The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-05-17

The Lord Mayors inaugural.
We publish this document to-day On oul
outside form On account Of its pompous
and turgid style, it may be necessary to eau
ton the reader that it is only the inaugural
of the mayor of a young city Of some SIX or
seven thousand inhabitants, lest he may be
led into the error of supposing it the message
of the President, or at least Of the Governor
of some state. We fear our people have
hitherto entertained ideas entirely too low in
reference TO the dignity and importance o.
the office of their mayor. They have been in
the habit of regarding his duties as extending
little beyond merely presiding at the city
council, and seeing that the ordinances are
duly enforced. Our new mayor promptly
dispels this delusion. Merely presiding in
the city council and keeping its hot headed
members Gin order" would be stupid bust
ness indeed for mayor, Is he not the
highest functionary in the city, and can he
not think? Yea, verify And so our mayor
with propriety, equal to the modesty of the
thing, assumes to do most of the thinking
for the city council. Thus speaketh our
mayor:
The health of the inhabitants would be
materially benefited, by the removal of the
standing water in the ncighborhOod of the
canal This, however, in justice should be
done by those who created the nuisance.
] have strong hopes that
it will eventually be done by them. If,
however, nothing should be done by them
this season, l will again call your atten-
ton to the subject, and hope l may be
able to suggest some plan by which the
city may cause it to be done by an as
sessment of the property benefited, or other
wise.
Our councilmcn are thus saved the bother
of contriying any plan to effect this desirable
improvement: our mayor will attend to all
that, you see.
have not given sufficient attention to the
working of our system of police to make
any suggestions, at present. in relation to IT..
The city council will please wait, there
fore, until the mayor can give this matter at
tention, and have more time to think.
The mayors financial scheme discloscs that
here, too, he has already done vast amount
of thinking, and he promises to do more
He reveals the startling fact that, with pre-
sent appropriations, our city is already some
$4,000 in debt, with every cent of the years
revenue exhausted, and some five months to
run before a new tax can be collected
Well, indeed, may the mayor take upon
himself most of the functions of the city
council in view of such bungling and disas-
trous management for the last year. lie re-
commends-almost orders-that the work on
the Columbus and Madison st. bridges be
stopped forthwith, until proposition can be
submitted to the people for loan OF ten
thousand dollars to pay our debts and make
the proposed improvements. As the people
on Madison street offered to pay half the ex
peuse of their bridge themselves, after hav-
ing paid the ,choIe cost of bridge which the
city built so poorly that it fell down as oul
people have yet been able to sec no good rea
son why the city council refused TO let tie
Madison St folks help TO pay for thcir
bridge; and rs strong notion is becoming
prevalent that the Columbus ST. people
ought to aid in paying for their bridge, we
fear the mayors proposition for $4,000
loan, when, for such reasons as we have
named but about So, 600 will be needed, will
meet with as little favor as bcfell the $50, 600
loan The mayor, however, to sugar-coat
the proposition for a large loan, temptcth US
with pleasing picture:
There are so many things useful and neces-
sary that must pass by the ornamental with
the expression OF regret, that we are not at
present able TO ornament our public squares
with fountain, seats, and shrubbery, to
make it a pleasant place of resort where our
citizens might meet together and cultivate
those social qualities which add SO much to
the charms of life, and encourage the growth
of those principles of equality which lie at
the foundation Of our republican institutions.
When the people vote the loan, then we
will realize the poets dream Of Arcadia.
Our schools are remarkably well conducted
by the teachers. The children of the rich
and he poor, Of the native born and the TO-
Teigner meet unon common level, &c,
The only complaint is that there
is not, at present, room to accommodate
all who are eagerly pressing forward to
obtain an opportunity for mental improve
inent. The means, however, are being
taken to remedy this evil as fast as the
limited means of the Board of Education
will admit Of its being done.
Our people provided S25 900, with which
they hurnbly conceived five decent school
houses couid be erected for beginners, and
one large building, TO cost say $4,000, for
high school. Our school trustees, howe.
yer, with Mayor Leland at their head, de-
eided that the people had thought wrongly
and assumed to think for them. So they
spent all the money on tno schoo! houses fol-
beginners, and the result has been, "there
Is not at present room to accommodate al
VINO ar eagerly pressing forward, &c. We
fear, II our school business is to continue
under the same management, it will be 9
long while before the means" can be stalker
remedy this evil" The ..means" required
will be about $50, 600, which our CITY is MOI
in the precise condition to take" lust NOW
we fear.
There are some other points in the inau
gurai-thc fine cxorlium and eloquent close
for instance-with their happy political allu
sions-whch we had designed to notice, bu
we have said more than designed alrea
DIV. We congratulate our people on havin
MAYOR that can think. We hope, howe