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<br />WARRANT FOR A TOWN MEETING.
<br />Monday, January 28th, 1901.
<br />To WILLIAM B. FOSTER, Constable of Lexington, GREETING :
<br />In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are
<br />hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of the town of
<br />Lexington, qualified by law to vote in town affairs, to assemble at
<br />the 'Town Hall on Monday,.the 28th day of January, A. D. 1901, at
<br />7.30 o'clock p. m., to act on the following articles, viz :—
<br />ART. 1. "1'o choose a Moderator to preside at said meeting.
<br />On motion of Mr. G. W. Sampson it was voted : that the polis be
<br />kept open seven minutes for choice of Moderator by ballot.
<br />On ballot, at close of polls, at the expiration of the time, it was
<br />found that 42 votes had been cast. J. H. Frizelle had 41, blank 1,
<br />and J. H. Frizelle was declared chosen as Moderator and was sworn
<br />by the clerk.
<br />ART. 2. To see if the town will vote, by ballot, to rescind the
<br />vote passed January 29, 1900, under Article 2, of said meeting, and
<br />substitute therefor the following, or act in any manner relating
<br />thereto : "That at the annual town meeting in March, 1901, the
<br />town shall elect one Selectman for the term of one year, and in
<br />March, 1902, shall elect two Selectmen for the term of one year and
<br />in March, 1903, shall elect three Selectmen for the term of one year,
<br />and thereafter shall annually elect three Selectmen for the term of one
<br />year, in the manner in which the Selectmen have been elected prior
<br />to the election of March 5, 1900."
<br />Mr. C. S. Ryan read some statistics in regard to the number of
<br />towns in the Commonwealth which .had adopted the system of
<br />choosing its Selectmen one annually and the number which choose
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<br />theirs all yearly, showing that a large preponderance (45 to 224)
<br />still hold to the old method of electing all yearly, and that of those
<br />that had adopted the new system of electing one each year for the
<br />term of three years, eleven towns had abandoned this method and
<br />gone back to the former method, and he made a motion substan-
<br />tially in the words of the article.
<br />Mr. R. P. Clapp, after some remarks in favor of the system adopted
<br />by the town, of the three year term, on January 29, 1900, moved the
<br />indefinite postponement of the article.
<br />Mr. G. W. Sampson hoped the indefinite postponement would not
<br />be carried, and favored the motion of Mr. Ryan. Mr. Clapp argued
<br />for the indefinite postponement and a discussion as to the legal
<br />aspect of the case, was held. Finally a vote was taken on Mr.
<br />Clapp's motion which the moderator declared not carried. This
<br />was doubted and the house was polled, with the following result : 75 .
<br />in favor and 106 opposed, and indefinite postponement was refused.
<br />Mr. Ryan's motion was amended so that the vote would be taken
<br />by a yea and nay vote instead of by ballot, which would consume
<br />much time, and after some discussion, participated in by Messrs.
<br />H. H. Putnam, A. S. Parsons, Cornelius Wellington, H. G. Janvrin
<br />and G. F. Mead, a vote was taken as follows :
<br />Voted, "That at the Annual Town Meeting, in March, 1901, the
<br />Town shall elect one Selectman for the term of one year, and in
<br />March, 1902, shall elect two Selectmen for the term of one year,
<br />and in March, 1903, shall elect three Selectmen for the term of one
<br />year, and thereafter shall annually elect three Selectmen for the term
<br />of one year, in the manner in which the Selectmen have been elected
<br />prior to the election of March 5, 1900."
<br />That the town rescind the vote passed January 29th, 1900, under
<br />Article 2 of said meeting, and that the vote he taken by a yea and
<br />nay vote.
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