Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, September 25, 1905, Page 4

\ | | STAND BY THE TOWN '|HAS PAID i 4 ; | _ $135,000 {iitizens Sign Second Appeal |Moorhead Under Home Rule On Behalf of Good Government. Charter Pays Off Tre- mendous lndebtgdness. REASONS GIVEN WHY CHARTER |FERGUS FALLS HAS THE SAME SHOULD PREVAIL. EXPERIENCE. Progress of the City Demands the | Detroit City Also—Meantime City Adoption of the Charter and City Organization. To the People of Bemidji: Beleiving that the time bhas «come when Bemidji should adopt 4 system of government more in accordance with its size and im- portance among the cities of the state we submit the following as % few of the reasons why the woters of this city should vote “YES” at the charter election tomorrow: 1. The election of a mayor by the whole city and of nine alder- xan by wards gives every part «of the city equal representation. 2. Attempting to manage a ity with village machinery is ex- pensive, - City organization will wveduce taxation. Every Minne- sota city that has adopted a home rale charter has found it so. 3. A bome rule charter, if found wanting or unsatisfactory in any way, can be changed and smended, at any time, 4. The proposed charter fixes o salaries and binds the city to 00 expense whatever, but leaves il such matters entirely to the direct representatives of the peo- ple, the common council. elected Tax Rate Has Steadily Decreased. WHAT MOORHEAD DID UNDER A HOME RULE CHARTER IN5 YEARS. Information Furnished by A. H. Costain Cashier First Na- tional Banlk, Moorhead,. 1. Date of adoption. May 1900. . Indebtednessat adoption. $175,000. Present Indebtedness. $40,000. Tax rate at adoption. 25 mills. Present tax rate. 6 1-2 mills. Annualexpense of village and city while popula- tion has increased about 25 per cent. About the same. If Bemidji wants any further argument as to the advisability of adopting a home rule charter, it can find it in the experience of other northern Minnesota cities. The city of Moorhead adopted by wards from every part of the |, pome rule charter May 1900. <ity. At that time the indebtedness of 5. The charter providés for the city was $175,000. The total 4he jmaking of allnecessary im- indebtedness of the city is now provements all ‘such improve- $40,000, "so that it has .been re- sments to be charged to abutting property and to be.paid forin five equal annyal installments. 6. All salaries are to be fixed by the outgoing council so that ity officials have no power what- ever to vote themselyes any woney. 7. {The mayor is made absol- ately responsible for the clean #nd efficient administration of 4hs city. If he proves unsatis- factory he can be removed at the «nd of his year of office. . 8. The proposed charter gives the people every protection which they now have under- village or- ganization and in addition gives them enlarged powers to manage +h8ir own public affairs, For these and many other al- most equally weighty reasons we earnestly urge that you cast Four vote tomorrow in favor of #he charter. Respectfully, E.F. Crawford E. J. Swedback W. G. Sehroeder M. D. Stoner J. A. MeConleey W. N. Bowser Fred Brinkman E. A. Barlker W. L. Brooks E. L. Naylor Q. E. Albrant M. E. Brinkman G. W. Campbell H. P. Buroughs John Graham F. H. Mageau Thos. Broomfield M. E. Thertson A. M. Bagley A. E. Henderson . H. French M. Fhibbs Wm. Mageau Win. MeCuaig John Marifh E. N. French A, B. Olson W. Gray George Weetman. 4. E. Carson Robert Clark W. A. MeDonald P. M. Decaire J. M. Price RB. W. Hitcheock A. Gilmour John Gibbons 0. #H. Fish A. H. Harris G. M. Torrance duced. under the charter organ- ization, the tremendous sum of $135,000, and that without any extra tax levy or increase in the expense of maintaining the city. Provision has been made for the payment of the balance of the indebtedness as fastasit falls due. At the time of the adoption of the charter the tax levy for villages purposes was 25 mills; there . 