Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-01-21
THAT ORDINANCE.
"DutehIe" Takes the IuteiliGencer to
Task OIL the Subject.

lne uOliGe Tue IuitHLSSICSL "hS hAH
enough to take Of my former communl
cation in your paper was very candid ant
truthful in its expression Of that paper
opinions. To one sligbt misconstructiol
of what | said | take exception. die
not say that all Germans were salooI
keepers, or that oil Germans were treated
badly said that the part of them Ell
gagged in the liquor business aud those o.
them who could not read or write Eng
H:h were badly treated,
also claimed that the Prohibitioni1ts
were worse treated than the Germans. The
Fire and Police Ordinance reads that
tour officers shall be appointed, two Of
whom shall lie Of opposite politics tC
the other two This rules the
Prohibition party oOj entirely or else
pregcribes the difficult problem for Coun
Gil to solve Of dividing ,totr officers among
the members of three rarnes, so that each
party shall have hco. This is somewhat
like the order given by the late lamented
Mr.. Wins TO Bges deckhauds in the hold
of steamboat. Come on deck halt ot
you"
The assertion that the Republican Coun'
cilmen will eventually be ashamed of their
work. and the declaration that the lntelli'
goncer thinks it WAS right for Council 10
declare liquor dealers unfit to be placed in
a body which had control Of the police, are
bo h true The several acts of the legis
lature in reference to Commissioners OF
Election, term o! Sergeants Office and
ward representation in Council, quoted By
the In'elligncer, prove nothing in favor
Of the ordinance They are euactments OF
the Legislature and not Of Council.
The Charter of this city is an act OF the
same Legislature, aud any and all rights
which Council has are laid down in the
Charcr and the amendments thereto
Outside of the provisions Of the Charter
Council has no authority what
ever. nai any ordinance which prescrjbes
any other qualifications for holding office
under the city government than Gra LAID
down in the Charter are not worth a
button.
An amendment TO the Charter, passed
in lsJ2. reads that the Mayor and mem,
bers Of Council, together with all o1icera q
the city under the ordinances thereof, shall
be elected from among the citizens quail
fed to vote for Mayor and members Of
Council"
A provision of tbs Charter as 10 who
are entitled to vote leads that every male
citizen Of 81 years and upwards who IS en-
titled 10 vote for members OF the General
Assembly, and who has resided in the city
for one year, is qualified to vote Tor Mayor
and members OF Council and therelare
eligible 10 any Office under the city govern.
ment from Mayor down.
No authority is gwen to Council 70 say
that he must belong to either political
party or that the membership O: y Board
created by Council must be divided be
tween parties. And Councll has no right
10 ssy that Deputy Sergeant must read
and write English and not De directly or
indirectly engaged in the sale Of liquor
hese two requirements Nre the most
outrageous in this remarkable ordinance
Ii ,h- Republicans in Council bad not in.
tended to make . slap a. the Germans
why say "r.ud and wrjie E0g}iSh '? Why
not simply read and write2 Tits would
have probably accomplished what the orfi
nance was at irst designed to d., but tae
temptarion to vnish numbers OF German3
for bsing Den crats, pro- ably induced The
insertion OF ,uc ~! E'tgj'Sa
lrC1uEcil can say thIt no person en-
gagged directly or indirectly in the sale Of
l;auor' shall haya anything to do
with the police and receive the In.
telTgencer endorsement ioc 80 DOM,
why may not the same provision be made
in reference TO oil the other city offices
which are filed by Council2 If it con be
done in one instance it can in another,
and to what condition ofthinGs it would
lead Will the lutelligencer say that Couu-
ell would be doing right to decree that
Mes,rs. a. Reymann, NJ. Reilly, P. WeItY,
Firmau South and the Horkheimers should
70, be elected to any position in the city
government because they were engaged
m the sale Of liquor Its approval OF tbis
ordnance commits it to that position.
NUl,NCli uhS not EONi hOt F''t hnI' "LJ
authority 10 prescribe any class OF citizens,
II liuuor dealers are compelled to pay into
tie city treasury $4,000 per annum, as
= tax for carrying on their business, com
mon fairness demands that they shall have
y, least equal rights With ether citizens
Irany citizen, entitled to vo,e nt city
election, is eligible for Mayor or member
of Council, no matter If re can or cannot
raId aud rite Eaylish, why should he bf
forbidden to fill the Office Of Deputy Ser
geAnt?
There is one thing, which the hsmo
cratic Councllmen should DO. ihey
should refuse 10 20 into an election 70,
members of the Fire and Police BoarC
until the Objectionable points OF the Ordin
snce are repealed.
The Second Branch Of Council has de
cidei Democratic majority and TO It th'
Germans and liquor dealers appeal fo
Justice and removal Of the slur put upoE
them by this Ordinance--and as that ma
ioritv does this simple act OF justice for us
so will we remember it in time TO come.
] nrT,rIfE