National Republican., 1883-04-02
HOW THE PUBLIC LOOK AT IT.
Various Expressions OF Opinion ON Itho
Row Among the Commissioners-The
Law and tho Facts.

various ENpressionh OF Opihioh VII tNho
Row Among the Commissioners-The
Law and tho Facts.
THE LEGAL STATUS or THE DISTRICT COM
MIss1ONERs.
TO TIC Editor.
What is your correspondent "W 7. C."
driving at in his article of Friday morning
on the above subiect2 Does he intend to at
tack the board of commissioners for assigning
special duties to each member2 or to reflect
upon Gen West for declining to serve as
president under the new assignment? In
either case / think he is wrong.
I. The apportonmcnt of duties among
the members of the board is no new thing, 1t
has been practiccd for years, and without
objection. Nor is u similar apportionment
unusual in boards having numerous functions.
The senate is u unit, but il has its committees;
and so has every church vostry and board
of bank directors. Every committee of CON
grcss has its subcommittee. For the district
commissioners, owing TO the great number and
complcxity of their duties the apportiOnmcnt
is matter of necessity. But no commissioner
ever supposed that he was armed with indie
pendent powers" "to the exclusion Of" his
colleagues. simply because he was charged
with the duty of fully informing himself on
special branches of administration and of at
tending to the routine work in them 1t is
true, in certain sense, ms stated by W. L. {"
that each commissioner is entitled to parti-
pate in every measure adopted !" but when
Mai Iydecker bOres hole for the reservoir
tunnel no one expects the other two commits
soners to insist upon holding the augcr.
Matters of routine must be left to individual
members.
2. What duties should DO assigned to each
member of the board should have been gov
erned by his adaptation and position on the
nd hplDnuinU N
street improvements, construction of build
ings, the water works. &c, 60 naturally to
the engineer commissioner. How should the
others be dividcd2 The president of the
board is the member presented to the public
by the board itself as its chief organ for the
transaction of ordinary business. To him 20
all complaints of violations of public order,
nuisances, applications for licenses, To him
are addressed all communications receiving
prompt attention-all from the President,
either house of congress, or from cabi-
net officers TO him naturally fall all the
petty routine duties connected with the pre-
servation of order. 1t appears indispensable
that he should be placed in control of the
police, health, and fire department this is
demanded by II due regard to the facility of
administration. To the third member fall
the numerous and important duties connected
with the public school system, the offices of
auditor and collector ofrevenue, the assessment
of property, &c. The duties attaching to the
post of president keep him him generally i'll his
office; those Of the engineer and third mem
ber take them very frequently out of tho
office. 1t would be very inconvcnient to
make either the engineer or the third mem
ber president of the board
3. Ought Gen. West to have declined acting
longer as president? | think he ought, The
duties assigned him We're not such as are prop
erly connected with the position of president.
He could not visit schools, asylums, and hos
pitfalls and be ut the office to receive COM
plants, arrange business for the meetings of
the board and see to the proper execution OF
the orders of the board. The two classes of
duties are incompatible. The best rider can't
bestride two horses going in opposite direc-
tions.
4. This is so plain, that the action of Gen.
Vests cOlleaucs requires better explanation
than 'W p. G." gives. The general is sud-
denly stripped of duties which he has been
performing to the entire satisfaction of the
public, and which are not conveniently separ-
able from his Office as president. He is as
signed to duties which cannot be conveniently
performed by the member acting as president.
He is deprived of the supervision of the po-
lice at time when his further services in
the publication of that department seem to
the public quite necessary. The public was
pcrpexcd AZ Mai. Lydeckcr's action in retain
ing Mai. Morgan in control of the police
when the majors inability had been more
than demonstrated. 1t smOrc pcrpleXed now
to know why in the light of all the disclos-
urcs of rottcnness in the police force,
its immediate control is taken out of the
able hands of Gen. West, and placed in those
of gentleman from whom we expect much,
whom we all like but whose previous life
contains no experience which guarantees his
successful management Of body of police.
men. Why, in both cases, should Maj. Ly.
decker dsappoint the expectations of the
public? The major has reasons, doubtless
which are satisfactory to him; but if he does
not give them, he must not complain if peo-
pie attribute his action in public matter to
personal feeling.
do not known the motives of the actors
have kindly feeling towards them all, and
write only Pro BoNo PUBLiCO.