Omaha daily bee., 1884-03-17
COUNCIL BLUFFS
ADDITIONAL LOCAL NEWS.
WAR OPENED.
The HOld.0Ver Members Of The Council
Indicate Hostility to Vaughan,
How He Can i'm Turn Make IL Inter-
esting For Them.

There has been some curiosity felt as
to how the council would work with
w. r. Vaughan as mayor. 1t is a demo-
cratic council and he is a democrat also,
but as is well known there have been
dissensions in the party and some of the
leading democrats have been openly anti
Vaughan. The meetings of the old coun-
Gil on Friday and Saturday nights indi-
Gates clearly that there is a disposition
among the four hold-over members to
rasp Vaughan. In the first place they
raised the salaries of the city attorney,
city auditor and other officers, but no
raise was made on the mayors salary.
This was not because the council thought
the salary of 5000 high enough, for less
than a year ago they tried to raise Mayor
Bowman's salary to 5000, but The BEE
showing up the law that the salary could
not be increased during his term of
office, the council took it back.
They raised the salary of the city attor
ney, who is anything but a Vaughan
man, and then turned about and en-
ployed the retiring city attorney, to
whom the council has shown little re
spect, to assist the new attorney with the
raised salary.
A still worse drive at Mayor Vaughan
is the cutting down of the police force to
five members and a chief. 1t was gem
orally known that Vaughan favored an
increase in the number rather than a de-
crease, and as he has the appointing the
council evidently desired to cut him
down as a mere matter of personal spite.
OF course no n pretends that the city,
scattered as it is over a whole township,
car get along with five policemen.
The council having thrown down the
gauntlet, Mayor Vaughan has an excel
lent chance to make it interesting for all
concerned. If he has but five policemen
he ought to pick out men of grit enough
to pull some of the gambling houses and
houses of ill-fame, and bring to the front
all in the houses, whether they be officials
or not.
Mayor Vaughan should also investigate
some of the transactions of the past year.
He should inquire into the $10O which
Aid. James drew on the back pay resolu-
ton, which was afterwards rescinded.
He should inquire by what authority
Dan Eicher has been drawing S25 a
month as purchasing agent for the city.
He should inquire whether city officials
have any legal right to be interested in
city contracts; whether the mayor can
sell safes to the city, and whether he can
draw money for office rent while desk
room is furnished in the city building.
He shouii55 inquire how it is that the city
clerk has been paid 500 a month for
some time, and that the ordinance max.
ing such a raise was not amended uni,
last Friday night. He should inquire
how Alderman Heating can be al
lowed extra Compensation on ac-
count of some committee work. Mayor
Vaughan ought not to let these matters
BASS by without investigation, and if
there has been any mooey paid out ille-
gally he should take steps to recover it.
Now that the council has hoisted its flag,
Mayor Vaughan should sail in, and lei
the public have the benefit of whatever
facts can be had by this falling out.