The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-03-31
SALARIED MAYOR.
Report Of the Committee on Ordi
nances Giving Their Reasons for
The Proposition.

To the Mayor and Council.
The Committee on Ordinances having
by order of Council, had under consider
alton, the ordinance defining the dutie:
OF the Mayor, would present for your
consideration an ordinance, amending
the present ordinance and which in.
-rrorautt autr arsV- faiIowS nIm u salary
Tor his services.
The committee wish to state to coln.
Gil some few of their reasons for present
ing this ordinance. No city, firm, cor
poration or any organization can ever
prosper without a head or guiding hand.
This city, for years has suffered from
that want and many thousands of
dollars of her revenue have been squan-
dered, because nobody was required to
look after the city's business. 10 be
sure council met monthly and made ap.
preparations for the several departments
but no person expected the members OF
council to personally seeperintend the
work of those department day by day.
How many thousands of dollars, in years
gone by, have been paid by this CITY for
hslf-done labor on the streets and alleys,
and how much of that money could have
been saved il the city had been provided
with responsible head to look after her
interests in that department aloneI
Again, let council look back and make
an average estimate of the police force
of this city. Can any one say that
a proper head of the city, clothed with
the necessary authority to compel the
police to promptly discharge their duties
or else DO discharged themselves, would
not have made the best police this city
ever had still more efficient.
These are but two of the departments
OF the city government, but no member
of council, who has served for any time
in council, can deny that in every de.
partment an improvement could be
made by having a head or controlling
hand.
The committee fixed the Salary in
the ordinance at $1,000 for the pur-
pose of securing for the city the entire
time of tho Mayor wishing, him to serve
tho city at all times, in the same way
the other officers are required to do. For
several years the Mayor has received no
compensation and of course could not af-
ford to give his time to the city, to the
neglect OF his own business. The conse.
ouence was that an amount of response
bility was thrown on the several com.
mi.tees Of council that was unjust and
unfair and which the city had no right
to place on them. The council receives
no compensation and if 1t attends to the
legislative department of the city gov
eminent for nothing, the city certainly
can afford to pay for having its legisla-
ton carried into effect,
The Committee had under consider
alton the advlsability of petitioning the
Legislature to amend the act, establish.
ing the Municipal Court, so as to enable
tho Mayor to precide in the Police
Court but the matter met with so much
opposition from the members of the bar,
that it was not thought probable that
tho matter could be accomplished. The
Legislature will meet again in two years,
about the time of the expiration of the
present Mayors term of Office and should
council see proper TO adopt the pro-
posed ordinance and the plan proposed
in it not proving satisfactory, change
can be made st that time, If council de-
sires to do so. Whatever change coun-
Gil may determine on, the committee is
satisfied it will DO an improvement in
tho manner in which the city has been
doing business for twenty years past.
G. BAIRD.
Chairman Committee on Ordinances.