, 1861-04-18

board or Public :iWorkn-mr. Lesx.
The new Board Of Public Works consists OF
Messss. BENJAMIN CARPENTER, JOHN g,
GrNDs1E and FREpER1ck LE1-the LAST
named gentleman having majority Of 81
votes over HI. E. g. WAHnER,
We regret the election oF MI: .LErz, under
the existing circumstances. We regret it, not
that he is not qualified to discharge the duties
Of the oftice-not that he is:not man bf In. :.
tegrty and established character-not that he
Is q gentleman Of German birth. We take
pleasure in saying that he Is abundantiy t,uali.:
lied for his new position, that he is man Of
unblernished reputation shnd utldoadedm mo
blty, that he is as good an American ss any-
body In. Chicago. We regret it simply. be-
cause it was an act of bad faith on tho part of
Mr. Letz's country1nen to withhold their votes
from Iii: Warner, after they had asseed- TO- 8
different policy, In Convention where thev
were fully represented. The emore Intelligent
!" our dermans condemn it even more
earnestly than any native bonn citizens. They
argue that the" Americans voted straight for
eandele instead Of Gray, whom they might
easily have elected, and that the contrast Is ex-
ceedingly unfavorable to the Germans: i
At the same time there are circumstances
fully explaining the result. 1t was zealonsly
urged by Mr.. Letz'a friends, Though not by
Mr.. Lett himseafh that Il be were elected, The
labor en- the streets and sewers would be con-
.trolled by German majority in the Board and
would therefore be given prinoipaily 10 Ges-
mans. This argument had great weight with
the laboring class, and SOME hundreds were
thus deluaed from the support Of Mr.. War
ner. 1t was urged by the same parties that an
Injustice had been done to the German e,e-
ment in not giving them one member Of The
Police Board, which they ought now to. retail
ate. Then Mr.. Lind ran as IN independent
candidate for the West Side naetnbeer and Got :
some 400 votes-eyery one Of them taken
from Nj. Warner. Again, Mi. Letz's connec-
lion with the lutheran Chutck, of,Nhfeh he
has ever been zealoaf, consistent aud very
liberal nentef, gaze him . large lift in thlaat
quarter Furthermore needless and m
prlnclpled trade was made In gonne Of the
wards by which votes for Lets were strapped
for votes for Rum5ey-a trade certainly not
sanctioned by III. Kuhsey OF an;7d any member q Of
the Republican Committee. Taken together,
these certainly make a combination sufl-
cient to account for the result. The only
wonder is that Mr.. Letz should have succeed
ed by go ndcagre majority.
Regretting, for the reasons alleged, that Mr
Letz is elected, We nevetheless repeat thst he
"9n MAKE good cc@.cer, and TINT the Board
w. - '' = -.ninistersd On the right principles,
without faVoritisra in nativity or politics.
There viii be no more and 70 less contracts
and 1abor assigned to Americans, Germans;
scandinavians, OF Irishmen than there would
have been if MI. tett had been defeated. In
matters Of this kind I'll will be the aim of the
Board, as it has been of the Sewerage and
Water Commissioners, to treat all classes Of
citizens alike, without distinction of birth
place or creed. Any different course viii
meet the prompt condemnation Of the com-
munity and of the TRIBUNE.