'is'néw no city tax: levied whatever except 6} mills for the public library. The expense of maintaining the city has not in- creased atall and the total tax leyy has decreased from about 60 mills to 30 for the next year. Could there possibly be any stronger argument for _«icy‘in- corporation? M The great success of the Moor- head charter led to the adoption of & home rule charter by Fergus {Falls a couple of years later, said 4. A, McConkey, who was for | years a resident of Fergus Falls: |“Fergus Falls under its home irule charter has paid off a large portion of its indebtedness and has provided for the payment of the balance while there has been no increase in the expense of maintaining the city not with- standing the fact that an exten- sive system of public . improve: ments has been inaugurated.and partially carried out.” Detroit has had the same ex- perience.-..Sinee - the-adoption-of his home rule charter the tax rate has been: lowered and at the same time the bonded indebted- ness of the city has been largely reduced. { Herbert Fuller H. E. Reynolds Chester McKusick Frank E. Slipp W. H. Welker C. D. Lucas S. A. Cutter Thomas Maloy Kert Tibbetts G. E. Moyer H. J. Botting Porter Nye P. A. Ormestad J- J. Ellis And many others. S0 | FOOLISH ceive of City Incorporation Under General Law. WHEN A HOME RULE CHARTER |SENATOR SWEDBACKCALLSSEN-|BODY WILL BE REMOVED To|TOTAL LOSS $3,250; INSURANCE MAY BE ADOPTED. Court Effectually Demolishe‘s Argument That Incorporation Under General Law is Better. The Supreme Court of Minne- sota answers the question, ‘‘Shall, we orgarize under the ‘‘Home Rule” or the General laws?”’ In the case of State Ex. Rel. Getchell vs. O'Connor, 81 Minn., 79, our Supreme Court was called upon to decide whether ‘“Home Rule’” applied to cities in exist- ence at the time of the &doption of the “Home Rule” amendment to the constitution, or whether it applied also to cities thereafter incorporated. In bebhalf of the contention that ‘Home Rule” applied to all cities, whether in existence at that time or there- after created, it was urged that villages might at some future time, become cities under the general law, and 1t was highly essential that in such cases they be not deprived of the advant- ages of the “Home Rule” law, but should be allowed, notwith- standing the fact that they had incorporated under the general law. to adopt their own charters if they saw fit. The Court held that the “Home Rule” amend- ment applies only to cities in ex- istence at the time of its adoption and to villages wishing to Zincor- porate as cities by virtue ofiis provisions, but does not apply to villages that become cities after the adoption of the amendaent, by virtue of the general law. |- After stating its conclusion, the Court says: S ~Under this construetion there is little difficulty to' be apprebended from the sug- gestion that cities may here- afterbe created under the general laws of the state, and will be without remedy under this law, because not incorporated before its pas- sage. As arule, incorpor- ated municipalities begin their existence as villages, and, as they grow in popula- tionand importance, changed conditions and new respon- sibilities require an advance- ment to the higher and great- er powers incident to cities, and the village 1s changed and incorporated as a city. No city ean be created by special charter, and it will be a very easy matter for thein- habitants of all villages or of any locality, desiring to be- come incorporated as cities, to proceed under the consti- tution and law here under consideration, and thus come into existence as cities un. der a home-made charter, and enjoy all the privileges conferred by the act. We cannot presume, for the purpose of defeating the act, that some locality may at | some time in the future come into existence as a city under the general laws.” Thus it will be observed that our Supreme Court treats the matter of a village organizing un- d general law, , and _ volun: tarily surrendering its rights to the benefits of the ‘“Home Rule” law-as the vaguest kind of a~ sibility. The Court did not be- lieve that any community of peo- ple could possibly commit such an error. What a calamity it would be for Bemidji to makea mistake of this kind, and be for- able rights of self government! Among the attorneys from out of town who arrived in Bemidji Saturday night and yesterday to attend the present term of dis- trict court are Frank S. Price of Grand Rapids and M. L. Coun- ’&rymn snd D. H Kimball of St. MORE LIES AILED| ever precluded from these valu-i U L OO P o D " lated To Defeat the Charter. TINEL TO ACCOUNT. Represented Him as Saying the|Death Occurred Following Lin-|Cause of Fire Is Unknown, But Exact Opposite of What he did Say. Some of those whoare opposed - Hon. J. M. Markham, proprie-| Pine River, Sept. 25.