Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-10-03
The rribune's Tempest in Teapot.

The Tribune's Tempest III Teapot.
The Tribune assumes that 1t has I'M
earthed vcritable mares nest, In the
announcement of the fact that the
city il considerably in debt, condl-
tinn OF which everybody was aware
who has given the matter enough at
tention to form an intelligent OPINION
. of the great progress made in the past
two wears. This debt is based upon
assets. how, ~cr, which make 1t more
apparent than real, more OF the ma
ture of a security for labor performed
and beniits received, tina" an actual
disbursement OF money, the ordin-
arv sense of the term. This IS the
view that has inyariahl! been enter
tanned of the matter by 81 Il financiers
"a the officers of orr loci banks, the
President Of u..c vi which has been
the head of the city government the
past two years, and who had the power
ut any moment to terminate pollcy
the Tribune assumes to be pregnant
with evil for the city. Aside from the
mere fact that The city has paid the
expenses of grading before collecting
the assessments against the abutting
property, which shows quite a sum
outstanding, the reimbursement OF
which is amply guaranteed by levies,
which even the Burnside lawyer has
found are sustained by law and the
findings Of the Supreme Court, the
Tribune's article is simply bosh-
the vaporings OF spleen of a dis
gruntled politician who has been sat
down on" SO vigorously by his party
associates that his favor is more to be
dreaded than this opposition.
As Councilman Murphy seems to
be the member singled out for The
Tribune's abuse, it may be we'll to first
show how that Journalists prejudice has
warped its judgment, so far as he is
concerned. 1t says that "a partial re-
port was made by the City Treasurer
in August which was pigeon-holed by
Councilman Murphy" and " Mr.. Muir
ply = is on the Treasurer's bond"
What a fearful arraignment, if true,
and what a terrible indictment, if
false; for be it known that the Trib-
a,ne is both judge and jury in all cases
tried by itself. The report was not
pigeon-holed by Councilman Murphy.
The Journal (page 800 shows that on
August 18th, the Committee returned
the report, which was re-submitted at
the request of its chairman for ex-
animation Of some vouchers that were
not accessible when up for considera-
sion. This entry OF the journal shows
that the report was in the hands of
the committee less than a fortnight,
and on its second reference it was re-
tanned less than a week. So much
for "pigeon-holing," which by inuendo
suggests a fraud, which Councilman
Murphy as the Treasurer's bondsman,
was anxious to conceal. Out upon
such contemplate pettifogging'l
The article then charges that the
committee. consisting. of Murphy,
O'Brien and Hardness, have been in
the habit Of awarding verbal con-
tracts to whom they pleased" This
is simply untrue; the exact language
is quoted to show the trick by which
Murphy is placed at the head of the
committee, to make him, if posi- lie,
more responsible than the others for
this imaginary wrong-doing. Mr..
O'Brien is Chairman Of the Committee,
and fully able at the proper time to
make his own defense; ifone is needed.
But Councilman Murphy, by implica-
ton, is guilty of more than making |
verbal contracts, and that was of OBJ
tanning the passage of an ordinance
" authorizing the Street Committee to
make and award all contracts in con-
nection with street work." What the |
precise use of this would have been
when the Street Committee, was, if
the truth is charged, making verbal
contracts, with whom they pleased,
does not appear, nor is it necessary to
inquire, for on page 1896 of the jour
nal appears the entry: can ordin-
ance empowering the Street Com
mittee to make certain contracts,
was read three times and put on its
FINAL passage. Hardness, O'Brien and
McBratney voted aye; Murphy nay"
So it wasn't Murphy's scheme after all,
and the pile of unsigned contracts ly-
ing in the desk of Mr.. O'Brien the
Chairman of the Committee, shows
very conclusiyely that Messrs. Hark-
ness and Murphy differed very radi.
cally from him in the amount of work
that should be placed under contract for
the present season. Thus the second
image of straw falls to the ground,
with the stufing" pouring from his
loins. II, as the Tribune asserts, con-
tractors have begun work ON the indi-
viduh orders OF any man, even though
he be a Councilman, they have only
themselves to blame, and that the
work was stopped shows that the ma
jority of the Council were opposed to
the unbusiness-like methods" which
that journal so persistently insists they
are responsible for.
In order to place the blame "where
it will do the most good" the Tribune
institutes Mayor Chambers as the
Moses, who is to lead the lost tribes
from the wiidness of its fervid i'm
agination. II declares "When Mayor
Chambers inquired into the manner
of awarding contracts, he refused to
sign any contracts, unless placed be-
fore the open Council" AS the Mayor
ia never called uDon In sion apv con.