The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-11

taken all In all. a rnisft lot They certainly
did not SIT in beautifully with the schemes of
Tacoma, nor with the ideas of our acting gov
crner.-
FROM MR.. BAGLEY.
He Discusses the Municipal Expense
Account.
SEATTLE, April 10, 1891.
To1HE EDITOR: There is q general demand
from the press and the public for retrenchment
aud reform in municipal Affairs One, who is
not behind the scenes, or permitted to Lift at
1east the corner OF the curtain, cannot under
stand the difficulties attendant upon any effort
TO accomplish this result. The mayor, the board
of aldermen. nearly all the heads Of depart
ments, as well as the subordinate officers. and
lastly. the Chamber of Commerce, all put on the
brake at some stage of progress. Each depart
ment frankly admits tha: the city is being run
under too great pressure and that something
must be done at once. but ask its head
how much of reduction can be made
in his own department and at once the reply
is that the efficiency viii be destroyed il any
reduction is forced upon him. lie will point
out where great and needed changes should be
made somewhere else, but not for an instant
viii be assent TO have his own force reduced or
the pay lessened- The fire department viii
dilate eloquentiy upon the immense 'scut'' that
should be made in the street, sewer, health,
auce agent or owner OF q sheet iron warehouse
on the docks win protest with tears in his eyes
and voice choked with woe at the very thought
OF any change in the fire department, and we
are at once threatened with the wrath of the in
suranee companies If we take rung out of one
OF OF the ladders or . brass button or silver
nozzle OF the ireboat
The health department must have its four
men continued and its monthly bill of drugs,
including its kegs of brandy and whisky. The
police force must have its seventy-fye men,
rosewood billies aud white tassels, including its
sidewalk inspector and the mayors private de-
tectiye; though to do full justice, the new chief
OF police frankly says that he can give the city
good government and protection with fifty
men all told; and in addition, he is the only
high priced officer who has admitted that he
could possibly serve the city for less than he is
now allowed by charter or ordinance. Although
an invitation has been extended to the whole
official force drawing big salaries the writer has
yet to hear Of one OF them Offering to cooperate
with or assent to any attempt to reduce his sal
airy. The charter was built big enough to cover
all the additions" to Seattle from the Puyallup
on the south to Snohomish on the north, and it
fastened a lot of big salaries on the taxpayers.
Not content with this, the charter makers
adopted one of the laws of the Modes and Per
slams and made it impossible to raise or lower
any salary OF an officer during the term for
wise men and the board of aldermen, nearly
every employe of the city is getting from 50 to
100 per cent more than similar men and like
services are paid for by business men and cor
porations. Some of these big salaries cannot be
reduced until the charter can be amended, and
none OF them can be changed until after the
next annual municipal election. When the
salary ordinance was before the council for
discussion and adoption the board of delegates
-of which the writer was not then member
made all possible effort to keep the list down
to reasonable limit but to get the aldermen 70
pass any reasonable measure was im-
possible, and the delegates were Gragooned into
asserting to much larger salaries than they
thought right This process OF compulsion has
been pursued by the board OF aldermen from
that day to this. With the retiring of Messrs
Valid and Holbrook only seven men were left
or these, only three have made any attempt at
retrenchment or reform The other four have
been the most assorted job lot of cranks that .
long suffering public ever had hoisted upon
them as Legislators. One of them does not even
have his name on the city tax-roll, and If he
pays taxes on any property it is in his wife's
name or assessed to unknown owners and in
any event he escapes payment of POLL tax.
Others have relatives and pets in different
offices and they appear to be always ON the
lookout for some soft job for these '.sisters.
cousins and aunts' already in Office or in other
offices they desire. Instead of honest endeavor
TO DO the best they can for the city, these four
seem to be always looking out to grind
some personal ak, and TO serve their
masters = the whisky and gambling ring
No measure of importance that has en-
anated from the house of delegates
has run the gauntlet OF these men, ana the only
possible way to secure the passage of needed
ordinances has been to have them introduced in
the board of aldermen. and by appealing to the
seli-eonceit of one or more of the quartette to
get them TO allow such measures TO receive the
needed votes case in point occurred this
week. An ordinance to reduce the police force
was introduced in the house of delegates and
passed. When 1t reached the board of aldermen
they added three captains to the list and sent it
back. The house accepted two OF the captains
but refused the third, the chief OF police having
said he could get along with two. When the
bill went back to the aldermen some OF the s.big
four" thought the new chief might let out the
captain who "had pull with these aldermen
and SO they killed the bill, and the city con.
tinues 10 groan under a needless burden for
salaries of supernumerary policemen.
Go into the departments, and all through
them will be found men unfit and incompetent
for their positions, but they are the sons or the
friends, male or female, OF some one who has
Influence" and SO the city pays big prices for
worthless service. This is true OF nearly every
department of the city government The writer
knows of a SET of books that will have TO be laid
e>iue anu new set bought ana competent
bookkeeper hired TO do the work over again be-
cause a clerk was recommended by one of the
most prominent city officials for the position
and who was totally incompetent However
his hacker had power, and his Recommendation
was equivalent TO a command.
Another instance of the power of "a pull" is
in regard 10 the sewer tunnel from Lake Union
n the bay. Because certain gentlemen have in
terests in brick works the influence OF the Cham
Der of Commerce must be invoked to advocate
the use of brick in said tunnel. although sueh
use would entail almost double the exneus,
and then give the city job inconlparably poorer
than would be the case if cement should he
used
so it goes Extravaganza, ineosnpetenee
fraud and dishonesty are entrenehed, and their
stronghold is so impregnsble that nothing short
OF miracle and political earthquake can over
turn them
The condition of affairs has made it almost
Impossible to reduce the city expenses, and
much OF the reduction that is made falls upon
the lahorers and most poorly paid employees.
while the high-salaried men continue to draw
their pay with commendable regularity and the
city continues TO pay prices for nearly every
thing II buys that will allow the seller 10 nav a
good percentage to some one and s,ill make his
ordinary profit on the transaction That anv
member OF the board of public works or lis see.
rotary wrongfully takes one dollar ON these nnr
chases the writer does not believe, hut that a
great dea, OF this kind OF corruption goes ON cor,
family he does believe. and ii he can GET hn,a :,
the facts he viii endeavor 10 bring the rui,tv
ones 10 Justice. CD. B.eIry
II