The daily gazette., 1876-08-23

EVery ESehthg CakeS some creulC 10 IT,
self for the exhibit it presents of the vast
amount of work done under the superin-
tendence Of the Street Committee and
the Committee on Opening streets.
Mr.. McMeneman is chairman of both
OF these committees, and has had an i'm
mense amount of work to do mainly him.
self He has given this work his per-
sonal attention. The Republicans on the
committee have done nothing. They
have even sat quiet in committee and in
Council when they might have objected
to work being given out, and thus per-
haps have secured better terms for the
city; they have purposely done this; pur-
poeely neglected their duty and done
nothing while they took the pay; watch
ing and hoping when the election comes
round to raise some objection to the work
that had been done on the streets both
as to manner and cost.
The GAZETTE has always maintained
that work should be done by contract,
and lad Every Evening added its voice to
ours before the new reservoir was COM
rnenced, or the laying of the large water
mains, under its then friends and the In
dependents, some forty or fifty thousand
dollars, and perhaps more, might have
boen saveds II now, when it is tc o late,
becomes a great advocate for the contract
system when it finds that great many
little Jobs have been done Ly the day, in
the aggregate of which some $500 might
probably have been saved. We hope Er.
cry Lreatng will in future urge the con-
tract system. The Democrats inaugu
rated 1t, bat the Republicans cast 1t
aside, and the predecessor Of Mr.. Nc
Menetain on tae Street Committee did
great deal of work without contracting
tor 1t; but it suited Ecefy Erening then,
and suits it now, to say nothing about
Nr. Canby's jobs, and make a raid on
Mr. McMeneman. We think all iots
o7er $50 should be contracted for, and
tnat money would be saved by IT,; but
Mr. McMeneman has followed the prac
tice, ID some extent, of his predecessors,
and nJw incurs censure for it. But after
All that is said against Mr.. McMeneman,
and the showing that he has done an i'm
mense amount Of work, and SO kept the
~ cleaner and in better or Ter than ever
store; the Every Ereatng is brought down
- the dots, and what does it prove. sim.
Fly that Mr.. McMeneman has on hand
over one-tifth of the amount of his an.
preparation fol- grading streets and OPEN
ing streets and will be able. VIC think
now that the summer is nearly over. with
little economy, to get through the year
without exceeding his appropriations.
which is rarely done by the chairman of
either Of these committees. It has been
very customary to over run the appro-
prlations to streets and opening streets
and u make extra appropriations tc
these committees toward the close of the
year. In fact We think it was said las,
December when these appropriations
were proposed that the Council could
notdo the work of the city and m set its
engagements upon such sums. But Mr.
McMeneman has now over $40, 400 to the
credit OF his com nttees. and it is pro.
bable the old man will weather the ia
months with it. If he does, he will meet
the views of his friends when he was
elected, and greatly disappoint his Re-
publican enemies, and such others IS
Fpery Ereniag, who hope to prove that
the man who had done so much for the
ward in which he lives by building
enough houses in it to c1use tie real es
tote to double itself in ralue, and in tho
hard times that have followed the war
had made himself fortune by careful
business tact, was unable to do well TO,
tae city. If we lived and owned proper.
t7 in the Sixth ward We should consider
IT our duty TO vet, for Mr., McMenemau
II he was candidate for the Council
We thought he had spent all the money
OF his.committees from the raid that some
had made on him, but we ind he has a
pretty good account to make Of his stew.
ardship.