The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-04-19
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS.

The announcement of Mayor Pfau's
for members of the new
board of public works caused little sur
prise, chiefly because they had been
foreshadowed by well-founded report.
The estate" given by the FREE PRESS
as the Mayors choice proves to
have been the correct one. In another
particular also do the appointments
fulfill the predictions made in these col
umns-the new board has been used for
the payment of political debts and as
the basis of political bargains. This is
80 manifest that no attempt is made to
disguise the fact, and the good citizens
who looked to the board of public works
as sure to straighten all the crooked and
unsatisfactory features of city admins
tration and public improvements are, to
say the least, mildly disguised when
they find on the new board two MEM
bers of the old council, and another
strict devotee of city hall methods. But
it is Pfau-ism pure and simple, and as
the voters recently expressed them
selves favorable to that sort of municipal
medicine we trust there will not be
much kicking now. The dose Is no
stronger than it was reasonable to ex-
pect.
The FREE PRESS has the most kindly
feeling for the new appointees personal
ly. They are all well-known and intel
ligent gentlemen, and possess ideas of
progress which are desirable in men,
bers of such board. They are not,
however, by profession or practice, me-
chanics, and we think there should have
been at least one practical man of that
character on the board. In fact, we are
to say that the mayor might
have found other gentlemen whose par
ticular abilities and appropriateness for
the positions were more manifest,
though we admit 1t would have been
difficult to find three more clever gen.
tlemen or three who fit 30 well into the
inches of Mayor Pfau's shrewdly con-
structed political edifice.
The bargaining by which the places
on the new board were made to serve as
stock in trade for the Mayor in his en-
terprise of being reelected is the really
dlsreputable part of the business and
that which merits strongest criticism.
That such course was being followed was
evident enough end plainly shown to
the voters, and it is little short of dis
grace to the city that 1t should re-elect a
man who has 30 little appreciation OF his
duties and what he owes to the public as
to make the places on board projected
purposely to secure reform in city mat
tiers the basis for his private trades and
bargains. The appointment OF Mr..
Pitcher is well understood and was con-
fidently expected. He has been the
most earnest advocate of the new board
and it was appropriate ION the Pfau plan)
that he should be rewarded for mis- SER
vices in behalf of the scheme to provide
the additional spoils. Mr.. Pitcher has
been a recognized friend Of the Piau ad-
The appointment of Mr.. Davies was
not expected so long, although since his
voluntary retirement from the race for
Recorder at the behest of Pau it was
clear he had been arranged for. A po-
litical bargain was never 30 clear and
Mr.. Himmelman's selection
was doubtless in return for his earnest
services in behalf of the mayor in the
last and previous campaigns.
The First ward Is said to be disconso-
late, and there is also Andrew Hanna
who has not yet been provided for. But
Mayor Pfau will discount the predictions
of his friends if he does not deliver the
goods" in those particulars. The
which the board will
doubtless require, and the new night
Waterman furnish two places that will go
a good way toward smoothing out the
ruffies.
There is another bargain" that might
as we'll be ventilated at the present time
that is, the Pau Young combine over
the city attorneyship. II anybody
thought the mayor would allow the fail
ure of the charter amendment to pro-
vide him with the attorney plum to in
terfere with his plans, such person reck-
oned wrongly. Mr.. w. E. Young, a
land by the way, a very
bright and worthy Young gentleman
was elected city attorney Monday night
by the Pfau men in the council. On the
heels of that came the announcement
hat Mr.. Young and Mr.. Pau would
form q partnership. See? Isn't 1t
ine scheme? Mayor Pfau is all supreme,
and his little slate went through with the
.lacrity Of CREASED lightning" Next