signed the petition.
The names will be checked to see IL
the required number have signed,
and a report made on the request at
the next meSing of the charter COM
mission next Wednesday.
Regarding City Assessor
The matter of the salary and duty
of the city assessor came up for
considerable discussion. Henry
Himmelmann favored going back to
the old form Of government If the
taxes keep mounting from year to
year. He stated that the city asses-
sor at the present time might be
a clerk, and his reports have but
little weight with the equalization
board. 1t had been suggested at
former meeting of the commission
that six councilmen be elected in
this city, one from each ward to be
voted for at large by all of the peo-
pie Of the city.
: City Attorney c. E. Gilmore had
received an opinion from the attor-
ney general in which he stated that.
such a plan of electing councilmen
does not meet the test Of constitu- i
tionality. =
The attorney general said: Sect
ion 8 Of the state constitution reads:
Every person who by the provision
Of this article shall be entitled TO
vote at any election. and shall be ell
igible to any office which now Is,
or hereafter shall be, elective by the
people In the district wherein he
shall have resided thirty days pre-
vious to such election except as
otherwise provided in the constitu-
ton and the laws of the United
States"
Mankato An Election District
Under this arrangement, the at
torney general continued, the city or
Mankato would constitute an elect
ION district, and under the constitu-
tionai provision just quoted any
qualified voter of the city, no mat
ter where he might reside therein
would be eligible to any Office
elective by the voters of such an
election district. The attorney said
that 1t would not be competent for
the voters Of the city TO incorporate
In the charter a provision limiting
tn eligibility to any Office elective by,
the voters of the whole city to
quaiined electors in particularl
ward. This would constitute the
of qualifications for eli !,
glDlilty to public office In addition
20 those: prescribed by the constitu-
tlon; this can not be done. Such
move, no matter how commendable
in spirit. is impossible under the
constitution, for 1t would mean the
limiting the eligibility to office ar
assemblymen by geographical lines.
such step on the part Of the char.
Ter commission, Assistant Attorney
General Monteryille j. Brown said.
would be to impose additional
qualifications for eligibility, which
can not be done.
Henry Zimmerman declared some
means should be taken to have rep.
resentation from all Of the six wards
OF the city, despite the ruling of the
attorney general. He remarked that
he had a few figures to back UP his
contention that the old aldermanic
form of government was more &C.
onomical than the present commits.
sion system. Starting back under
the old aldermanic plan. Mr.. Him.
melmann had taken from the city |