The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-07-05
PAGES 8 TO12
THIS is THE 9TH OF JULY.
AND DIR. SMITH TowNsHEND is ssTILL
HEALTH OFFICER.
Some of His Friends Now Think He Will
Not Be Disturbed Further-If He and
Colonel Moore are Removed, Some
One Else Will Have to Go.

Dr' SlniCn loWnsnenu is stlIl looking alter
the health Of the District. The 1st of July,
as well as the ID, Sd, and 4th, has come and
gone and he has not complied with the re-
quest OF the Commissioners for his resgna-
tion, nor has he been removed. 1t has been
said that the delay in his decapitation is due
to Commissioner Roberts absence from the
city, and that as soon as the Engineer Com
missioner returns DIR. Townshend's head will
fall into the basket.
There are those, however, who do not be-
leve this. DR.. Townshend's friends, at least
some Of them, are now rather confident that he
will not be disturbed further They say he
has been and still is ready to resign If the
Commissioners ask for his place and give their
reasons for so doing. They declare the Com
missioners must say for what cause DR.. Towns
hend's resignation is demanded before he can,
in view of all the circumstances, step down
and out. Ordinarily, there would have been
no difficulty about the matter, and Towns
hend would have resigned promptly on de-
mand. But short time ago serious charges
We're brought against him and investigated by
order OF the Commissioners, and although the
charges fell through, the demand for his resig-
nation following so closely made it look as if
they were cause and effect. Therefore DIR.
Townshend feels and his friends feel that in
justice to himself he must refuse to re-
sign until the Commissioners remove
all doubt as to the reasons why his resigna-
tion is wanted. Commissioners Robert and
Douglass have already said that the recent
charges had nothing whatever to do with the
matter. This is good as far as it goes, but it
doesn't go far enough, it seems, to suit the
Health Officer and his friends. They want
the Commissioners to state just what the rea-
sons are that at this time make them wish to
nil the Doctors place with new man,
whether they are business, political, moral, or
religious. Until this is done, it looks as if
DR.. Townshend would continue to ignore
| their demand for his resignation.
! It is not clear what ground the Health
| Officers friends have for their apparent con-
| fdence that he will not be removed. The
| general impression around town is to the con-
| trary. II Townshend's was the only scalp
| Commissioners Robert and Douglass We're
| after, it is believed they would not have ex-
perienced SO much trouble. But the reports
| that Colonel Moore's scalp also was wanted
| stirred things up In great shape. The friends
| Of the two officials seem to have combined
| for defense and have made such stand that
| Robert and Douglass have been brought to a
halt. Whether they will gather fresh courage
and strength and resume operations when
| Robert returns remains to be seen. No one
| seems to doubt that the Colonel will be as
| ready as ever for the fray, but whether Com
missioner Douglass will continue firm and
| aggressive is the question. If he does and Dr.
Townshend and Colonel Moore are removed
that will not end the matter by any means.
In fact, If the talk to be heard about town
means anything, it will only mark the begin
ming of the real fighting
The supporters of both the Health Officer
and the Major of Police do not want any one
| to think they wish to dictate to the Commits
sioners. They do not question the latter's
right to remove subordinates neither do they
claim that DR.. Townshend and Colonel Moore
are without faults, nor that other men equally
competent to fill their places cannot be found
in the District. But they intimate that if the
offices OF the District Government have got to
be filled by men entirely free from the ordinary
weaknesses of humanity, other men besides the
Health Officer and Major of Police will have
to go.