The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-17
HERE AND THERE.
Municipal ssReforms" Accomplished ana
in Prospect

-
in Prospect
Ever since the great fire of 1889, the upper
most question in the minds OF our people nas
been, how best 10 provide ourselves Win an
adequste water supply and efficient nee pso'ee-
ton No reasonable expense was grudseo oy
our taxpayers, IN order TO make the supply Oh
water for ordinary purposes, as well as iof nsa
ing FIRE. as efficient as money ana energy coUi1
make it. Aad until recently there was lass
reason to hone that success would CROWN our
efforts.
But from their actions it is proven that the
'reforIn" administration cares nothing Tor mo
city and is interest. The motive that prompts
and guides our reform regime II fhsiE aclloiis
is the upbuilding IN this city OF good Demo
cratic machine. We are to have Iamnany IN
our midst that shall excel It's great New YORK
parent, with the difference that while the
New York monstrosity MAKES at least
pretense TO I'LL the positions requiring
mechanical skill and ability with men trained
to their business. our own rising ana growing
de:ornity exacts from its appo!ntees one quaIln-
cation only, and that Is, aosog ute ooeden me
onlv question taken into consideration in re-
moving competent and faithful Off 'ials
and in filing their paces with utterly
incompetent and even irresponsible persons IS.
viii hat strengthen our mach line to such an ex-
tent a. To enable Us II carry the county IN the
fall campaign? Anyone who can prove 10 the
Subtraction OF the machine that he is capable OF
doing good work st she primaries to defeat
Lewis for governor and of prostituting enough
voters st the election TO dcfest the Republican
party. can have any position in the city govern
meut he asks for, even though that be the In
portant Office of water Superintendent, first
assistant Or chief of the fire department.
Taking into consideration the anxiety that
Mayor Ronald displayed and the unusual means
that he employed to possess himself OF both
the water and fire, in fact of all the mechanical
DEPARTMENTS, and remembering the language
that be used, he can not now complain II the
people OF this city hold him strictly responsible
for the mismanagenent OF the water depart
ment and for the desperate attempt made oy
the council to Gus, the chief of the fire depart
ment
On April . the mayor wrote a letter to NJ.
Hebron, Republican member of the board of
public works, requesting him TO resign. In
that letter Mr.. Ronald gives many alleged rea
sons why Mr.. Hebron should resign. He con-
cludes his two-edged epistls in the following
bravado style:
l am certain that can govern this city and
carry on the contemplated Improvements ~
much less expense II | could have the privilege
OF appointing new meInoe of the board OF pub
lie works. | am perfectly willing TO assume
every responsi bility OF the administration of
the city's affairs. aud TO stand or fall by the
record We MAKE, II l can only choose my own
agents.
hardly think it is any longer question of
his standing by his record. He has long ceased
to stand. All that remains is to see how much
deeper he can fall. The water department has
now been in the hands of his ''own agents" over
two months, and since his "own agents" have
been in charge of it hardly a day passes but
what some locality in the city is put to the ex-
asperating annoyance OF having its water shut
Oh without moments warning.
The trst and most costly error was committed
by the council. A few days after the reform
council took possession D. r. Wood & Co., of
Philadelphia, wrote to the board of public
works, saying in substance that they were load
ing sailing vessel Tor Puget sound and had sew
erai hundred tons OF storage room TO spare. They
would therefore sell the city six miles OF 6-inch
and two miles OF S-inch pipe, or about 500 tons
ali told, at reduced price OF s33 per ton deliv.
cred in good con lition at the city's wharf The
city was then paying between $40 and So per ton
for the same pipe. The board thought this a very
advantageous offer to the city--one of those
business chances OF which every business man
would gladly take acknowledgement recon-.
mended TO the council that the offer be accepted.
But our reformers We're not 10 be caught in the
commission OF so grave political crime as that
OF approving q recommendation of Republic
cratic con -cientiousness laid the recommended
ton on the table
Several weeks later the city hal TO have soma
six-inch pipa 1t is well to note that six-inch
pipe is always needed. for in extending the
water system fire protection as well as domestic
supply must be taken into consideration, and
you cannot connect q hydrant to less than a six
iuch pipe, and the same council which refused
TO buy pipe a. sS3 per ton ordered two miles, or
ls5 tons. from oswego. Or, at the price of $50 rs
per ton. The Oswego pipe is now laid on Queen
Anne hill few days ago telegram was re-
ceived from the same firm Offering l,o0o tons of
pipe OF various sizes, 10 be shipped by a tramp
steamer now loading at their works, at sSi per
ton, aud since the present board harm0nlzas
with the reform administration the chances are
that the offer viii be accepted. providing the
steamer will no. have left Philsdelphia by the
time our council concludes to act.
As IL is now the city has paid about $1,000
more for the Oregon pipe than it would have
paid had il adopted the recommendation OF the
Republican board OF public works. aud is about
10 pay $1,000 more TO d. Z. Wood & Co. than
they offered to sell us the same pipe for three
months ago The difference lies in the mode of
shipment It costs more to ship per steamer
than per sail. We must also remember that had
the city accepted Woods first offer we would
have the pipe now st our wharf, Tor the ships
Shenandoah and Tam O'Shanter, both sailing
vessels. left New York on Mareh p, and are now
unloading in San Francisco. How the council
is going to explain its waste o. public money
heaven only knows but l presume the reform
organ Will be ready TO sound its note o. praise
anyhow, for, "All that Democracy does is well
done"
When Mayor Ronald possessed himself of tina
board OF public works. he found the water de-
partment In charge of a man whose honesty and
integrity no one questions; whose success in
private life proves ability aud whose long resi-.
denee ana large interest in the city gave assnr.
ance OF care III and business-lke management
OF the water works Yet all these qualifications
were o! no avail. Mr.. Valid was removed and
his successor was about as utterly unknown AZ
Mr.. Wa!d was Well known. In point OF contrast
Mr.. FIFTEEN was a pronounced success. for his
failure TO qualify, owing 10 his inability TO mo-
cure bonds proves that he was as Irresponsible
from financial standpoint, as his Predecessor
was responsible.
As 10 Mr.. Fitten's successor. the least said The
better. Mex, 10 hitting a man when down core.
the act OF critieising man whom his own MART
is concentrating its entire strength to down
The struggle between Mr. Wilson and the ma.
ehineis very unique, 70 use light expression
Wilson is a James Hamilton Lewis man. wbila
the machine engineered by Comptroller Carson
is antiLewis. How Wilson succeeded In yat.i,y
his appointment viii perhaps never be knowr
II is certain that he had barely qualified when
the fne work to oust him begun His pripcIns1
bon6smsn was induced TO withdraw. Somehow
he managed 10 PROCURE a substitute in the njet
of time But the machine has not vet given mn
I q " n sh p 40 a