The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-29
WHAT NEXT?

OF INC Nlly council HAS COuplcteu, So
far as TIE TINES can learn, its labors
of investigating into the byways and
crooked paths of municipal administra-
tion. 1t will meet again on Friday TO
compare notes and find out what it has
found out. Ifit has taken any advantage
of the enlarged powers asked for and
granted by the City Council, TIE TINES
is unaware of it.
Without in any sense or from any
purpose desiring TO dcpreciatc the al
ready valuable labors of the committee,
TIE TIMES knows that a great oppor-
tunity to investigate the administration
vi Roanoke will be lost by stopping
now.
The committee has merely explored
the surface OF the citys wounds, and
has failed to probe 10 the bottom. Its
investigation last night was like that
of a man who walks in the dark in fear
of falling over precipicc. The com
mittecs report, however, will be the
measure of it's worthiness.
The public has followed with the
ACCnCSJ iHbtlCSb Iuc QcNclODutHlS Ol
the investigation, and has learned a
number of things. The report of the
committee will merely come to the
standard of public knowledge and I'M
Outstanding or else fall short IL can
not go further.
These are the things .ne public has
discovcred
That the chief of police is a dcfaultcr
to the extent of So ,00O
That his defalcatiop was made pos
sible by the gross carelessness and lack
of cooperation of the mayor, the city
treasurer and the CITY auditor.
That the chjcf of police made no
bond, and ,tcving made mono, chnically
vacated his Office within thirty days
from the time he entered it,
That the three administrative officers
referred to had cognizancc of the de-
falcation months ago; that two of them
violated the spirit of the law in failing
to Immediately report the fact to the
City Council, and that the third violated
not only the spirit but the absolute
letter, of the ordinance in failing to
make that report.
That the mayor of the city carried
the accumulation of several months of
fines until it amounted to 81 900 before
turning it into the city treasury. That
during part of that time the treasury
was empty and city employees were sell
ing their pay warrants at tremendous
discounts in order to get money to buy
their daily bread. All this in spite of
plain ordinance requiring him to deposit
monthly.
That the police force has become
demoralized from a lack of discipline;
that black sheep have crcpt in; that a
drunken bully and ruflian has frequently
been made acting chief of olicc: that
the mayor has kept him on special duty,
though practically nothing was done by
this specially favored officer, and that
the mayors especial and hitherto un-
explained interest in this officer was
due to the fact that they were born
within 4 stones throw of each other.
the mayor himself tcstifying that
he was endcavoIilg to reform this
"wayward boy'--at the city's expense.
This officer WAS proven to be a
drunkard, yet the mayor never saw him
under the influence of liquor, save the
time when he tried to clean out TIE
TINES Office
The public is convinced that the city
would be materially benefited by :,
series of designations and removals.
1t is convinced that the administra.
tive end of the city needs The same sort
of shaking up that the City Council
got at the spring lection.
1t is convinced that the amount voted
for public Improvements. Si2l 900. will
be insecure in the hands Of admnistra.
tive officers who can't see leak until
the outflow of public frnds runs into
their eyes.
The public would like peep into tho
remaining uneXplorcd city Offices.
Will the committee explore?
While awaiting an answer TO that.
question, TIE TIMES desires TO place
upon its stereopticon for contemplation
several historical remarks which Will
never die. They are as follows:
"Who struck Billy pAtterson?"-Wil-
liam Patterson
"What are you going to 10 about it?"-
William NJ Tweed.
"The Public be d?"-William II
Vanderbilt.