The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-11-27
THE COMING CITY ELECTION.
n Possible Campaign Against the Boar,
of Public Works..

l
of Public Works.
To tho Editor OF the lntellIgcnccr.
SiR:-Your timely editorial on Saturday
morning last, on the ensuing city election
will, | am sure, be appreciated by NIL youl
readers who desire u judicious, efficient and
economical administration OF our munich.
pal affairs; and it may not DO out OF place
IN this connection to alude to one particu.
lar feature OF rcity government demand.
ing at this time some special attention on
the part OF all our citizens. refer to the
two boards OF our municipal machinery
the Board Of Public Works and the Board
Of Water Commissioners; but especially the
former. 81
presume it is no secret that there ex-
lists, i'll some quarters, considerable oppo-
sitlon to the present plan OF the manage.
lnent Of our streets and alleys by board
which is lneasuraby independent Of the
city council, and this opposition is
likely TO take shape by IN effort to elect
members to the council who would prefer
to so back to the old plan OF managing
these interests Of the city by council com.
mittees and officers elected BY the people
directly.
While it is true that the abolition of the
boards referred 10 cannot be accomplished
except by securing the repeal Of the legis.
latiye act creating them. it is, nevertheless.
to be apprehended that the attempt, nj
least, may. be made at the approaching
election to secure Council which, while
it would be compelled to elect boards 10
succeed those now actins, might select for
these positions men opposed in fact to the
present method of control in the respects
in question, who could, and perhaps
would, so manage as to bring the present
plan into disfavor among the people and
ultimately lead to the restoration OF the old
regime. ~.
Now, | think it cannot be successfully
denied that, however Objectionable or open
TO criticism some OF the official acts OF the
present Board OF Public Works NAV be,
more and better work has been done by it
in the five months it has been in actual
operation, and at much less cost than
would hare been done under-th old plan
Of operations. ,@
But even If this assertion could be fuirly
controverted the argument would still re-.
main that il would be unwise TO seek to
abolish or cripple. either OF these boards
before time and opportunity shall have
been given to test whether thew arc i'm
provements on the old plan or otherwise,
and such opportunity can be granted only
by selecting for members OF retrospective
boards named the wisest and most efficient
men to be iound in the city. The present
boards entered upon their duties necessa-
rily inexperienced, and it would be no
more than was to be expected il they have
made mistakes in the management Of tho
respective interest committed to them. But
the system should not be condemned on
count Of few mistakes Of inexperience
without allowing time to learn by expert
ence. ~ ~ lsi5
l have no disposition to cry wolf" with.
out any just occasion, but ''iorewarned is
to be forearmed," and surely the public
interests involved in this matter are Of
sufficient moment to challenge watchful-
ness, lest an enemy SOW tares in our field
while we sleep. CITIZEN.