The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-24
is WEARY OF OFFICE.
Mayor Ronald Once More
Threatens to Resign.
THE HEALTH BOARD WILL NOT.
Tenure Of ONCE OF Members Exceed
That OF Mayor-Dr. Churchill's
Plain Talk.

II shall resign the Office Of mayor Of Sc
attle on or about November l next" said
Mayor Ronald last night II have had
the step in contemplation for consider
able time, and have talked it seriously over
with number Of friends. have held the
ONCE just long enough to become thor
oughiy convinced that can not afford.
either for my family, my business or my
sell, to hold it any longer. 1t is choice
between my duties to the position and to
the others, and need not say that the
others are nearer. / am sincerely grateful
to the people who elected and to those who
have stood by me: and when I remember
the good round majority with which waS'
elected, my conscience condemns me post
seriously for the step am about to take.
As matter Of fact, made q mistake,
think, in ever accepting the position.
must add that this resignation is in &C
cordance with an understanding with GER
tain members of the council arrived at
some time ago. Snd has no reference what
ever-either for or against-to any exist
ing troubles either with the board Of health
or any one else. As to the board have
nothing whatever to say tonight. re-
ceived its communication this morning."
Ronald seriously contemplates resigning
the mAyoralty.
DR.. Churchill gave some details of the
difficulty between the mayor and the
board of health yesterday which tend to
put the case in somewhat different light
from anything thus far printed. 1t will
be remembered that the auditing commit
tee objected to the accounts Of the pest
house on the ground, among other things,
that Mallard duck, oysters and spring
beds had been bought for the inmates.
I'm the seventy-fve days that the house
was open," said DIR. Churchill, yesterday,
"Mallard duck was furnished just once
and oysters the same number of times. 1t
is true, spring bed was bought. but it
was bought for and by the physician,
DR.. J. I. Miles, who was appointed
by the board on the I'd of August to reside
at the pest house, at o remuneration of
$3.50 per month. Many Of these charges
were incurred by him and were not of DIR.
Sparling's doing at all. DR.. Miles re-
manned at the pest house until it was
finally closed, period of eighteen days.
1.-THE board OF health of this city, ac-
cording to the charter, is 50 constituted
that each officer shall continue to serve
for three years, one only being appointed
each year. It will be seen that to change
the entire personnel of the board requires
five years. The official tenure of any menu
Der of the board is therefore by the charter
once and half that of the mayor himself.
By this provision of the charter its franz
ers intended to lift the board of health
above the power Of any single administra-
ton to convert it into party instrument
or make sweeping changes that would
impair its efficiency. The present Demo-
cratic mayor of Seattle is exactly the kind
Of man against whom this bulwark was
erected.
"By his unreasoning will he assumes to
set aside this essential characteristic Of the
board, and at one fell swoop change its
personnel. This fact alone is reason
enough why the members of the present
board should resist the attempt to make
an entirely new appointment in single
year. The fact that one or more members
of the department might be personally OPP
probrious' to the man who should tenn
porarily occupy the mayors chair was ex-
actly the case provided for in the charter.
The whole attempt is therefore an in
tolerable usurpation. As the mayors
term of office Is so much shorter than that
of any member of the board Of health the
question might be asked: Who is the
interloperf'"