—Fire at- to the charter stop at nothing in | tor of the Markham hotel in Be.|noon today complately destroyed. their attempt to accomplish its|midji and one of the most promi-|A. J. Linden’s furniture store defeat. The Bemidji Sentinel in its is-|died Saturday night at 11:15|Jjewelry store and stock and the sue of last week concluded a little |o’clock at the Milwaukee hotel in | barber farniture of Fred Winter paragraph against the charter at Hot Springs, Ark., following an|also the b°°k§ of the old hard- the head of its editorial column!illness of Bright’s Disease. Mr, |Warefirm of Linden & Chirklund. with} the declaration, ‘Senator Swedback says thers are many grafters backin the move.”’ Senator Swedback has been out of town for several days and on his returd today he handed the Pioneer the following: Dear Sir: ; ‘The Bem.idji Sentinel in its issue of last week makes me say that many grafters are backing the move to adopt the charter. What I did say to Mr. Hays was the exact opposite. I told him plainly that there were 2 lot of grafters back of the opposition to the charter. E. J. SWEDBACK. The opposition to the charter also last evening circulated indis- triously the story that the copies of the charter on file at the post- office and at the city recorder’s office at the city hall are false copies and not at all the same as the real charter. Thislieis ef- fectually refuted by the following statement: “T certify that the copies of the charter on exhibition at the postoffice and at the city hall are earbon copies of the charter adopted by the commission. G. E. Carson Cheirman of Comm:ission. The people of Bemidji msy ex- pect another batch of roorbacks tonight and should be prepared for them. tomorrow. They Misses Ferne Spencer and Carrie Pirath visited friends and relatives at Yola yesterday. Supreme Court Cannot Con-|Malicious Falsehoods Circu-|One of Most Prominent Citi-|Jewelry Store,llardwarey and ‘Markham was present when |Surance is about $600. The cause MARKHAM | SUCCUMBED zens of Bemidji Dead at | Barber Shop Burned to the Hot Springs. Ground at Noon Today. ' THIS CITY. FOR BURIAL. $600. Supposed to Have Started From Gaselene Lamp. gering liness of Bright's Disease. nent men in northern Minnesota, |8nd stock, C. J. Chirklund’s. Markham’s condition has been|The burning of the accounts of’ critical since his departure for | the old hardw?re firm entailed a Hot Springs five weeks ago, aud j10s8 of $1000 in accounts. The death was not unexpected. Mrs,|total loss is $3,250 and the in- death occurred, as was also C,|of the fire is unknown, but it is R. Martin of this city. Walter|Supposed that a gasolene lamp Markham, son of the deceased,|inthe barber shop started the- who left Bemidji for Hot|blaze. : Springs Saturday at noon, did not reach his desination until to- B day at9 o’clock. A The illness which finally cul- Mrs. Naylor Hurt. minated in Mr. Markham’s| My, B, L. Naglor was yester- death has attacked him fora day afternoon thrown from a number of years past, and he|carriage in which she was driv- has suffered almost constantly ing and dragged with her baby during these years. some distance. The baby was Mr. Markham’s remains willl ynhurt but Mrs. Naylor may be brought to Bemidji. Wednes:|haye received internal injuries, day eyening and if possible a|the extentof which cannob e - publie funerel will be held. told ;.xpr:sent. tok:be ] OVUR *The Best is None to Good” This especially so in our prescription department ' Bring us your Prescriptions, E.N.FRENCH @ CO. CITY DRUG STORE. Clair Craig is in the city from lackduck today. N A P P P P W W Fall and Winter GOODS! Our line of Fall and Winter goods is being put onto the shelves and is one that will please you The newest things in Panamas, Voiles, Mohairs, Venetian Trimmings and Neeckwear The latest will be found in our showcases. s- in both quality and price. DRESS GOODS Broadcloths and, Serges: u R s ——— e R s s s i I-Iaméa'm?vji Shoes e If You Have Had A Pair i sl i b5, You Know Tfiev Are The Best That Money Can Buy All Goods Giaranteed L1, Satisfactory or Money Refunded.