The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-03-21
For the GS1su ,.
Oar Present City Council,

MKssls EDrToRs:-.Oar charter election 10
approaching, and deem ii duty, as well
as privilege for every citizen to express
his opinion freely, with regard to the acts
OF our public officers. relative TO their bear
ins on our preseu, and future welfare.
Have the deliberations Of our City Fa-
Tiers" been marked with that wisdom, pru.
denee and fore,h ought that We had reason
to expee, whs ..hey were ushered into Of
fcel Have they not shown great want
of discrimination relative to the interests OF
the community ii Target Authorizing
monopoly in the mes. markets. located At
the two extremes o. our town, entirely
against the interest of the central part Of
the city; and then sftsr such an egregious
blun5er undertake to oyerswe public senti-
men, by declaring meat markets on Brady
street a nuisance, when 1t carried taisity
in the very face Of the ordinance. And have
not their acts been equally conspi euous
and slaringIy deficient for incomPeteney,
as we'll as common honesty. 10 other res
pects!-sgch as voting themselves salaries,
when they were elected to perform their
services gratis. And il We had not hopes
that cur future Council would manifest
more wisdom in improving eur streets than
the present, there would be bat small hopes
that ore block would ever be macadamized.
As long as onr city was in embryo, and
there was little 10 do excep, 10 look after
the sidewalks, and pass ordinances under
the pains and penalties Of the law, to pre-
vent dogs and pigs from infesting our
streets, cur City Fathers got along pref
" well; bu. beyond that things looked
rather mistry. Some men will not bear ex-
panding without collapsing. We have
striking instance Of it in our late Chief
Magistrate. Ii be had been contented to have
remained second rate lawyer in his native
State, or even q senator from ". Hampshire,
he Sht have passed down to his grave
with eommendable honors, bat when he
was placed at the head OF the nation, be
lacked substance TO be spread over this vast
Republic. He might possibly have answer
cd for the small States of Rhode Island or
Delaware, but to reach Kansas was utterly
inpossibIe; hence Jeff Davis insisted on be-
ing tackled on 10 the President-he being
military man and in favor OF slavery; hence
var, blood shed and devastation followed in
their wake, ample 10 disgrace any civilized
and Chrisiisu nation, and will entail ever
lasting iuFamy on is abettors and perpetra-
tors. So ia like manner il We expect wiser
acts, We aust look for men, irrespective Of
parties, thai will bear expansion, as our
city calls for wider range Of improve
ment-.
Being our City Fathers have been pre-.
vented By al injunction ltom extracting
frofa the City Treasury the amount Of their
we'll earned services would advise all
VINO voted in its favor, while 10 power. to
pas ~ ordinance reser7ng the exclusive
II sht 10 their Hon. body yateal right, for
paving and mscadamning streets, which BY
their late experiments on Main street they
30 fully understand; snd when once secured
to them and their posterly, The iaja notion
will be beneath their notice, for unques lion.
ably sister cues will wssh 20 avail 'hfm-
selves Of such valuable information, and 10
doubt will be overwhelmed with calls TIA
will make them dsspise 50 paluy a sum a.
they had the nodeety to vote Tor their yalu.
able services for the past yeu. Icapnot
think that judicIous community would
condemn them for making an experiment
on paving our strests-even at the cost Of
one thousand dollars 10 our tax payers
when by 50 doing they have learned whs,
I cost TO frs, dig and draw the dirt from
be streets foo, deep OF more, then buy
and draw sand on the came ground, then
pave tie same with stone, then wait until IL
gets thoroughly frozen, sand and atone 10.
pether, then remove both sand and stone,
and break up the latter, and replace the
same. This operation, together with voting
themselves salaries, in the face Of tap and
previous understanding, cannot be Otherwise
but grand commentary on jurisprudence
as well as fnanceeing, and must inevitably
surround Them witt halo Of glory, stuff
cient to buy them up from sinking 10 des-
pondeney 10 consequence Of not being sble
10 grasp Immediately the two hundred dol.
lar salary. Il.
Davenport, March Is, 81.