Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-30
ANOTHER GOOD MAN GoNR wRoNG-THE
MAYORS VETO.

The council yesterday passed the re-
trenchment ordinance over the mayors
veto. This is the first genuine step in
reform which has been chronicled in
this city for long time. 1t is great
thing to see that at last some ething
substantial in the way of saving the
city's moneys has been inaugurated.
The mayor has disappointed his friends
and admirers inexpressibly. His mes
sage is decidedly weak document. On
few trifiing details the municipal ex-
ecutive undertook to defeat great boon
to the people. What are the services
of Mr.. Robinson, valuable as they may
be, what is reduction of $5 month in
the salary of the engineers of the fire
department, what is the dispensing with
the services of the police surgeon, with
the health officer ready to assume his
functions, in the balance against great
scheme of reform, which saves the
people $45, 900 year? This pretentious
document of the mayor is mere leather
and prunella.
On the heels of the pathetic plea for
the retention of the police surgeon,
made by the mayor, whose duties are
imposed on the health officer, the latter
official expresses his perfect willingness
to assume the additional labor. This is
the more easily understood when it is
known that really not one tenth of the
cases which are taken to the police
station are treated there. They are, of
course, sent to the hospital, where there
are the proper facilities for handling any
cases of gravity. with competent treat
ment at hand. The argument in favor
of the sinecure occupant OF the pest
house sounds all the depths and
shoals of bathos. IT'S pitiful, it's
wondrous pitiful, but the hard-bested
taxpayer can stand it all the same, as
can the sinecurist who holds the fort out
at the untenanted pest house-unten-
anted as to smallpox patients. 1t is
rough on that sturdy patriot to reduce
his salary for doing nothing, and we
shall confidently expect to hear of his
resignation. The mayors plea concern
ing his clerk, with all due respect to
Mr.. Robinson, falls far short OF the
chilly heights of the sublime and only
succeeds in attaining the altitude of the
ridiculous. Mr.. Rees's short talk in the
council yesterday was pregnant with
good sense and point, peculiarities in
which the mayors veto, in all its
branches, was lamentably lacking.
1t was such an easy thing to have kept
in line with the people in this impor-
tant issue that we are surprised that
Mayor Hazard had neither the good
feeling nor the good sense to do it. By
his action in seeking to block municipal
reform on a few inicky pretenses he
becomes municipal back number. He
falls so far below the popular expecta-
ton that his enemies even are without
words to express their astonishment.
The prompt action OF the council in
passing the retrenchment ordinance
over his veto shows that that body had
intended to set no trap for the mayor.
Had such been their design, however,
their success would have been most
brilliant.
Our present mayor has had the repu-
tation OF being a man devoted to the
city's veal. He has enjoyed great credit
on very slender capital. The man
who could deliberately risk the de-
feat of a municipal retrenchment
scheme involving the saving of
5000 year = the interest at
five per cent. on 5000, ,000-through a
few picayunish objections, has run his
course as representative of the senti-
ment of the taxpayers. There has sell
dom been such humiliating exhibit as
his confession of dependence on his
clerk, who is, as we have said, most
worthy man. During the remainder OF
his term Mr.. Hazard would do we'll to
pull himself together, and attend him
self to the duties for which he receives
aliberal salary.
This is another case of a good man
gone wrong.