Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-09-10
ANOTHER FAMOUS UTTERANCE.

But of all his acts as Mayor of Buffalo
none was more courageous, more char
acteristic-than his celebrated check upon
extravaganza in cleaning the streets of
Buffalo.
1t had been the habit of the Council to
so let the contract that hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars we're taken from the CITY
treasury annually and profigately wasted.
Upon his accession to the Mayorship, the
first time the street cleaning contract came
before him he returned the contract to the
Council with the following message:
BUFFALO, June 26 1852
81 return without my approval the resolution
of your honorable body, passed at its last meet
ing,awardingthe contract for cleaning the paved
five years to--at his bid of four hundred and
twenty-five thousand and five hundred dollars
The bid thus accepted by your honorable
body is more than one hundred thousand dollars
higher than that of another perfectly RESPONSE
BILE party for the same work: and a worse and
more suspicious feature in the transaction is
that the bid now accepted is fifty thousand dol
lars more than that made by--himself within
few weeks, openly and publicly TO your honor.
able body for performing precisely the same
services The latter circumstances is TO my
mind the manifestation on the part of the con-
tractor OF a reliance upon the forbearance and
generosity of your honorable body which would
the taxpayers.
II am not aware that any excuse has been
offered ior the acceptance OF this proposal. thus
increased, except the very fiimsy one that the
lower bidders cannot afford to do the work for
the sums they name.
THE extreme tenderness and consideration
for those who desire to contract with the civ
and the touching and paternal solicitude lest
they should be improvidently led into bad bar.
m 10 m GttEsa H..
ness rules, and seems TO have no place In this |
selfish, sordid world, except as found In the adj. |
minIstration OF municipal affairs.
Tine charter OF you. city requires that the
mayor, when he disapproves any resolution Of
your honorable body, shall return the same with
his objections. ~
"Thisis a time for plain speech and my obieo-
tlon TO the action OF your honora lie body now
under consideration shall be plainly Stated I |
wltnn no my assent from the same, because
ippudent and shameless scheme to betray the
interests of the people and to worse than s1uan.
81 will not be misunderstood In this matter
There are those whose votes were given for this
resolution whom cannot and will not suspect
sworn to protect: but IL has been fully demon.
strated that there are influences, both In and
about your honorable body, which IL behooves
every honest man to watch and avoid with the
greatest care.
when cool judgement rules the hour. the
people will, hope and believe, have no reason
".
But clumsy appeals TO prejudice or passion, in.
situations, with kind of low, cheap cunning.
as TO the motives and purposes Of Others and
the mock heroism OF brazen effrontery which
openly declares that a wholesome public senti-
ment Is to be set at naught, sometimes deceiyes
and leads honest men TO aid In the consumma-
tion OF schemes which, IL exposed, they would
look upon with adherence,
''If the scandal in connection with the street
cleaning contract, which has so aroused
our citizens shall cause them to select and
watch with more care those to whom thew in
rust their interests and II IL serves 10 make Ali
)f us who are charged with official duties more
,areful In their performance, it will not be an
eve are fast gaining positions in the grades
" public stewardship. There Is no middle
ground Those who are not for the people eth.
n In or out of our honorable body are against
hem and should be treated accordingly
GROVER CLEVELAND,
Mayor,
His whole career as Mayor was such as
o elicit from the leading Republican
newspapers of Buffalo, now supporting the
republican ticket, the editorial remark, |
pom the day succeeding his resignation
S Mayor: /" Yesterday Buffalo lost the
est Mayor she eoer had" Such was the
of a career when has i.sraes