The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-08-05
Rings and Things and Fine Array
81, In Council.

ANAabs SAS 4AAhho oAN - AAO NAAeI
81 ~ In Council.
(FrOn Saturdays Register.)
The INTRLLIGENCRR OF yesterday
morning, without naming him, makes u
very uDiustihable attack upon Mr.. John
Boring, Of this city, who. It is well
known, Is member Of the First Branch
Of the City Council, and Is contractor
for the brick work of the proposed en-.
largement of the City Gus Works. Mr..
Boring Is an old citizen here and has a
lifelong reputation for strict honesty and
conscientious discharge OF duty. No man
has ever before dared to impute corrupt
or unworthy motives to him in any trans.
action either public or private. The
people Of Wheeling will be slow 10 be.
lieye without better authority than the
IRTRLLIGRNcRR that Mr.. Behring'S vote in
the City Council was influenced by de.
sire ITO have his work superintendent not
in the interest of the city but in his own
Our attack" if our nelghbor chooses
to dignity 1t by that name, is not on Mr..
BORING alone; it is on the whole Council
for participating in or tolerating the scan
dalogs practice of which Mr.. BoRINo's
case Is one instance and Mr.. CLAToR's an.
other. 1t is an attack not on the letting Of
particular job to Mr.. BoRING or TO Mr..
C1AToR, both members of Council but it
is on the improper and dangerous practice
prevalent in that body Of voting money
out Of the city treasury into their own
pockets and those Of their fellow members.
The cases Of Messrs. BORING and CLAToR
as exhibited in the First Branch Of Coun.
Gil Friday night, were so openly and fla.
GRAVITY in defiance Of all the rules that
ordinarily protect official purity and pub
lie treasures, that it seemed fitting oc-
casion to call attention to the standard Of
official virtue among the city fathers, oil
which these cases are illustrations. Mr.
BLAIR openly charged in the First Branch
Of Council that Mr.. BORING was a con.
tractor for the brick work OF the Gas
Tank under the disguise Of Mr.. CRUM'
hacker as principal contractor. Mr.. BoR-
INC did not deny it, but undertook to ex-
flain why he did not want TO have
Mr.. CLAToR appointed to oversee the
work in behalf OF the city-the gist Of
the explanation being that he thought
Mr.. ~CLATOR would DO too particular.
Now, VIC have the Registers confession
that Mr.. BORING is "a contractor for the
brick work Of the proposed enlargement
of the City Gas Works.p Yet MIR. Bon,
NGis member Of the Council, whose
sworn duty It is in all his acts as such to
look only TO the interests OF the city. In
this capacity he helps make the awards
andfx the price and conditions ofhis own
contract, and then when man is 10 be
appointed 10 protect the city against
cheating in the work, he uses his position
t9control that appointment, so as to have
man who will not be too particular"
Mr.. BoRrNdmay be u very honest man.
We donot say he is not; but we say that
when man has 10 divide his energies as
a councilman between letting contract
for the city and securing it for himsclf-in
seeing on the one hand that the city gets
the very best bargain that she can, and
that on the other hand he gets the very
best bargain that he can't subjects his
moral constitution TO u strain that ought
not 10 be and can not safely be put on it.
We judge in all such cases tue interests
oil the city are more liable to suffer than
those OF the conscientious councilman.
And so We say such a practice is i'm.
proper and injudicious. 1t is sCandalous.
II members OF legislative body which
has the letting oil public contracts or
other patronage OF any kind, may partici
pate with IMMUNITY in that patronage, it
is just as inevitable as that water will find
its level that such contracts will be let
corruptly; that the members will make
bargains about 1t, trade votes, buy and
sell and divide jobs around; and that in
doing this the public interests suffer 10
promote theirs. Every intelligent man
knows this. 1t is utterly impossible that
any man can be looked upon rs clean.
handed who sits in such a body and takes
jobs at its award, or who knowingly par.
ticipate, IN letting them to a lellOw.mem.
Der.
The only guaranty for purity in such
matters Is to forbid members OF Council,
under stringent penalties, from partaking
directly or indirectly in any patronage
that body may have to let. The contrary
practice as 1t exists is simply shameful
and indefensible. 1t has cost the city
thousands on thousands of dollars,
without doubt.
These are times when the indignant
people are rising up and overthrowing
Rings. Is it not about time to strike at
the root of the evil in the government oil
this city2
Gov. STEVENSON, in a card printed in
our columns this morning, puts his foot