The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-09-30
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS.
Council. nuls ! and tho Late Loan oraln

~NiAAhANy Va tAtS AbS
tho cause Of the defeat Of the Loan Ordin.
nncc at tho late election was Rule No. Of
the Board Of Public Works, and called OH
the members ito show their manhood" by
repeating said rule. Was tho welfare Of
the city his motive or was he merely pos.
Ing for effect? Was lie not trying to make
cheap capital for himself ms M embryo
Democratic candidate for City Sergeant?
1t Is MI open secret that he is u candidate
for tho ~serseantcy and It may DO possible
TINT no sometimes feels that tho people Of
this city and county have fed md clothed
him much longer than his attachments en-.
title him to and his fierce onslaught on
Rule No. 4 IL n device to gain favor, with
the dear people, by throwing mud ut what,
no thinks, Is the under dog In. tho fight.
How much did Rule 1 really have TO do
with defeating the Loan Ordinance?
How many persons, who voted ut tho late
election, knew there was such n rule?
Granting that n majority Of the negative
rs hits ut tho Board OF Public Works, II Is
safe to assert that tho great majority Of
those votes were expressions OF Ill will, on
the part OF the voters, for some personal
grievance and not n rcbukefor tho Board's
extravaganza, and not five voters in every
hundred knew Of or cared for Rule !.
It Is also true, that II the Loan Orli.
nance were again submitted 10 the people,
with Rule 1 repealed and no assurance
given, that Council would manage tho
Icity''s affairs more economically In the
future than has been done in tho past, the
negative vote would be twice rs large rs 1t
was. Suppose Mr.. Stanley and his friends
repeal lIulc 4, where will 1t place them?
The net creating the Board Of Public
Works says all contracts On account OF
tho streets and alleys shall be made by the
Board. Rule limits the amount Of the
contracts 10 $1,000. II Council repeats
this rule will it place tho making Of coll
tracts in its hands? BY no means-Coun-
ell cannot set aside an net Of the Iegisla-
turc by M ordinance, md the authority
to contract will still be inthe hands OF the
Board.
The Legislature did not place the city
in the hands Of the Board, but wisely pro-
vidcd that n stop could be put in its work,
at any time Council chooses to assert its
manhood" and refuse TO appropriate
money on the acquisitions OF the Board.
The uniform manner in which that body
has, in the past, honored every rcquisition
made on it by the Board, can be construed
in no other way than NJ approval OF the
work being done by the Board, and it is
in bad taste for one or more OF its mem-
bcrs to try to shelter themselves from
public censurc by asserting that orc rule
OF more than fifty WIS the cause of all the
present trouble.
Blame the Board rs much as lie chooses,
Mr.. S. shows that he is conscious Of some
wrong doing on his part and is trying to
conceal his own guilt in a show OF vir-
tuous indignation alta party whom he
thinks the dear people have porved the
vials OF their wrath upon.
Before the late election the Branch OF
Council to which Mr.. s. belongs 'asscrted
its manhood by adopting a resolution
that nj more money would be paid by
Council except on contracts first approved
by it. This was intended rs an assurance
to the people that in future Council would
be more careful and its passage had no
more effect on the vote on the loan ordi-
nance than a puff OF wind. This resolu-
ton was intended to accomplish more than
to repeal Rule / possibly could do, but the
Mayor and Mr.. s. can see no other way OF
safety than in its repeal.
The true way Tor Council to assert its
manhood" is for it to SO arrange the city's
finances that both the people and the
Board can know how much money can be
spent on the streets and alleys during each
year and the sources from which the
money can be derived. When this isilonc
in m intelligent and business mannerthere
will be no trouble in passing 4 Loan Orli-
nance.
Ii Mr.. S. and his friends would permit a
suggestion in reference to the matter, it
is respectfully asked ii the Gas Trustees
and Water Board, after this year, could
not set aside their net profits to form a
fund for the repairs and improvements OF
the streets and alleys. These two boards
use the streets more than all the citizens
in the trasaction OF their respective bust
ncsses and it is but inlr thnt the surplus in
their hands, which is paid in by our citi-
zens, should be expended for the benefit
OF the people. Each OF these boards could,
after setting aside ten percent Of their
profits to lorna contingent fund, pay over
to the City Receiver twenty-five thousand
dollars per year, to be held by him rs a
fund for street improvements and tobe paid
out only on appropriations made by Couu-
Gil. These two sums, with the present
contingent fund OF tho Board Of Public
Works, would amount to about seventy
five thousand dollars, which Is about the
amount absolutely necessary for the
streets and alleys OF this city every year.
We have more than fifty miles Of streets
and alleys and not one:hfth OF Thorn paved
and the outlay necessary to keep them in
even passable order is greater than most
people Imagine.
II this course were pursued In future
and Council would assert its manhood"
by refusing to appropriate any money
after the fund WIS exhausted, the Board
OF Public Works would not bea sonrce of
any trouble to the people or Council SO
far MS money matters 20. No board would