Section 17
SEC. 17. The president shall he the chief executive of the township. He shall cause the local ordinances and the orders of the provincial governor to be executed, and shall supervise the discharge of official duties by all subordinates. He shall receive, receipt for, and keep in the town house or presidencia all moneys accruing from taxes, license or other fees, and lines. He shall pay on the last day of each month the salaries of all regularly appointed local officers and employees, and, upon an order passed by a majority vote of the council and approved by the provincial governor, shall make such other payments as may be thus duly authorized. He shall render to the council during the first week of each month a true account of all collections and disbursements made during the preceding month. If said account is approved by the council, a true copy of it shall be forwarded to the provincial governor for his information. Should any member or members of the council disapprove of the account, the reasons for such disapproval shall be indorsed thereon by the secretary, and a true copy of the account with the indorsement thereon shall then be forwarded as above provided. He shall be the presiding officer of a court consisting of himself and two councilors to be chosen as hereinafter provided in sec-lion twenty-four. The secretary shall be the recording officer of this court, which shall hear and adjudge alleged violations of local ordinances and, after hearing the accused and his witnesses, shall, upon conviction by a majority vote of its members, impose punishment not exceeding a fine of fifteen dollars Mexican. In case the person f convicted is unable or unwilling to pay this fine, he shall satisfy its amount by labor upon public works within the township at the rate of twenty cents Mexican per day, provided that females shall not be compelled to perform work unsuitable for their sex. The president shall receipt for every fine or fee or tax collected by him on official paper, stamped for convenient amounts by the governor of the province and furnished by the governor to the president. The amount stamped on the receipt shall be equal to the amount paid, and the liability of the president shall be determined by the aggregate amounts of the stamps on the official paper furnished to him and not returned. This court shall have no jurisdiction in civil cases, except on the application of the interested parties and upon their making an agreement in writing to accept the award of the court, when it may hear and adjudge any case not involving property exceeding in value the sum of two hundred dollars Mexican. The judgment shall be recorded by the secretary and shall be final. The members of this court shall receive no compensation for their services. Whenever it shall come to the knowledge of the president that a crime or misdemeanor not within the jurisdiction of the court provided for in section seventeen, paragraph five, has been committed within the township, the president shall direct the seizure of the alleged offender, shall make a preliminary investigation into the facts and if the guilt of the prisoner shall appear probable, shall order the arresting officer to proceed immediately with the prisoner and the president's report of his investigation to the governor of the province. He shall preside at all meetings of the council; but he shall not vote, except in the case of a tie, when he shall give the casting vote. He shall appoint, by and with the consent of a majority of all the members of the council, the secretary, the constable. The messenger and any other nonelective officers or employees, that may be provided for by general law or by duly approved ordinance; and, at anytime, for cause, he may suspend any such officer or employee for a period not exceeding ten days, which suspension may be continued for a longer period by the council; and, by and with the consent of a majority of the council, he may discharge any such officer or employee. He shall make all such appointments at the first meeting of the council after his election, except for those offices in which a vacancy may occur during his term. In case the council shall reject any such appointments made by him, he shall submit the names of other persons for appointment at the next regular meeting of the council. In case a vacancy occurs in any of the above-named offices during the term of office of the president, be shall submit; an appointment to the council at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy.