The Price of a Badly Written Charter

The new charter of Tacoma has cost a wonderful sight of trouble, is now said to be a wonderfully defective instrument, and is about to cost a wonderful amount of money. The old charter was not satisfactory, and a new one was demanded. After an extraordinary amount of talk in the newspapers, City Council, and public and private gatherings, it was resolved to formulate the desired document. It was kept away from the public until the meeting of the Legislature, when it got out. A dozen howls went up at once at discoveries then made. Striking out, changes and amendments were wanted without number. Never before was so great a fight made over a town charter in this Territory. The charter was finally enacted and enrolled and approved by the Governor. When all was done, and it was too late to do more, it was ascertained that the charter contained a whole lot of errors, and that altogether it was a wretched piece of botchwork, and of very doubtful validity. For this wonderful and probably worthless charter, the town government is called upon to pay $1,554.50! The city attorney takes a cool $500, and three other lawyers $750. Copying it cost $240, and printing it $290. Including the above, the expenses of private individuals, and the litigation certain to ensue, the whole cost of that charter, before its defects can be legally remedied, must be enormous—maybe twenty, fifty or a hundred thousand dollars.